Béla Bartók - The Miraculous Mandarin Suite; The Wooden Prince (Edward Gardner)

Information

Composer: Béla Bartók

• The Miraculous Mandarin Suite
• The Wooden Prince

London Philharmonic Orchestra

Edward Gardner, conductor

Date: 2026

Label: London Philharmonic Orchestra

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This live recording from London's Royal Festival Hall features the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Principal Conductor Edward Gardner, presenting Béla Bartók’s vibrant ballet scores The Miraculous Mandarin and The Wooden Prince. Marking Gardner’s tenth release on the LPO Label, the album highlights a pivotal decade in Bartók’s evolution from lush late-Romanticism to a leaner, rhythmically driven modernist idiom. The performance contrasts the fairy-tale orchestration and folk-infused storytelling of The Wooden Prince with the gritty, explosive intensity and menacing swagger of The Miraculous Mandarin suite. Throughout, Gardner leads the LPO in a compelling, highly detailed interpretation of these orchestral masterworks.

Edward Gardner (b. 1974) is a distinguished English conductor known for his versatility and leadership across opera and symphonic repertoire. Trained at the Royal Academy of Music, he launched his career as a choral conductor and repetiteur before becoming music director of Glyndebourne on Tour (2004–07). He later served as music director of English National Opera (2007–15) and principal guest conductor of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (2010–16). Since 2013, he has been principal guest conductor of the Bergen Philharmonic, and in 2021 he became principal conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra. He will assume the role of music director at the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet in 2024.