Adès: The Exterminating Angel Symphony & Violin Concerto – Leila Josefowicz

The Minnesota Orchestra and its music director Thomas Søndergård delve into the imaginative world of Thomas Adès, a singular voice in contemporary classical music. Featuring two of his most compelling orchestral works, The Exterminating Angel Symphony – a world premiere recording – and the Violin Concerto, this album captures Adès’ uncanny ability to merge intellectual rigor with raw emotional immediacy. With orchestral textures both radiant and unsettling, Adès evokes a surreal musical landscape, brought vividly to life by Søndergård’s incisive direction and violinist Leila Josefowicz’s electrifying performance.

Highlighting two distinct sides of Adès’ artistry, cinematic drama and virtuosic intimacy, this recording explores the composer’s breadth with striking clarity. Josefowicz brings fierce expressivity and precision to the Violin Concerto, while the orchestra navigates the volatile energy of The Exterminating Angel Symphony with gripping intensity.

This album marks the PENTATONE debut of the Minnesota Orchestra and Leila Josefowicz, while Thomas Søndergård appeared on Lutoslawski & Dutilleux Cello Concertos together with Johannes Moser and Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin in 2018.