On May 21st, the London Symphony Chorus celebrated its 40th anniversary in some style with a concert which will be followed by recordings, commissions and a party.

The London Symphony Chorus made its debut on Saturday 21 May 1966 when it recorded Mahler’s Symphony No 2 for Decca at the Kingsway Hall with Sir Georg Solti and the LSO.

On its 40th birthday the Chorus took part in a concert performance of Beethoven’s Fidelio to be recorded for LSO Live, conducted by its President Sir Colin Davis. The 40th anniversary was also marked by a concert of Ralph Vaughan Williams’ A Sea Symphony with the LSO on 4th June, conducted by the Chorus’ Conductor Emeritus and former Music Director Richard Hickox. The LSC Endowment Fund contributed to the cost of recording this concert; live for Chandos.

2006 is a landmark year for the London Symphony Chorus as it tours to the USA, Italy, France and Germany, as well as performing in London and other UK cities with Sir Colin Davis, Sir Bernard Haitink, Mark Elder, Valery Gergiev, Richard Hickox, James Judd, Neema Jarvi, Tadaaki Otaka, Daniel Gatti, Vasily Petrenko and Jean-Claude Casadesus.

Ralph Vaughan Williams composed The Wasps as incidental music for a Cambridge University production of Aristophanes’ eponymous play in 1909. It stretched to around 100 minutes of music.

Nowadays all we hear is the sparkling and jaunty overture, always a favorite on popular classics radio shows.

In this performance by Manchester’s Halle Orchestra, conductor Mark Elder revives the whole piece. The dialogue has been translated and updated by English National Opera’s David Pountney.

David Mellor believes this to be a worthy revival, but has doubts about Pountney’s dialogue.

Check out the price of this CD: In North America. In the UK.