London Life

Boundary-pushing electronic duo and technological pioneers the Future Sound of London have charted a magnificent, unpredictable course throughout their multi-decade career, ranging from early rave staples to ambitious excursions into ambient soundscapes, psychedelic rock, modern classical, and more. Prodigiously releasing club records under various pseudonyms since the late '80s, Garry Cobain and Brian Dougans launched FSOL with the breakbeat house classic "Papua New Guinea" in 1991, following suit with the Accelerator full-length. After signing with Virgin Records in 1992, the duo began releasing more experimental, atmospheric material, including the highly regarded 1994 double album Lifeforms. They also sidestepped traditional methods of touring, instead broadcasting studio performances via ISDN lines. Following 1996's Dead Cities, the duo went on hiatus, re-emerging with the 2002 psychedelic opus The Isness, one of several releases credited to their Amorphous Androgynous alias.

Marin Alsop leads the London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in a new recording of Bernstein's riotous satirical operetta, Candide. Made almost three decades after the composer's own iconic recording with the Orchestra, Alsop's new version was captured during celebratory concerts marking Bernstein's centenary year, and features an outstanding array of soloists, including Leonardo Capalbo (Candide), Jane Archibald (Cun gonde), Anne Sofie von Otter (The Old Lady) and Sir Thomas Allen (Dr Pangloss, Narrator).

Fondé en 1904 sur les cendres du Queen's Hall Orchestra, le London Symphony Orchestra constitue le plus ancien des orchestres symphoniques de la capitale britannique, avec des enregistrements remontant à 1912. Connu pour ses performances radiophoniques et télévisées, l'orchestre se produit outre-Atlantique dès 1912 (esquivant de peu le naufrage du Titanic) et voit défiler les chefs d'orchestre, de Hans Richter à Simon Rattle en passant par André Previn tandis qu'il voit son CV s'allonger au fil des décennies, s'imposant notamment auprès d'un large public à la faveur de ses travaux sous la direction temporaire de John Williams pour la saga Star Wars. Également réputé pour sa versatilité, le London Symphony Orchestra se retrouve par ailleurs sur des enregistrements comme le Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band des Beatles en 1967.