Second Volume Of The Cleveland Orchestra's A New Century Recording Project Available Today

The second volume of The Cleveland Orchestra's inaugural release on its own label, The Cleveland Orchestra: A New Century, will be available through various online streaming services beginning on Friday, April 24, 2020. The second album of this three-disc set features the world-premiere recording of Stromab by Austrian composer Johannes Maria Staud and tone poem Aus Italien by Richard Strauss. The entire three-disc collection is comprised of six musical works under the baton of Cleveland Orchestra Music Director Franz Welser-Möst, all recorded live in concert at Severance Hall during the past three years (2017 to 2019).

The full collection is currently available for exclusive streaming on Apple Music and for download on iTunes. Worldwide release of the deluxe CD box set, via international retail outlets and The Cleveland Orchestra Store, will take place on Friday, June 5, 2020. Pre-orders for the physical set can be purchased at clevelandorchestra.com/newcentury. On Thursday, May 7 the set will be available to purchase through The Cleveland Orchestra Store. The first two volumes (Beethoven and Varèse) and (Staud and Strauss) are currently available for streaming on other services leading up to the release. For additional details, see the Production Information section below.

"The Cleveland Orchestra has a long and storied catalogue of recordings, providing testament to the ensemble's ongoing and evolving artistry," says André Gremillet, President and CEO of the Orchestra. "As we launch a new series of recordings on our own label, this inaugural recording set documents the remarkable abilities and achievements of this ensemble under Franz Welser-Möst's leadership. The repertoire has been chosen to highlight the breadth, depth, and great artistic partnership between Franz and the Orchestra, with a particular focus on 20th and 21st century music."

The Cleveland Orchestra: A New Century release is designed to showcase the Welser-Möst and Cleveland Orchestra partnership, now in its 18th year. Welser-Möst's contract was extended in 2019 to run through 2027, carrying him past George Szell's legendary status as the longest-serving musical leader in the ensemble's history.

A New Century offers a diverse selection of six musical pieces, from Beethoven to contemporary composers, with two works each from the 19th, 20th, and 21sts centuries. Two world premiere recordings are included, of Johannes Maria Staud and Richard Bernd Deutsch; these first-ever recordings of these pieces continue The Cleveland Orchestra's longstanding commitment and abilities with new musical scores. (In both instances, the recordings document The Cleveland Orchestra's United States premiere of each work.) Deutsch and Staud have served as composers-in-residence through The Cleveland Orchestra's Daniel R. Lewis Young Composer Fellowship program. In addition to Beethoven and the two living composers, pieces on the set include Richard Strauss's first tone poem, Aus Italien, Edgard Varèse's wildly noisy portrait of New York City, Amériques, and Sergei Prokofiev's Third Symphony. Organist Paul Jacobs is the featured soloist in Deutsch's organ concerto, titled Okeanos. Additional details are listed in the product information section below.

In both its physical and digital formats, the set is grouped into three volumes or discs, pairing an older and new work together, showcasing a kind of pairing or juxtaposition that Welser-Möst often uses in programming to help concerts act as musical journeys for the listeners. "I believe that every concert is as much about creating an emotional journey for the audience as it is a musical one," says Cleveland Orchestra Music Director Franz Welser-Möst. "An orchestra's technique and artistry are not just about serving the music as an art form, but creating a special experience in performance."

"In my career, I have found no better place in the world to work and create music than here in Cleveland, with The Cleveland Orchestra," say Welser-Möst. "From the beginning, I have been inspired by the musicians and the support and keen interest that the entire Cleveland community provides their Orchestra. The six pieces on this new recording are just a sampling of what we have accomplished together. We have an exciting opportunity going forward, as we choose additional music to offer the world through online recordings."

Streaming access and videos: To view A New Century overview video and Beethoven String Quartet No. 15 (version for string orchestra) / Varèse Amériques video with insight about these works from Music Director Franz Welser-Möst, visit clevelandorchestra.com/newcentury. To stream, for free, the Beethoven / Varèse recording, search all major streaming services for the recording or visit this link https://smarturl.it/ANewCentury.

Included with the box set is an extensive 150-page deluxe companion book which explores continuity and change at The Cleveland Orchestra, across musical leaders, changes and enhancements to the ensemble's home concert hall, and the steady influence of a hometown community that constantly demands and responds to great musicians playing great music with new and refreshing perspectives.

A New Century 150-page deluxe companion book (11" x 7.5") contents:

• Introduction by André Gremillet, President and CEO, The Cleveland Orchestra
• Essay about "Why Music Matters," by Franz Welser-Möst, Music Director, The Cleveland Orchestra
• Two interviews with Welser-Möst, about The Cleveland Orchestra and its future
• Program notes about the six musical selections, taken from the Orchestra's program book, written by Welser-Möst, James R. Oestreich, Hugh MacDonald, and Eric Sellen
• Articles about Severance Hall's acoustics and the Orchestra's history, by Eric Sellen
• Portrait of Cleveland as a city, by Suzanne de Roulet
• Illustrated with over 150 photographs, press quotes, and recording details

The complete physical set is now available for pre-order and for exclusive streaming on Apple Music and download from iTunes, via clevelandorchestra.com/newcentury.

Released by The Cleveland Orchestra, the inaugural A New Century will be available on all major digital download purchase and streaming services worldwide (including Apple Music, Spotify, Deezer, Qobuz, IDAGIO, Primephonic, and QQ Music China.)

This and planned, ongoing future releases are designed to share the unique artistry of the Welser-Möst/Cleveland Orchestra partnership with audiences in Cleveland and around the world, while expanding the Orchestra's extensive recording catalog, including video/DVD releases of Bruckner and Brahms under Welser-Möst's baton.

A dedicated Cleveland Orchestra microsite: clevelandorchestra.com/newcentury will include:

• Recording set and project overview
• Embedded audio stream/link to the entire album (via Apple Music)
• Product & release information
• Links to pre-order options (both physical and digital)
• Video featurettes
• Excerpt from the deluxe companion book

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