Orchestra del Teatro della Scala di Milano
Since the 19th century, La Scala Theater Orchestra has played important roles outside its main function of accompanying operas at the city's La Scala Opera House. In the 20th and 21st centuries, the orchestra has been led at one time or another by most of Italy's most prestigious conductors.
La Scala Theater Orchestra (Italian: Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala) was recognized for its exceptional quality as it performed at the world premiere of operas by Rossini and Verdi in the 19th century, originally with the first violinist, or, in the very early years, the harpsichordist, as the leader. The orchestra's first conductor was Alberto Mazzucato, who ascended the podium in 1854. His successor Franco Faccio instituted independent concerts in 1872, and the orchestra appeared in Paris during the Exposition Universelle in 1878, one of the first major world's fairs. That triumph led to the establishment of a Società Orchestrale della Scala, which put the group on a firmer institutional footing. Offering two concert seasons annually, the orchestra stimulated the growth of instrumental music in Italy, formerly heavily dominated by opera. The orchestra became self-governing in 1920, under the name Ente Autonomo del Teatro alla Scala. It engaged Arturo Toscanini as its conductor in 1920; he took the group on tour internationally, enlarged it to 100 members (it now boasts 135), and greatly raised its profile in the larger musical world. Toscanini remained music director until 1929 and was followed by some of the top conductors of the 20th and 21st centuries, including Victor de Sabata, Carlo Maria Giulini (principal conductor from 1954 to 1956, with many later appearances and recordings), Claudio Abbado (who led a reorganization that officially named the group the Philharmonic Orchestra of La Scala), Riccardo Muti (1987-2006), Daniel Barenboim, and, as of the early 2020s, Riccardo Chailly. The roster of guest conductors who have appeared over the years reads like a list of legends, including Herbert von Karajan, Leonard Bernstein, and Valery Gergiev.
The orchestra's recording catalog stretches back into the 78 rpm era (digital reissues of some of its recordings under Toscanini are available on the RCA label) and includes some of the most famous opera recordings of all time. Under Barenboim, the orchestra recorded Verdi's Requiem for Decca in 2013 and has issued several other recordings of non-operatic works, including an album of Respighi's orchestral music under Chailly in 2020.
© James Manheim /TiVo
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Giuseppe Verdi: Un Ballo In Maschera
Coro Del Teatro Alla Scala Di Milano, Orchestra del Teatro della Scala di Milano, Gianandrea Gavazzeni
Klassik - Erschienen bei Cantus Classics am 01.03.2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Giuseppe Verdi: Rigoletto
Coro Del Teatro Alla Scala Di Milano, Orchestra del Teatro della Scala di Milano, Tullio Serafin
Klassik - Erschienen bei Cantus Classics am 19.08.1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Giacomo Puccini: Manon Lescaut
Coro Del Teatro Alla Scala Di Milano, Orchestra del Teatro della Scala di Milano
Klassik - Erschienen bei Cantus Classics am 01.11.2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vincenzo Bellini: Norma
Coro Del Teatro Alla Scala Di Milano, Orchestra del Teatro della Scala di Milano, Antonino Votto
Klassik - Erschienen bei Cantus Classics am 01.01.1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Maria Callas at La Scala (Album of 1958)
Maria Callas, Orchestra del Teatro della Scala di Milano, Tullio Serafin
Klassik - Erschienen bei Casta Diva am 01.07.1958
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Arrigo Boito: Mefistofele
Coro Del Teatro Alla Scala Di Milano, Orchestra del Teatro della Scala di Milano
Klassik - Erschienen bei Cantus Classics am 01.01.2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Il mito dell'Opera: Antonio Guarnieri (Recorded 1927-1928)
Orchestra del Teatro della Scala di Milano, Coro Del Teatro Alla Scala Di Milano, Antonio Guarnieri
Klassik - Erschienen bei Bongiovanni am 01.01.2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lothar, Franck, Zandonai, Reznícek & R. Strauss: Schneider Wibbel - Le Chasseur Maudit, Cff 128 - Serenata Medioevale - Donna Diana - Symphonia Domestica, OP. 53
Stadtisches Orchester, Orchestra del Teatro della Scala di Milano, Enzo Martinenghi
Klassik - Erschienen bei Altair am 07.09.2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Donizetti: 5 Complete Operas
Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala di Milano, Antonino Votto, Franco Corelli
Oper - Erschienen bei The Art Of Singing am 03.03.2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Milestones of a Legend, Vol. 5
Oper - Erschienen bei Intense Media GmbH am 24.09.2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo