Vladimir Jurowski and the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin excel in these new recordings of Richard Strauss's electrifying Also sprach Zarathustra and Mahler's Totenfeier, released to coincide with the Russian maestro taking up office as Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the orchestra.

Strauss's bold and passionate tone poem Also sprach Zarathustra is a riveting work, famous for its startlingly atmospheric opening. With a thrilling and florid orchestral score, it's a work which Jurowski observes "...launches the whole idea of 20th-century music”. It is paired with Mahler's no less gripping Totenfeier, which is an early version of the first movement of his Symphony No.2 "Resurrection".

Jurowski is one of today's most sought-after conductors and has made several critically acclaimed recordings for Pentatone. The Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin is one of the leading orchestras in Berlin. Under former artistic director and chief conductor Marek Janowski, it has made numerous classic recordings with Pentatone, including a critically acclaimed cycle of 10 Wagner operas.