Becky Lees, the head of the LSO Live tells us what we didn´t know about the London Symphony Orchestra.

Becky Lees has worked within the classical music industry for over fifteen years. Initially working for an independent recording label, Becky has gone on to work at the Royal Opera House and LSO, where at both arts organisations she specialised in media and digital strategy. Becky Lees has been Head of LSO Live since 2012 where she oversees the multi-award winning record label, LSO Live, as well as the orchestra’s international broadcasts and overall digital strategy. 

Her work in developing these strands is designed to both attract new audiences and promote the LSO internationally.  Prior to this, Becky was with the Royal Opera House where her responsibilities included strategic planning and business development. Becky is a member of the BPI Classical Committee and a lecturer for IMZ Academy.

With the introduction of streaming music into our everyday lives labels are faced with many challenges as they attempt to adapt. As most classical and orchestral music this is no different. Some of the orchestras and labels have been coming up with unique ways to keep up revenue streams with the introduction of the likes of Spotify and Apple music. Subscriptions services affect the artists bottom-line. What effects music production the most today? The London Symphony Orchestra has always been interested in high quality music reproduction. However also expanding their reproductive expanse as far as possible.

What differentiates the LSO from other orchestras?

“The LSO was established in 1904 and has a unique ethos. As a musical collective, it is built on artistic ownership and partnership.”

How do you choose a studio for a recording?

“With the formation of its own recording label LSO Live in 1999 the LSO pioneered a revolution in recording live orchestral music, rather than in the studio.  This gives the energy and emotion of the live performance.”

The London Symphony Orchestra is most popular for their live performances. They tour yearly and are known to go to some great locations not only in Europe but also the rest of the world. It is always interesting to know where they are touring and what they think about some of the great locations that they have and will play.

What are the LSO’s favourite concert locations?

“The LSO is resident at London’s Barbican Centre, but performs over 70 concerts around the world each year.  It’s always a pleasure to visit new places, as it’s part of the orchestra’s DNA.  We visited Latin America for the first time in May 2019, and it was wonderful to hear the reaction from audiences.”

How important is the quality of sound in classical music?

“The sound is incredibly important to musician and audience alike.  It’s why it’s so vital to have high quality acoustics in classical venues.”

We are always interested to know what artists and orchestras think about Pure Audio Blu-ray. The London Symphony Orchestra has some of the most popular releases on Pure Audio Blu-ray. The wonderful format gives the enthusiast; audiophile and everyday fan the opportunity to hear the orchestra at home in this great high definition quality format with surround sound. Most attractive in classical music because it is able to replicate the sound effects of a classical venue with surround sound.

“LSO Live seeks to record at the highest quality possible, and future-proof for the advancement in bandwidth. Consumers will always seek the greatest sound quality if they can access it easily.”

Why did you choose to release your albums on Pure Audio Blu-Ray?

“High-resolution audio is important to the orchestra, but reaching as many people as possible is also a key mission of the organisation.  By, utilising BD players, the format gives a greater potential to reach more households around the world.”

What are people’s reactions to Pure Audio Blu-Ray?

“Consumers have praised the quality of presentation and audio offered by the format.”

How do you see the future of sound quality?

“LSO Live seeks to record at the highest quality possible, and future-proof for the advancement in bandwidth.  Consumers will always seek the greatest sound quality if they can access it easily.”

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