Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings; Bartók: Divertimento – London Symphony Orchestra, Roman Simovic (leader)
The magnificent string sound of the London Symphony Orchestra is world-renowned and this recording marks the LSO Live debut of the LSO String Ensemble, directed by the leader of the LSO, Roman Simovic, in performance of the much loved Serenade for Strings by Tchaikovsky and the Divertimento by Bartók.
The Serenade has proved to be one of the most enduringly popular works Tchaikovsky ever wrote, a piece which he described himself as being ‘passionately in love with’. Inspired in part by Mozart, Tchaikovsky weaves Russian folksong into the fabric of this elegant music, along with a fine example of his beloved waltz, and incorporates an elegiac musical centrepiece.
The Divertimento is one of the last works that Bartók composed before leaving Europe for exile in the US. It is a highly original work, adopting its own unique idiom, contrasting two buoyant and light-hearted movements with a sombre Adagio in four sections.