New on CD : “The Asia Tour”

Sir Simon Rattle’s last Asia tour as chief conductor of the Berliner Philharmoniker was a triumph, and is documented in selected audio and video recordings.

At the heart of this edition are audio recordings of the two final concerts at the legendary Suntory Hall in Tokyo – the musical and emotional highlight of the tour.

The colourful programme includes symphonies by Brahms and Rachmaninov, Stravinsky’s Petrushka and Don Juan by Richard Strauss. Performing piano concertos by Bartók and Ravel are Seong-Jin Cho and Yuja Wang, two outstanding pianists of the younger generation.

The audio recordings are available on 5 CD/SACD, which can be played on any CD player. There are also Blu-ray video recordings from the Hong Kong, Wuhan, and Seoul concerts, plus a bonus documentary. The booklet contains numerous introductory texts plus an extensive photo section with fascinating impressions of the tour.