Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra serves as an unofficial Israeli national orchestra and is regarded as a cultural treasure of the Jewish state. However, the group performs a wide variety of repertory from many countries.
European-style classical music performances began to take root in the Palestine region as early as the 1880s, and music education institutions were opened after World War I as the idea of Palestine as a Jewish homeland developed. However, a full-scale symphony orchestra was not founded until Jews began to flee Nazi Germany en masse in the 1930s. The key mover was violinist Bronislaw Huberman, who encouraged Jewish musicians forced to leave their posts in German orchestras to join the Palestine Symphony Orchestra, which he founded in 1936. The group's premiere performance was conducted by the anti-Nazi Arturo Toscanini. On that first concert, music by Wagner was heard, but since then, the orchestra has generally avoided his works. Huberman worked tirelessly to arrange immigration documents for the new musicians and their families, and he is thought to have saved some 1,000 people from German death camps. William Steinberg was the new orchestra's music advisor and frequently conducted the group in its early years; Leonard Bernstein held the same position in the late '40s and continued to appear with the group, making some of its first recordings in the late '50s. After the Israeli state was established in 1948, the group was renamed the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. For many years, it was led by guest conductors and advisors, including Paul Paray, Jean Martinon, and, from 1969 to 1977, Zubin Mehta. Mehta became the orchestra's first music director in 1977 and remained in that position until 2019; in 2020, he was succeeded by Lahav Shani, but he remained active as music director emeritus. The group is a cooperative owned by its musicians.
The modern Israel Philharmonic Orchestra has about 110 members. Its main performance venue is the Heichal HaTarbut concert hall in Tel Aviv, formerly known as Mann Auditorium; the group also performs regularly in Haifa and Jerusalem and in various foreign countries. In 2011, the orchestra's performance at the BBC Proms was disrupted by pro-Palestinian protestors. The group frequently plays host to world-class soloists and guest conductors. Programming is cosmopolitan but frequently features works by Israeli composers. The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra released the album Tradition, featuring Israeli melodies, performed by guest violinist Itzhak Perlman, in 1987 on the Angel label, and the group recorded for Angel, EMI, Deutsche Grammophon, and other labels through the '80s and '90s. In 2006, the orchestra established its own Helicon Classics label, which reissued many of its earlier LP recordings. The orchestra has issued many recordings in Helicon Classics but continued its association with Deutsche Grammophon, releasing a recording of Paul Ben-Haim's Symphony No. 1 on that label in 2022. By the early 2020s, the orchestra's recording catalog comprised some 80 items.
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Mahler: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3
Maureen Forrester, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Zubin Mehta
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bernstein conducts Stravinsky
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Leonard Bernstein
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Michael Feinstein With The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (Album Version)
Michael Feinstein, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
Jazz - Released by Concord Records on 1 Jan 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
"Timeless" Brahms & Bruch Violin Concertos
David Garrett, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Zubin Mehta
Classical - Released by Decca (UMO) on 1 Jan 2014
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mendelssohn: Symphonies Nos.3 "Scottish" & 4 "Italian"
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Leonard Bernstein
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 1979
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue / Barber: Adagio for Strings; Overture / Bernstein: On the Town
Louise Edeiken, Tatiana Troyanos, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 29 Mar 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bernstein: Serenade, Fancy Free (Live)
Gidon Kremer, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Leonard Bernstein, Ruth Mense, Dicky Tarrach, Thissy Thiers
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 5 Nov 1979
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Bernstein: Symphony No.3 "Kaddish", Dybbuk Suite No.2
Montserrat Caballé, Michael Wager, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jun 1988
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Bernstein: Songfest, Chichester Psalms
Orchestre Symphonique National de Washington, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Leonard Bernstein, Wiener Jeunesse-Chor
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 15 Aug 1978
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Prokofiev: Piano Concertos Nos. 1, 3 & 5
Yefim Bronfman, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Zubin Mehta
Classical - Released by Sony Classical on 17 May 1993
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Dvorák / Schumann: Cello Concertos
Mischa Maisky, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra, Leonard Bernstein
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tchaikovsky: Overture "1812"; Romeo and Juliet...
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Leonard Bernstein
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Solti At The Ballet
Sir Georg Solti, Royal Opera House Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO)
Classical - Released by Universal Music Australia Pty. Ltd. on 16 Jun 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Puccini: La Bohème
Andrea Bocelli, Barbara Frittoli, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Zubin Mehta
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 28 Jul 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert: Symphony No. 5; Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 3, 5 & 7
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Georg Solti
Classical - Released by Universal Music Australia Pty. Ltd. on 15 Jul 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dvoràk: Symphony No. 9 In E minor "From The New World" (Live)
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Leonard Bernstein
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mahler: Symphony No.4 in G
Barbara Hendricks, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Zubin Mehta
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 1979
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1
Arthur Rubinstein, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Zubin Mehta
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 3 Sep 1976
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bernstein: Chichester Psalms; Symphony No.3 "Kaddish"
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Leonard Bernstein
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 1978
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Leontyne Price
Leontyne Price, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Zubin Mehta
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 1981
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Berlioz: Harold In Italy; Bloch: Voice In The Wilderness
Daniel Benyamini, Janos Starker, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Zubin Mehta
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo