This second disc in Vasily Petrenko’s Strauss series with the Oslo Philharmonic features Don Quixote, op.35, Don Juan, op.20, and Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche, op.28. This is an eagerly anticipated new release from these masterful musicians.

Vasily Petrenko is one of the most significant and galvanizing musicians alive. He became famous for his transformative work at the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, the oldest orchestra in the United Kingdom, where he refashioned the orchestra’s sound, reconnected the organization to its home city and presided over a huge increase in ticket sales.

Vasily is one of the most acclaimed classical recording artists alive and has won numerous accolades for his recordings of Russian repertoire, including two Gramophone awards. With the Oslo Philharmonic, he has recorded Shostakovich and Szymanowski concertos, Romeo and Juliet by Prokofiev, and a major cycle of orchestral works by Alexander Scriabin.

This recording is the second in a series of three CDs of Strauss’s orchestral works. Volume 1 was a Gramophone Editor’s Choice: “There’s no lack of excitement or, where needed, bombast, and the Osloers’ sound at full throttle is thrilling, their playing superb.”

The Sunday Times said of Volume 1: “As Petrenko’s tenure in Oslo begins to wind down, he revels in the standards of orchestral virtuosity he has attained with this excellent band in two Strauss tone poems that challenge all instrumental departments...the Osloers shine brilliantly.”

Critics have universally applauded his other recordings with the Oslo Phil.

“these performances from Vasily Petrenko and Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra are topdrawer.” – Musicweb International

“It’s their performance of Prometheus, one of Scriabin’s greatest achievements, that stands out.” – The Guardian on Scriabin LWC1160

“...the Osloers’ sound at full throttle is thrilling, their playing superb. But what makes this account so special is that it also has room for patient musicality...” – Gramophone Magazine