Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique鈥擟leveland Orchestra/Franz Welser-Most (TCO 013)Julius Eastman: Symphony No. 2/Peter Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 2 鈥楿krainian鈥�鈥擟leveland Orchestra/Franz Welser-Most (TCO 014)
These are the two latest releases on The Cleveland Orchestra鈥檚 own label, performances recorded in Severance Music Center in 2023 and 2024. The Berlioz album drew this response from Philip Harrison at : 鈥淚 will definitely be returning to this version. The orchestra are truly first rate and the sound is excellent.鈥� Elaine Martone was honored with Classical Producer of the Year at the 2025 Grammy Awards, and among the nine works included in her resume were four recordings with The Cleveland Orchestra and Music Director Franz Welser-M枚st, including Symphonie Fantastique. For the Eastman/Tchaikovsky album, TCO assembled the same technical team鈥擡laine Martone, Recording Producer; Gintas Norvila, Recording, Editing, and Mixing Engineer; Jennifer Nulsen, Stereo Mastering Engineer and Alan JS Han, Immersive Mixing Engineer. Could Grammy lightning strike again next year? Julius Eastman鈥檚 Second Symphony, dedicated to his former lover, chronicles their failed relationship in just over 13 minutes that require a conductor鈥檚 firm hand to control the opportunities for asynchronous and improvisatory music-making. In contrast, Tchaikovsky鈥檚 Second Symphony, now christened 鈥楿krainian鈥欌�攔ather than the pejorative 鈥楲ittle Russian鈥欌�攊s an explosion of heart-on-its-sleeve exuberance. Both releases are available for streaming or digital download only.