The Philharmonia Orchestra
London's Philharmonia Orchestra is generally considered one of Britain's top symphonic ensembles and has sometimes been named as the very best. Formed by recording executive Walter Legge at the end of World War II, the orchestra benefited from the presence of several top Continental conductors in its first years and has generated an impressive recording catalog from the very beginning. Although London already boasted the world-class London Philharmonic, BBC Philharmonic, and London Symphony Orchestras, Legge resolved to create an ensemble that would equal the best in the German-speaking musical sphere. To this end, he recruited top young musicians (some 60 percent of the players were still serving in the British armed forces at the beginning) and, after he was turned down by friend Thomas Beecham, a roster of star German conductors. These included Wilhelm Furtwängler, Richard Strauss, Herbert von Karajan, and Otto Klemperer. At first, Legge avoided the appointment of a permanent conductor, and the players learned to produce superb results under several different kinds of artistic leadership.
Primarily a recording ensemble at first, the Philharmonia began giving concerts that were often innovative in content. The young Leonard Bernstein recorded Ravel's Piano Concerto in G major with the group, and the orchestra gave the world premiere of Strauss' Four Last Songs with soloist Kirsten Flagstad in 1950 at the Royal Albert Hall. In the mid-'50s, Furtwängler died and Karajan departed for Berlin; Legge appointed the 74-year-old Klemperer conductor for life. Klemperer's performances were often idiosyncratic but just as often brilliant, and many of his recordings with the Philharmonia remain in print. A complete cycle of Brahms symphonies under Klemperer was reissued by the firm Broken Audio in the 2010s.
The orchestra ran into trouble in the early 1960s as financial problems arose and several of its best musicians, including hornist Dennis Brain, met untimely deaths. Legge attempted to disband the group in 1964, but the players, encouraged by Klemperer, formed the New Philharmonia Orchestra and continued to perform. The orchestra performed at the Beethoven bicentennial in Bonn, West Germany, in 1970. That year, Lorin Maazel was appointed associate principal conductor to reduce the workload of the aging Klemperer, but he clashed with the orchestra members, who had maintained a self-governing structure. Instead, Riccardo Muti was appointed chief conductor in 1973. Four years later, the original name was restored.
Under Muti, the orchestra often recorded opera and entered upon what was widely regarded as a second golden age. In 1981, under conductor Kurt Sanderling, the Philharmonia made the first digital recording of Beethoven's complete symphonies. Muti was succeeded in 1984 by Giuseppe Sinopoli, whose performances of key British repertory such as the works of Elgar were criticized, but who extended the orchestra's reach in Italian opera. Christoph von Dohnányi ascended the podium in 1997 and took the orchestra on tours of continental Europe and, in 2002 and 2003, to a residency in New York. Bicontinental Finnish conducting star Esa-Pekka Salonen became chief conductor in 2008 and has continued to maintain the orchestra's high standards; his departure was announced for the year 2021, creating an opening at the very top level of English music-making. The Philharmonia continued to record for EMI after Legge's departure but moved to Deutsche Grammophon under Sinopoli and has since recorded for a large variety of labels. In 2019, the Philharmonia backed innovative Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen on her debut release, with Salonen conducting.
© James Manheim /TiVo
-
Verdi Overtures
The Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Opera - Released by Blue Pie Records USA on 1 Aug 1961
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Concert Cameos, Vol. 6
Rosario Bourdon, The Philharmonia Orchestra
Classical - Released by and more bears Richard Weize on 19 Jan 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Concert Cameo, Vol. 5
Rosario Bourdon, The Philharmonia Orchestra
Classical - Released by and more bears Richard Weize on 13 Jan 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tout sur le violon
The Philharmonia Orchestra, The National Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra
Classical - Released by Music Manager on 22 Dec 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Prokofiev: Peter & The Wolf, Op. 67
Wilfred Pickles, The Philharmonia Orchestra
Humour/Spoken Word - Released by Past Classics on 9 Jul 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vaughan Williams - Fantasia on a Theme By Thomas Tallis
The Philharmonia Orchestra, Malcolm Sargent
Classical - Released by Violet Hill Records on 1 Jun 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dvořák: Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, Op. 95, "From the New World" & Carnival Overture, Op. 92
Wolfgang Sawallisch, The Philharmonia Orchestra
Symphonic Music - Released by Sunday Club Records on 12 Feb 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Piano Concertos 21 & 22
Wolfgang Sawallisch, The Philharmonia Orchestra, Annie Fischer
Concertos - Released by Sunday Club Records on 2 Dec 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58
Emil Gilels, The Philharmonia Orchestra
Classical - Released by Discover Classical Music on 10 Jan 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lalo: Symphonie Espagnole, Op. 21
Eugène Goossens, The Philharmonia Orchestra, Yehudi Menuhin
Symphonic Music - Released by Sunday Club Records on 6 Mar 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mendelssohn Symphony No. 5
The Philharmonia Orchestra, Francesco D' Avalos, Robert Tear, Anthony Michaels-Moore, Richard Allan, The Philharmonia Chorus
Classical - Released by CarltonClassics on 1 Jan 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Von Suppé: Overture "Light Cavalry"
Herbert von Karajan, The Philharmonia Orchestra
Classical - Released by Sunday Club Records on 8 Apr 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Sleigh Ride (No. 3 of German Dances) K. 605
Herbert von Karajan, The Philharmonia Orchestra
Classical - Released by Sunday Club Records on 30 Sep 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tchaikovsky: Highlights from Swan Lake
Efrem Kurtz, The Philharmonia Orchestra, Yehudi Menuhin
Ballets - Released by Sunday Club Records on 7 Apr 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Weinberger: Polka from "Schwanda the Bagpiper"
Herbert von Karajan, The Philharmonia Orchestra
Classical - Released by Sunday Club Records on 8 Apr 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Waldteufel: Skaters Waltz, Op. 183
Herbert von Karajan, The Philharmonia Orchestra
Classical - Released by Sunday Club Records on 8 Apr 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mendelssohn & Bruch: Violin Concertos
Yehudi Menuhin, The Philharmonia Orchestra
Concertos - Released by Violet Hill Records on 22 Nov 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Chabrier: España - Rhapsody
Herbert von Karajan, The Philharmonia Orchestra
Classical - Released by Sunday Club Records on 8 Apr 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Respighi: Fountains of Rome - Symphonic Poem
Sir Eugene Goossens, The Philharmonia Orchestra
Classical - Released by Sunday Club Records on 24 Jan 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Triple Concerto in C Major, Op. 56
The Philharmonia Orchestra, Sir Malcolm Sargent
Concertos - Released by Sunday Club Records on 2 Jun 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tchaikovsky: The Best of Swan Lake and The Nutcracker
Classical - Released by Discover Classical Music on 1 Dec 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo