Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
A small orchestra specializing in music of the Baroque and Classical eras, the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields became one of the most popular ensembles in the entire field of classical music, making albums that topped classical charts and even made an impact in pop. The group's seamless sound was identified in the minds of many listeners with that of Baroque music itself.
The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields (the name has been spelled both with and without the hyphens, and with and without the period after "St") was formed in 1958 by violinist Neville Marriner, who was interested in exploring the then largely new field of Baroque music with a group of other musicians. Performing without a conductor until market forces dictated that Marriner take the post, the group played its first concert on November 13, 1959, at the Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields and took its name from that venue. The orchestra began recording in 1961 on the L'Oiseau-Lyre label, championed by its founder, Louise Hanson-Dyer, and at first, finding more success with recordings than with concert appearances. The Academy moved to the early music-oriented Argo label in 1965. Appearances on the BBC Proms programs brought the group to a wider public, and in 1970 it incorporated, under the direction of Marriner and other founders, as a fully professional ensemble. Soundtrack performances in BBC television films added to the Academy's financial stability. Although he took up the conductor's baton, Marriner preferred to lead the orchestra from the first violinist's chair, and as violinists Iona Brown and Kenneth Sillito took over the group's direction on occasion, they followed the same practice in Baroque works. After Sillito's retirement in 2012, violinist Joshua Bell was named the music director. Pianist Murray Perahia has been the principal guest conductor since 2000; Perahia had for some time led the group in conductorless performances of Mozart and other Classical-period piano concertos.
The Academy's repertory also expanded over time, coming to include the Wagner Siegfried Idyll and even contemporary works. The original Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Orchestra grew to include several subgroups, the Chamber Ensemble (formed 1967), which focused on small-group chamber music for strings, and a larger grouping that could include as many as 45 musicians. A Chorus of St. Martin in the Fields, formed in 1975 for a tour performance of Bach's Mass in B minor, BWV 232, grew into an independent organization. The Academy continued to perform at the Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields and added a short Royal Festival Hall Season as its popularity grew.
However, recordings remained at the center of the group's activities, and to date, it has issued more than 500 albums. Its recording schedule often involved more than a dozen albums a year. The orchestra moved to the Philips label in 1971; it has since recorded for Decca, London, ASV, and other labels. One milestone was the orchestra's 1984 recording of the score for the film Amadeus, which topped classical charts, appeared on pop charts, and remains one of the best-selling classical albums of all time. In 2019, the Academy, with young pianist Jan Lisiecki conducting from the keyboard, issued a complete recording of Beethoven's piano concertos on the Deutsche Grammophon label.
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Harp Concertos
Marisa Robles, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Iona Brown
Classique - Paru chez Decca Music Group Ltd. le 1 janv. 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Charpentier: Te Deum, H. 146 & Magnificat, H. 74
Sir Neville Marriner, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Classique - Paru chez Warner Classics le 1 nov. 1991
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Eine kleine Nachtmusik.
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Classique - Paru chez Decca Music Group Ltd. le 1 janv. 1987
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Giuliani: Complete Guitar Concertos
Pepe Romero, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Classique - Paru chez Decca Music Group Ltd. le 1 janv. 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Complete Edition Vol.2: Serenades, Dances & Marches
Willi Boskovsky, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner, Wiener Mozart Ensemble
Classique - Paru chez Decca Music Group Ltd. le 1 janv. 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Fauré Requiem (Live)
The Sixteen, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Classique - Paru chez CORO le 1 janv. 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bohemian Rhapsodies
Leila Josefowicz, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Classique - Paru chez Decca Music Group Ltd. le 1 mars 1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach, J.C.: 6 Sinfonias Op.3/6; Piano Concertos Op.13
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner, Ingrid Haebler, Capella Academica, Wien, Eduard Melkus
Classique - Paru chez Decca Music Group Ltd. le 1 janv. 1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach, J.S.: Brandenburg Concertos Nos. 1-6
Sir Neville Marriner, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Classique - Paru chez Decca Music Group Ltd. le 20 sept. 1972
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Opera Overtures
Sir Neville Marriner, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Classique - Paru chez Warner Classics le 1 janv. 1991
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Handel: Coronation Anthems; Arias and Choruses
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Classique - Paru chez Universal Music Australia Pty. Ltd. le 22 mars 2024
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Handel: Organ Concertos, Op. 7 Nos. 1–6
George Malcolm, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Classique - Paru chez Universal Music Australia Pty. Ltd. le 1 janv. 1976
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Handel: Concerti a due cori; Alexander's Feast
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Classique - Paru chez Universal Music Australia Pty. Ltd. le 22 mars 2024
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Handel: Ballet Music
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Classique - Paru chez Universal Music Australia Pty. Ltd. le 1 janv. 1972
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Handel: Messiah
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Classique - Paru chez Universal Music Australia Pty. Ltd. le 1 janv. 1976
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart Piano Concertos 19∙20∙21∙23
Hai-Kyung Suh, Sir Neville Marriner, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Classique - Paru chez Universal Music Ltd. le 16 juin 2016
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Rossini: 6 String Sonatas/Donizetti/Cherubini/Bellini
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Classique - Paru chez Decca Music Group Ltd. le 1 janv. 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach, J.S.: Violin Concerto Nos. 1 & 2; Concerto for 2 Violins
Henryk Szeryng, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Classique - Paru chez Decca Music Group Ltd. le 2 juil. 1977
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Grieg: Holberg Suite / Sibelius: Rakastava / Nielsen: Little Suite / Wirén: Serenade etc
Sir Neville Marriner, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Classique - Paru chez Decca Music Group Ltd. le 1 juil. 1986
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Eine Kleine Nachtmusik etc.
Sir Neville Marriner, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Classique - Paru chez Warner Classics le 3 mars 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 22 & 27
Rudolf Buchbinder, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Musique concertante - Paru chez Warner Classics le 22 févr. 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo