The BBC National Orchestra Of Wales
The BBC National Orchestra of Wales is an integral part of Welsh culture, giving frequent premieres of works by Welsh composers. The orchestra is often active beyond Wales, recording a variety of material that includes many BBC television soundtracks.
The origins of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales lay in the Cardiff Station Orchestra, which was founded in 1924. In 1928, it was renamed the National Orchestra of Wales. This orchestra dissolved under funding pressures in 1931 but was revived as the BBC Welsh Orchestra in 1935. Wartime restrictions led the orchestra to disband in 1939, but after the war, it was revived once again and grew consistently, from 31 members to 66 members by 1976, when it was renamed the BBC Welsh Symphony Orchestra. The group now has 78 members. It took its present name in 1993, and an associated chorus was also named the BBC National Chorus of Wales. Notable among the orchestra's performances have been some 50 world premieres, most of which have been of music by Welsh composers, including more than 20 by Alun Hoddinott, whose namesake Hoddinott Hall now houses the orchestra's administrative offices (its concerts mostly take place at St. David's Hall in Cardiff). The orchestra and chorus also gave the world premiere of Arvo Pärt's In spe in 2010. The orchestra has helped nurture several international conducting careers, including those of Richard Hickox (principal conductor from 2000-2006), Thierry Fischer (2006-2012), Thomas Søndergård (2012-2017), and Xian Zhang (2017-2020, the first female principal conductor of any BBC orchestra. Ryan Bancroft was named principal conductor in 2020; Lisa Tregale was named artistic director, becoming the first woman to hold the post.
The orchestra has a large catalog of more than 65 recordings that is by no means restricted to the music of Welsh composers. That total does not include BBC television soundtrack recordings for, among other programs, Doctor Who. The BBC National Orchestra of Wales has recorded for the Hyperion, BIS, and Chandos labels, as well as for Linn, where it released a complete cycle of Sibelius symphonies. The year 2014 saw the release of no fewer than seven recordings by the group. In 2020, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales was heard on Beethoven Reimagined, an album by composer/DJ Gabriel Prokofiev.
© James Manheim /TiVo
Discography
17 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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British Piano Concertos, Vol. 2
Simon Callaghan, The BBC National Orchestra Of Wales, Stephen Bell, George Vass
Classical - Released by Lyrita on 1 Sep 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 1-15
Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, The BBC National Orchestra Of Wales, Mark Wigglesworth
Classical - Released by BIS on 4 Jun 2021
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ben-Haim, Bloch & Korngold: Works for Cello & Orchestra
Raphael Wallfisch, The BBC National Orchestra Of Wales, Łukasz Borowicz
Classical - Released by CPO on 3 Jan 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
British Piano Concertos
Simon Callaghan, The BBC National Orchestra Of Wales, Martyn Brabbins
Classical - Released by Lyrita on 1 Apr 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jones: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 5
The BBC National Orchestra Of Wales, Bryden Thomson
Classical - Released by Lyrita on 5 Mar 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Khachaturian: The Concertante Works for Piano
Iyad Sughayer, The BBC National Orchestra Of Wales, Andrew Litton
Classical - Released by BIS on 2 Sep 2022
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Potter: Orchestral Works
The BBC National Orchestra Of Wales, Claire Huangci, Howard Griffiths
Classical - Released by CPO on 6 Aug 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: The Complete Piano Concertos
Stewart Goodyear, The BBC National Orchestra Of Wales, Andrew Constantine
Classical - Released by Orchid Classics on 13 Mar 2020
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 6 & 9
The BBC National Orchestra Of Wales, Steven Lloyd-Gonzalez
Classical - Released by First Hand Records on 15 Jul 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schmidt: Symphony No. 1 in E Major
The BBC National Orchestra Of Wales, Jonathan Berman
Classical - Released by Accentus Music on 26 Mar 2021
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Alberga: Orchestral Works
Thomas Bowes, Morgan Pearse, The BBC National Orchestra Of Wales, Kenneth Woods
Classical - Released by Lyrita on 4 Feb 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Music of Arlene Sierra, Vol. 2: Game of Attrition
The BBC National Orchestra Of Wales, Huw Watkins, Jac van Steen
Classical - Released by Bridge Records on 6 Jan 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Falstaff
Timothy West, The BBC National Orchestra Of Wales, Erik Chapman, Samuel West, Andrew Constantine, Billy Wiz
Classical - Released by Orchid Classics on 20 Sep 2019
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Violin Concerto No. 2 "Sarangi ka sangit": V. Gat
Sasha Rozhdestvensky, Jonathan Mayer, The BBC National Orchestra Of Wales, Debashish Chaudhuri
Classical - Released by First Hand Records on 12 Feb 2021
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Symphony No. 9 in E-Flat Major, Op. 70: III. Presto
The BBC National Orchestra Of Wales, Steven Lloyd-Gonzalez
Classical - Released by First Hand Records on 1 Jul 2022
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Jones: Symphonies Nos. 12 & 13 (Live)
The BBC National Orchestra Of Wales, BBC National Chorus of Wales, Maldwyn Davies, Bryden Thomson, Tecwyn Evans, Charles Groves
Classical - Released by Lyrita on 5 Nov 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Träume
Jenufa Gleich, The BBC National Orchestra Of Wales, Fabrice Bollon
Classical - Released by Stone Records on 2 Oct 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo