The LSO’s magnificent string sound is world renowned and this recording marks the LSO Live debut of the LSO String Ensemble, led by LSO Leader Roman Simovic, who directs a performance of the much loved Tchaikovsky ‘Serenade for Strings’, together with Bartók’s ‘Divertimento’.

The Serenade has proved to be one of Tchaikovsky’s most enduringly popular works, a piece he described as being “passionately in love with”. Inspired in part by Mozart, its elegant music weaves Russian folk-song, and a fine example of the composer’s beloved Waltz, with an elegiac musical centrepiece.

Also featured on this release is Bartók’s ‘Divertimento’, one of the composer’s last works before leaving Europe for exile in the US. The Divertimento is a highly original work in its own unique idiom, contrasting two buoyant and light-hearted movements with a sombre Adagio in four sections.

Roman Simovic, leader of the LSO & the LSO String Ensemble, says of the ensemble’s premiere recording, “I am thrilled every time I direct the LSO Strings. With an incredible amount of energy in just a few days we achieved a huge spectrum of colours in the Tchaikovsky Serenade for Strings and Bartok’s Divertimento. We wanted to achieve an intimate chamber sound by relying on our ears and our reactions. Every player realised their own personal importance and impact on this recording and it is a big honour for me to be a part of their team and this recording. I think the LSO Strings are a very special ensemble”.

Track listing:

Bartók: Divertimento for Strings, Sz. 113

Tchaikovsky: Serenade for strings in C major, Op. 48