City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra is the first British orchestra to be funded by a city council. Its opening concert was conducted by composer Edward Elgar. Since then, the orchestra has thrived as a bastion of musical culture in the Midlands. It has also gained a reputation for adventurous programming, underlined by the long, fruitful appointment of Simon Rattle as music director.
The City of Birmingham Orchestra was founded in 1920 by, among others, Neville Chamberlain, a prominent citizen who later became prime minister of the U.K. The orchestra's first conductor was Adrian Boult, who was quickly snapped up by the newly formed BBC Symphony Orchestra in London. Boult was replaced by one of his pupils, Leslie Heward. In 1932, Harold Gray was named associate conductor, a post he held for nearly 50 years. In 1944, the musicians were hired on a full-time basis, and George Weldon was appointed music director to replace Heward, who had succumbed to tuberculosis.
The orchestra was renamed City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) in 1948, the name it retains to this day. It began to expand its dominion with tours and London performances, including a debut at the Royal Albert Hall in London in 1951. An interesting appointment came in 1957 when composer Andrzej Panufnik was named principal conductor. He lasted until 1960, when he returned to composing, but the emphasis on new music took hold. In 1962, the CBSO gave the first performances of Benjamin Britten's War Requiem at nearby Coventry Cathedral. Louis Frémaux was named principal conductor in 1969 and led the orchestra through a series of well-received recordings for EMI. In 1980, Simon Rattle, just 25 years old but already a major talent, was appointed Frémaux's successor. He remained with the CBSO for almost 20 years. In that period, Rattle established himself as one of the world's top conductors, and the orchestra solidified its international reputation through tours and an impressive series of recordings. Rattle oversaw a number of interesting innovations during his tenure: one was the establishment of the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group (BCMG), a subset of the orchestra dedicated to performing the music of its time.
In 1990, Mark-Anthony Turnage was appointed composer-in-association, and he created a series of successful scores, such as Three Screaming Popes. He was succeeded in 1995 by Judith Weir, who followed up Rattle's knighthood (still in his thirties!) with her own Companionship of the British Empire. Along with new British music, the CBSO commissioned works by international composers such as Luciano Berio, Tristan Murail, and Toru Takemitsu. When Rattle moved on to the Berlin Philharmonic in 2002, the CBSO continued its reputation as a forward-looking, world-class orchestra rooted in a community proud of its independence. Conductor Sakari Oramo led the orchestra into the new millennium with enthusiasm and dedication. Andris Nelsons succeeded Oramo as music director in 2008, staying until 2015. Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla was named music director in February 2016, becoming the orchestra's first female director.
The CBSO has been featured on well over 100 albums, with the bulk of its output being on the EMI label. It also has recordings on many other labels, such as Chandos and Warner Classics. In 2019, Gražinytė-Tyla, in her debut recording, led the CBSO on the album Weinberg: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 21 on Deutsche Grammophon, earning a Grammy nomination. Gražinytė-Tyla and the CBSO returned in 2022 with Weinberg: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 7, once more presenting two of Weinberg's symphonies and his Flute Concerto No. 1. After serving as principal guest conductor since 2018, the CBSO announced that Kazuki Yamada would be its next chief conductor and artistic advisor beginning in 2023.
© James Harley & Keith Finke /TiVo
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Lalo: Symphonie espagnole, Op. 21 & Cello Concerto
Yan Pascal Tortelier, Paul Tortelier, City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Louis Frémaux
Klassiek - Released by Warner Classics on 27 jan. 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
The British Project - Walton: Troilus & Cressida
City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla
Klassiek - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 12 mrt. 2021
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Stravinsky: Firebird; Petrushka, etc
City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Sir Simon Rattle
Klassiek - Released by Warner Classics on 1 jan. 1988
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Weinberg: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 7; Flute Concerto No. 1
City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Kirill Gerstein, Marie-Christine Zupancic, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla
Klassiek - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 16 sep. 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sibelius & Walton Violin Concertos
Akiko Suwanai, City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Sakari Oramo
Klassiek - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 jan. 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Grieg & Schumann: Klavierkonzerte
Lars Vogt, City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Sir Simon Rattle
Klassiek - Released by EMI on 1 jan. 1992
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mahler: Symphony No. 1 "Titan"
City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Sir Simon Rattle
Klassiek - Released by Warner Classics on 1 nov. 1992
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1 & 3 Intermezzi, Op. 117
Leif Ove Andsnes, City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Sir Simon Rattle
Klassiek - Released by Warner Classics on 1 jan. 1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Haydn: Symphonies nos 86, 102 & 22 'The Philosopher'
Sir Simon Rattle, City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Klassiek - Released by Warner Classics on 6 sep. 2004
The Qobuz Essential Discography16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Busoni: Piano Concerto in C Major (Hyperion Romantic Piano Concerto 22)
Sir Mark Elder, Marc-André Hamelin, City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Klassiek - Released by Hyperion on 1 nov. 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ravel: Valses nobles et sentimentales, Le tombeau de Couperin, Miroirs & Concertos
Cécile Ousset, City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Sir Simon Rattle
Klassiek - Released by Warner Classics on 1 apr. 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 7 in C Major, "Leningrad"
City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Andris Nelsons
Symfonieën - Released by Orfeo on 5 nov. 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tüür: Exodus
Isabelle van Keulen, Paavo Järvi, City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Klassiek - Released by ECM New Series on 5 mei 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Elgar: Orchestral Works
City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Sir Simon Rattle
Klassiek - Released by Warner Classics on 7 nov. 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Elgar - The Dream of Gerontius
(Dame) Janet Baker, John Mitchinson, John Shirley-Quirk, CBSO Chorus, City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Sir Simon Rattle
Klassiek - Released by Warner Classics on 28 feb. 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mendelssohn in Birmingham, Vol. 4
Jennifer Pike, Rhian Lois, City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Keri Fuge, Edward Gardner, City of Birmingham Symphony Youth Chorus
Klassiek - Released by Chandos on 1 jan. 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Stravinsky: Le sacre du printemps & Apollon musagète
City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Sir Simon Rattle
Klassiek - Released by Warner Classics on 11 sep. 1989
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Concertos pour violon n° 1 et 2
Thomas Zehetmair, City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Sir Simon Rattle, Silke Avenhaus
Klassiek - Released by Warner Classics on 30 mei 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The British Project - Britten: Sinfonia da Requiem
City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla
Klassiek - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 16 okt. 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Weinberg: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 21
Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, Gidon Kremer, City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Kremerata Baltica
Klassiek - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 3 mei 2019
Gramophone: Recording of the Month16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Kernis: Second Symphony, Musica Celestis, Invisible Mosaic II
City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Hugh Wolff
Symfonische muziek - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 8 jan. 1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo