BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
The BBC Philharmonic, based in the city of Salford in northern England's Greater Manchester county, is one of the most important orchestras in the United Kingdom, distinguishing itself by its sheer visibility and solid commitment to contemporary British music that has included the establishment of a composer/conductor position. Its home concert venue is Manchester's Bridgewater Hall. The people of the Manchester area and the north of England are rightly proud of their radio orchestra. With so much British culture and finance administered in London, there is an independent spirit driving the culture of the north. The BBC Philharmonic has not only survived, but it has thrived. It has developed a character distinct from that of the larger BBC Symphony Orchestra, based in London: more populist, perhaps, but also more adventurous and -- with the orchestra's large recording catalog, generous outreach programs, and international tours -- more entrepreneurial.
The BBC Philharmonic's history is rather checkered, for it has had to endure numerous crises. In 1922, prior to the official establishment of the British Broadcasting Corporation, Manchester had a radio station known as 2YZ, housed on the premises of the Metropolitan Vickers Electrical Company. Early on, a small orchestra was established for broadcasts; it concentrated mainly on light music but expanded on occasion for performances of symphonic repertoire and opera. The station gained a reputation for broadcasting British music, including the first radio performances of music by Edward Elgar, Gustav Holst, and William Walton. When the BBC was established in 1927, the 2YZ orchestra was renamed the Northern Wireless Orchestra; later, it became the BBC Northern Orchestra. Its existence was always precarious, but the group's size and repertoire increased. During World War II, the orchestra gave concerts in various communities around the region, bringing it to a wider public. The BBC Northern Orchestra continued to gain a strong reputation for performing and broadcasting British music, particularly works by living composers who were often invited to conduct the orchestra.
In 1961, the BBC Northern Orchestra made its first appearance at the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts under the direction of George Hurst. The regional identity of the ensemble began from that point to evolve into a national and international one. After a difficult strike in 1980, the BBC committed to supporting a full orchestra in Manchester, and in 1982, the ensemble was given its current name. Its principal conductor at that time was Edward Downes, who was succeeded in 1991 by Yan Pascal Tortelier. The ensemble's reputation for adventurous programming has expanded to an international scope as well, as composers from various countries have come to conduct the orchestra.
In 1991, the post of composer/conductor was created, with Peter Maxwell Davies being the first appointment. Davies composed several works for the orchestra, including several symphonies culminating with Symphony No. 7, which premiered in 2000. Along the way, he has also recorded a number of his orchestral works for release. Composer James MacMillan was named his successor in 2001. The following year, Gianandrea Noseda was named principal conductor (the title changed to chief conductor in 2006). HK Gruber followed MacMillan as composer/conductor in 2009. In 2011, Noseda was named conductor laureate, and Juanjo Mena became the chief conductor. In 2015, the BBC Philharmonic changed the title of the composer/conductor role to composer in association and appointed Mark Simpson to the position. Mena served as chief conductor until 2018, and Omer Meir Wellber, following a successful guest conductor performance, assumed the chief conductor position in 2019. John Storgårds was named the orchestra's new chief conductor in 2023 after serving as chief guest conductor since 2017.
The BBC Philharmonic has a vast recording catalog comprising hundreds of albums, with the majority of them being on the Chandos label. It has also recorded for Naxos and Albany, among many other labels. In 2023, under conductor Rumon Gamba, it was heard on a recording of orchestral music by Malcolm Arnold, which also featured clarinetist Michael Collins, on the Chandos label.
© James Harley & Keith Finke /TiVo
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Yoshimatsu: Symphony No. 4, Trombone Concerto & Atom Hearts Club Suite
Sachio Fujioka, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Ian Bousfield
Symphonien - Erschienen bei Chandos am 19.11.2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bax: Tone Poems, Vol. 2 - Northern Ballads Nos. 1-3 / Into the Twilight / the Happy Forest / Red Autumn / Nympholept
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Vernon Handley
Symphonische Dichtung - Erschienen bei Chandos am 01.04.2008
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Stokowski Encores
Matthias Bamert, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
Symphonien - Erschienen bei Chandos am 01.03.1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mussorgsky: A Night on the Bare Mountain, Pictures at an Exhibition, Boris Godunov & Entr'acte to Khovanshchina
Matthias Bamert, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
Symphonien - Erschienen bei Chandos am 01.04.1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
ELGAR: Enigma Variations (UK)
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Capella Istropolitana, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, George Hurst, Adrian Leaper
Klassik - Erschienen bei Naxos am 15.12.1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
ARNOLD, M.: Overtures
Kathy Jones, Helena Miles, Chris Hoyle, Fiona Macintosh, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Rumon Gamba
Symphonieorchester - Erschienen bei Chandos am 01.03.2005
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Fantaisie Triomphale
Ian Tracey, Rumon Gamba, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
Klassik - Erschienen bei Chandos am 01.04.2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rachmaninov : Symphony No.3 - Prince Rostislav - Caprice bohémien
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Gianandrea Noseda
Symphonieorchester - Erschienen bei Chandos am 01.07.2011
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Norma, Act I: Casta Diva (Arr. for Cello & Orchestra by Jan Vogler) (Radio Edit)
Jan Vogler, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Omer Meir Wellber
Klassik - Erschienen bei Sony Classical - Sony Music am 20.05.2022
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Respighi: Belfagor Overture, Toccata for Piano and Orchestra, Tre Corali & Fantasia Slava
Sir Edward Downes, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Geoffrey Tozer
Symphonien - Erschienen bei Chandos am 01.09.1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dvorak: Overtures
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Stephen Gunzenhauser
Klassik - Erschienen bei Naxos am 29.03.1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Gliere: Overtures & Orchestral Works
Vassily Sinaisky, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Peter Dixon
Symphonien - Erschienen bei Chandos am 01.02.1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wood, Coleridge-Taylor & Delius: Music for Violin & Orchestra
Tasmin Little, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Alberto Menéndez Escribano, Andrew Davis
Klassik - Erschienen bei Chandos am 13.11.2015
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Toccata pour pianoforte & orchestre - 3 Chorals - Fantaisie slave - Ouverture "Belfagor"
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Geoffrey Tozer, Sir Edward Downes
Instrumentalmusik - Erschienen bei Chandos am 01.09.1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lyapunov: Symphony No. 1, Piano Concerto No. 2 & Polonaise
Vassily Sinaisky, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Howard Shelley
Symphonien - Erschienen bei Chandos am 01.04.2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Kodaly: Symphony in C Major, Concerto for Orchestra, Dances of Marosszék & Theatre Overture
Yan Pascal Tortelier, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
Symphonien - Erschienen bei Chandos am 01.04.2000
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Casella: Complete Symphonies
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Gianandrea Noseda
Klassik - Erschienen bei Chandos am 01.04.2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Concerto pour piano - Concerto pour violon
Rustem Hayroudinoff, James Ehnes, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Gianandrea Noseda
Violinkonzerte - Erschienen bei Chandos am 01.05.2005
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Œuvres pour orchestre
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Vassily Sinaisky
Symphonieorchester - Erschienen bei Chandos am 01.06.2007
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
The Film Music of Dmitri Shostakovich, Vol. 1
Vassily Sinaisky, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus
Filmmusik - Erschienen bei Chandos am 01.11.2002
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Gerard Schurmann: Film Music
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Anthony Robb, Rumon Gamba
Klassik - Erschienen bei Chandos am 01.07.2019
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo