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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Carulli / Molino: Guitar Concertos / Mozart: Adagio K.261 - Rondo K.373
Pepe Romero, 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 -
Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 20 & 24; Concert Rondo, K.382
Alfred Brendel, 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 -
J.S. Bach: Concerto in C Minor / Vivaldi: Concerto in G Minor; Violin Concerto in D Major
Gidon Kremer, Heinz Holliger, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Classique - Paru chez Decca Music Group Ltd. le 1 févr. 1984
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Telemann: Recorder Suite; 2 Double Concertos
Michala Petri, William Bennett, Klaus Thunemann, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Iona Brown
Classique - Paru chez Decca Music Group Ltd. le 1 déc. 1982
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Fauré: Pelléas et Mélisande/Pavane/Fantasie, etc.
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. 1982
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Haydn: Symphony No. 6 'Le Matin'; Symphony No. 7 'Le Midi'; Symphony No. 8 'Le Soir' (Sir Neville Marriner – Haydn: Symphonies, Volume 1)
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Classique - Paru chez Universal Music Australia Pty. Ltd. le 1 janv. 1982
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Academy of St Martin in the Fields - Mozart Orchestral Works
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Classique - Paru chez UME - Global Clearing House le 14 févr. 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Academy of St Martin in the Fields - Vivaldi
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Classique - Paru chez Warner Classics le 10 févr. 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Classical Music for Kids: Mozart
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Classique - Paru chez Unclassified le 18 nov. 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: The Symphonies, Vol.3 (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 -
Victor Herbert: Cello Concertos
Lynn Harrell, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Classique - Paru chez Decca Music Group Ltd. le 5 juin 1987
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: The Piano Concertos, Vol.2
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 -
Mozart: The Symphonies, 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 -
Fauré: Requiem / Koechlin: Choral sur le nom de Fauré
Sylvia McNair, Thomas Allen, Academy of St Martin in the Fields Chorus, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, John Birch, Sir Neville Marriner
Classique - Paru chez Decca Music Group Ltd. le 1 janv. 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ouvertures
Sir Neville Marriner, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Classique - Paru chez Warner Classics le 28 avr. 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Grieg/Sibelius: Nordic Suites
English Chamber Orchestra, Raymond Leppard, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner, Philharmonia Orchestra, Vladimir Ashkenazy
Classique - Paru chez Decca Music Group Ltd. le 1 janv. 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: The Symphonies, Vol.2 (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 -
Mozart: Posthornserenade & Marches
Sir Neville Marriner, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Classique - Paru chez Decca Music Group Ltd. le 1 oct. 1985
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vivaldi: La Cetra, Op. 9/Wind Concertos
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Iona Brown
Classique - Paru chez Decca Music Group Ltd. le 4 déc. 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Carl Maria von Weber: Klarinettenkonzerte Nr. 1 & 2, Fagottkonzert
Andrew Marriner, Klaus Thunemann, Sir Neville Marriner, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Classique - Paru chez Decca le 1 janv. 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Violin Concerto
Gidon Kremer, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Classique - Paru chez Decca Music Group Ltd. le 1 janv. 1982
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo