Seattle Symphony: Thomas Dausgaard And The Seattle Symphony Release George Walker's Sinfonia No. 5, "Visions"

George Walker

Sinfonia No. 5, "Visions"

Seattle Symphony

Thomas Dausgaard

SEATTLE SYMPHONY MEDIA RELEASE FEATURES WORLD PREMIERE PERFORMANCE OF WALKER’S FINAL WORK

WORLDWIDE DIGITAL-ONLY RELEASE MARCH 5, 2021

RECORDING DETAILS

GEORGE WALKER

SINFONIA NO. 5, “VISIONS”

Thomas Dausgaard conductor

Clayton Brainerd vocals

Ed Morris vocals

Stephen Newby vocals

Shaina Shepherd vocals

Seattle Symphony 

Worldwide Release Date 

March 5, 2021 

Label: Seattle Symphony Media

Catalog Number: SSM1026

Producer: Dmitriy Lipay 

The Seattle Symphony’s world premiere performance of American composer George Walker’s Sinfonia No. 5, “Visions,” is now available as a digital download. Walker wrote this powerful work partly in response to the horrific events of the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church massacre in 2015. This restless composition — recorded in the stunning acoustics of Benaroya Hall — combines spoken text and orchestral music in a bold and impactful score from this Pulitzer Prize-winning composer.

WALKER: SINFONIA NO. 5, “VISIONS”

Total Timing: 14:16 // Catalog Number: SSM1026 // Producer: Dmitriy Lipay //

Label: Seattle Symphony Media

The Seattle Symphony is grateful to Joan Watjen for her generous support of SEATTLE SYMPHONY MEDIA in memory of her husband Craig.

Recorded in the S. Mark Taper Foundation Auditorium, Benaroya Hall, Seattle, Washington.

George Walker’s Sinfonia No. 5, “Visions” was recorded live in concert April 11 and 13, 2019.

The performances of George Walker’s Sinfonia No. 5, “Visions,” were presented as part of the 2018-2019 Delta Air Lines Masterworks Season.

Thomas Dausgaard’s performances were generously underwritten by Ilene and Elwood Hertzog through the Seattle Symphony’s Guest Artists Circle.

Thomas Dausgaard’s performances received additional support from the Scan|Design Foundation by Inger and Jens Bruun. 

Digital downloads are available through iTunes, Amazon, Acoustic Sounds and HD Tracks. Recordings can be streamed through Apple Music, Spotify and Primephonic.

 

THOMAS DAUSGAARD MUSIC DIRECTOR

Music Director of the Seattle Symphony, Danish conductor Thomas Dausgaard is esteemed for his creativity and innovative programming, the excitement of his live performances and his extensive catalogue of critically acclaimed recordings. A renowned recording artist with over 70 discs to his name, Dausgaard’s releases with the Seattle Symphony have garnered critical acclaim resulting in international honors including a 2017 Gramophone Award nomination for Mahler’s Symphony No. 10 (Deryck Cooke version), Gramophone’s 2018 Orchestra of the Year Award, and a 2019 Best Orchestral Performance Grammy nomination for Nielsen’s Symphonies Nos. 3 and 4. An avid champion of contemporary works and the music of his homeland, Dausgaard and the Seattle Symphony will release the much-anticipated cycle of symphonies by Carl Nielsen.

Performing internationally with many of the world’s leading orchestras, Dausgaard is also the Chief Conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Conductor Laureate of the Swedish Chamber Orchestra, and Honorary Conductor of the Orchestra della Toscana and the Danish National Symphony Orchestra.

Dausgaard has been awarded the Cross of Chivalry by the Queen of Denmark and elected to the Royal Academy of Music in Sweden.

 

SEATTLE SYMPHONY MEDIA

Launched in 2014, Seattle Symphony Media is the Seattle Symphony’s independent Grammy Award-winning in-house record label. The Symphony has an extensive catalogue of nearly 150 recordings, which have brought forth five Grammy Awards, 26 Grammy Award nominations and two Emmy Awards throughout its history. The Seattle Symphony was named Gramophone’s 2018 Orchestra of the Year. Under the direction of Music Director Thomas Dausgaard, the Symphony's in-house record label features both “core repertoire” and some of the eclectic and contemporary programming for which the Seattle Symphony has become recognized. The label includes both studio recordings and performances captured live in concert, allowing the organization an unprecedented breadth of repertoire choices.   

All recordings are made in the acoustically superb Benaroya Hall and engineered by the Grammy Award-winning recording engineer Dmitriy Lipay. Using the Symphony’s own state-of-the-art in-house recording studio, recordings have been engineered to audiophile standards and aim to capture as realistically as possible the sound of the orchestra performing on stage with naturalistic imaging, depth of field and dynamic range. Distributed by Naxos of America, the recordings are available in both physical and digital formats from a variety of retailers. Digital content is available in stereo, “Mastered for iTunes,” 96k 24-bit high resolution and 5.1 surround sound. 

 

SEATTLE SYMPHONY

Led by Music Director Thomas Dausgaard, the Seattle Symphony unleashes the power of music, brings people together and lifts the human spirit. Recognized as one of the “most vital American orchestras” (NPR), the Seattle Symphony is internationally acclaimed for its inventive programming, community-minded initiatives and superb recordings on the Seattle Symphony Media label. With a strong commitment to new music and a legacy of over 150 recordings, the orchestra has garnered five Grammy Awards, 26 Grammy nominations, two Emmy Awards and was named Gramophone’s 2018 Orchestra of the Year. The Symphony performs in Benaroya Hall in the heart of downtown Seattle from September through July, reaching over 500,000 people annually through live performances and radio broadcasts.