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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Mozart: The Divertimenti for Orchestra, Vol.1 (Complete Mozart Edition)
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Classique - Paru chez Decca Music Group Ltd. le 1 janv. 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Academy of St Martin in the Fields: Mozart - The London Sketchbook
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Classique - Paru chez UME - Global Clearing House le 29 avr. 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez; Fantasía para un gentilhombre
Pepe Romero, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Classique - Paru chez Decca Music Group Ltd. le 1 janv. 1979
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Corelli: Concerti Grossi, Op.6
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Classique - Paru chez Decca Music Group Ltd. le 1 janv. 1974
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Handel: Concerti grossi
Iona Brown, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Classique - Paru chez haenssler CLASSIC le 24 juil. 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Eine kleine Nachtmusik; Serenata Notturna; Divertimenti, K.136, K.137 & K.138
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Classique - Paru chez Decca Music Group Ltd. le 1 janv. 1973
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Strawinsky: Feuervogel/Pulcinella
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Classique - Paru chez Decca le 1 janv. 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vivaldi, Warlock & Praetoruis
Christopher Parkening, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Iona Brown
Classique - Paru chez Warner Classics le 19 mars 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: The Piano Concertos, Vol.3
Alfred Brendel, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Classique - Paru chez Decca Music Group Ltd. le 1 janv. 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Faure: Requiem; Orchestral Works
Sir Neville Marriner, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Classique - Paru chez Universal Music Australia Pty. Ltd. le 6 juil. 2018
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Handel: Orchestral Works
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Classique - Paru chez Decca Music Group Ltd. le 1 janv. 1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vaughan Williams: The Lark Ascending; Fantasia On A Theme By Thomas Tallis; Symphony No.5
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Roger Norrington
Classique - Paru chez Decca Music Group Ltd. le 1 janv. 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Fauré: Requiem; Pavane
Sylvia McNair, Thomas Allen, Academy of St Martin in the Fields Chorus, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Classique - Paru chez Decca Music Group Ltd. le 1 janv. 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
J.S. Bach: Ein musikalisches Opfer
Sir Neville Marriner, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Classique - Paru chez Decca Music Group Ltd. le 1 déc. 1979
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: The Piano Concertos, Vol.4
Alfred Brendel, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Classique - Paru chez Decca Music Group Ltd. le 1 janv. 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis; The Wasps; In the Fen Country, etc.
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 -
Haydn: 29 Named Symphonies
English Chamber Orchestra, Raymond Leppard, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Classique - Paru chez Decca Music Group Ltd. le 1 janv. 1996
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Vivaldi: La Stravaganza
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Classique - Paru chez Decca Music Group Ltd. le 1 janv. 1975
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Getty: Orchestral Music (Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Marriner)
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Classique - Paru chez Pentatone le 30 mars 2010
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Mozart: Clarinet & Bassoon Concertos
Karl Leister, Klaus Thunemann, Stephen Orton, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Classique - Paru chez Decca Music Group Ltd. le 1 janv. 1989
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vivaldi: Bassoon Concertos
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Gustavo Nunez, Tomo Keller
Musique concertante - Paru chez Pentatone le 1 févr. 2016
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo