Brett Dean, an accomplished Australian composer and musician, shares his journey from a young viola player in Brisbane to becoming a prominent figure in the classical music scene. He discusses his experiences in Europe, particularly his time with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and his recent residency with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Dean elaborates on his dramatic composition ‘In Spe Contra Spem,‘ inspired by historical figures, and reflects on the unique challenges and experiences of live recordings during the pandemic. He also shares insights into his musical influences and the key decisions that shaped his career.
The LPO Label will release a double album of works by contemporary Australian composer Brett Dean. Dean spent three seasons (2020–23) as the LPO’s Composer-in-Residence, and this release brings together seven works recorded live at the Royal Festival Hall during his fruitful time with the Orchestra. It features conductors Edward Gardner, Vladimir Jurowski, Karina Canellakis, Hannu Lintu and Enrique Mazzola, and a selection of outstanding soloists.
The title work, In spe contra spem, is a concertante extract from a planned opera, a pivotal scene in which an imagined confrontation between Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, and Elizabeth Tudor takes place. In reality, these cousins and rival monarchs never met, however their meeting has been imagined in countless film and stage adaptations. Dean’s version, with text written and compiled by Matthew Jocelyn, aims for historical authenticity through a libretto built using the royal protagonists’ original words, assembled from countless letters, documents and speeches. It is performed by sopranos Emma Bell and Elsa Dreisig. Other works featured include Dean’s Viola Concerto, performed by internationally acclaimed viola player Lawrence Power, and the Cello Concerto, written for and performed by soloist Alban Gerhardt. The record also includes The Players for accordion soloist (Bartosz Glowacki) and orchestra, which revisits scenes from the first act of Dean’s award-winning 2017 opera Hamlet.
British composer Michael Tippett’s Piano Concerto and Symphony No. 2. These were recorded live at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall in 2023 and 2024 respectively, performed by the LPO under its Principal Conductor Edward Gardner, with pianist Steven Osborne the soloist in the Concerto.
In 2022 the LPO and Gardner released a landmark live recording of Tippett’s opera The Midsummer Marriage, which won a Gramophone Award for its ‘potent and timely contribution to the 21st century Tippett revival’, and on this disc Gardner continues to shine a spotlight on the fascinating 20th-century composer, whose music he has described as ‘otherworldly, luminous and elemental’ and which ‘strikes right from his inspiration to a listener’s heart.’ Pianist Steven Osborne, too, is often described as a champion of Tippett’s piano repertoire, and his performance of the Piano Concerto is unparalleled.
About the London Philharmonic Orchestra
One of the finest orchestras on the international stage, the London Philharmonic Orchestra was founded in 1932 by Sir Thomas Beecham. Since then, its Principal Conductors have included Sir Adrian Boult, Bernard Haitink, Sir Georg Solti, Klaus Tennstedt and Kurt Masur. In September 2021 Edward Gardner became the Orchestra’s Principal Conductor, succeeding Vladimir Jurowski, who became Conductor Emeritus in recognition of his transformative impact on the Orchestra as Principal Conductor from 2007–21.
The London Philharmonic Orchestra has performed at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall since it opened in 1951, becoming Resident Orchestra in 1992. It also has flourishing residencies in Brighton, Eastbourne and Saffron Walden, and performs regularly around the UK. Each summer it plays for Glyndebourne Festival Opera, where it has been Resident Symphony Orchestra for over 60 years. The Orchestra also tours internationally, performing to sell-out audiences worldwide.
The Orchestra broadcasts regularly on television and radio, and has recorded soundtracks for numerous blockbuster films. It has made many distinguished recordings over the last eight decades and in 2005 began releasing live, studio and archive recordings on its own CD label.
The LPO is one of the world’s most-streamed orchestras, with over 15 million plays of its content each month. In 2023 it was the most successful orchestra worldwide on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram, with over 1.1m followers across all platforms, and in spring 2024 it featured in a TV documentary series on Sky Arts: ‘Backstage with the London Philharmonic Orchestra’, still available to watch via Now TV. During 2024/25 the Orchestra is once again working with Marquee TV to broadcast selected live concerts.
