The London Philharmonic Orchestra has just announced that Edward Gardner will be its next Principal Conductor.

The British conductor - the first person from the UK to hold the post since the late 1960s - will take up the role with the 2021/22 season, initially on a five-year contract. He will succeed Vladimir Jurowski, who has held the post since 2007, and who will become Conductor Emeritus.

No stranger to London audiences, Gardner led English National Opera during an artistically rich period as Music Director from 2007-2015; at that point he became Principal Conductor of the Bergen Philharmonic. He'll be even less of a stranger to listeners to recordings: largely stemming from his relationship with the Chandos label, Gardner can be heard in many superb recordings of repertoire including Walton, Grieg, Britten, Schoenberg and Szymanowski, while his recording of Elgar's Symphony No 1 was named as the top modern choice in the current issue of Gramophone's Collection on the work.

Gardner, who first conducted the LPO in 2003, described himself as 'thrilled' by the appointment. 'I worked with the Orchestra early in my career and I was quite overwhelmed by the brilliance and virtuosity of the musicians. Returning to the Orchestra recently I’ve felt a sense of pleasure and privilege working with this inspiring group of musicians and relished the passion and hunger the LPO brings to performance. I’m looking forward to our collaboration with huge anticipation and excitement.'