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
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Vivaldi: The Four Seasons
Klassik - Erschienen bei Past Classics am 25.03.2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Symphonie No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 68 (Mono Version)
The Philharmonia Orchestra, Herbert von Karajan
Verschiedenes - Erschienen bei BNF Collection am 01.01.1953
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Gayne & Masquerade Suites
Aram Ilyitch Khatchaturian, The Philharmonia Orchestra
Klassik - Erschienen bei ImpDigital am 01.01.2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Offenbach: Gaité Parisienne / Rossini: William Tell Ballet Music / Gounod: Faust Ballet Music
Herbert von Karajan, The Philharmonia Orchestra
Klassik - Erschienen bei Music Manager am 11.06.2020
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Arnold: English Dances & Four Scottish Dances - Britten: Matinées Musicales & Soirées Musicales
Klassik - Erschienen bei Past Classics am 24.08.2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 2
The Philharmonia Orchestra, The Bach Choir, Judith Howarth, Robert Tear, Francesco D' Avalos, Edith Wiens
Klassik - Erschienen bei imp am 01.01.1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Liszt: Les Préludes / Respighi: The Pines Of Rome / Berlioz: Roman Carnival Overture, Op. 9
Herbert von Karajan, The Philharmonia Orchestra
Klassik - Erschienen bei Music Manager am 02.04.2013
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Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade Symphonic Suite, Op. 35
Klassik - Erschienen bei Past Classics am 25.03.2009
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Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker Suite
Klassik - Erschienen bei Past Classics am 09.07.2008
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Mendelssohn & Bruch: Concertos pour violon (Stereo Version)
Nathan Milstein, Leon Barzin, The Philharmonia Orchestra
Verschiedenes - Erschienen bei BNF Collection am 01.01.1962
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Peter Cornelius: Der Barbier von Bagdad
The Philharmonia Chorus, The Philharmonia Orchestra
Klassik - Erschienen bei Cantus Classics am 01.02.2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Philharmonia Orchestra Performs Works by Dello Joio, Hovhaness, & Rosner
Klassik - Erschienen bei Kleos Classics am 11.06.2002
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Witold Malcuzynski with the Philharmonia Orchestra Conducted by Paul Kletzki - 1946-1949
Witold Malcuzynski - Piano, The Philharmonia Orchestra, Paul Kletzki - Conductor
Klassik - Erschienen bei Guild Music am 02.01.2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Chopin Piano Concerto No 1
The Philharmonia Orchestra, Maurizio Pollini
Klassik - Erschienen bei Hallmark am 01.01.2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Strauss II: The Gypsy Baron
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Erich Kunz, Will Ferenz, Nicolai Gedda, The Philharmonia Orchestra, The Philharmonia Chorus
Oper - Erschienen bei Past Classics am 28.04.2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Berlioz - Symphony Fantastique, Op. 14
André Cluytens, The Philharmonia Orchestra
Klassik - Erschienen bei West Oak Records am 23.04.2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 in E-Flat Major
Klassik - Erschienen bei Past Classics am 21.07.2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Gustav Mahler, Vol. 3
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Desi Halban, Wilhelm Furtwängler, The Philharmonia Orchestra
Klassik - Erschienen bei ArnebAudio am 23.02.2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
A. Munsey & A. Powell: Full Circle (feat. Elin Manahan) (Deluxe)
Adrian Munsey, Andrew Powell, The Philharmonia Orchestra
Klassik - Erschienen bei Music Infinity am 25.03.2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
A. Munsey & A. Powell: Full Circle (feat. Elin Manahan)
Adrian Munsey, Andrew Powell, The Philharmonia Orchestra
Klassik - Erschienen bei Music Infinity am 25.03.2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schumann: Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 54
The Philharmonia Orchestra, Herbert Menges, Solomon
Instrumentalmusik - Erschienen bei OBX Records am 19.01.2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo