English Chamber Orchestra
Tremendously versatile and musically polished, the English Chamber Orchestra is considered one of the most distinguished chamber orchestras in the world. Similar in musical philosophy and organization to the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, the ensemble is financially self-supporting and has no permanent home venue. The orchestra presents an annual concert series in London and also tours internationally. Over its history, the ensemble has expanded its repertoire to include a wide range of chamber music from various musical periods and is flexible in size, ranging from 24 to 38 musicians. The English Chamber Orchestra, under the baton of Neil Thomson, issued the recording Serenata: Brazilian Music for Chamber Orchestra in 2022.
The English Chamber Orchestra was formed in 1948 by Arnold Goldsborough to perform Baroque music. Originally named the Goldsborough Orchestra, the ensemble changed its name to the English Chamber Orchestra (ECO) in 1960 in accordance with the needs of the group's growing reputation. At the same time, the "English Chamber Orchestra and Music Society" charity was formed as the promotion arm of the organization. Like many other chamber orchestras, the ECO employs no full-time musicians but hires its players on a contract basis. This allows the orchestra to be flexible in size and structure according to the needs of its repertoire and concert venues and also gives the musicians the opportunity to work in a variety of other situations. The freedom this provides is key to the fresh approach this orchestra takes in its performances through its use of a system of co-principal groupings of players. Under this system, two principal players share each chair and are contracted to play a set number of performances in a given season.
The ECO has performed for numerous important occasions, including a command performance before Queen Elizabeth II at the Queen Elizabeth Hall inaugural concert in 1967. Other performances of note are the first color television recording of music for the BBC and the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana of Wales in 1981. The ensemble has been associated with the music of Benjamin Britten since it became the resident orchestra at the 1961 Aldeburgh Festival. The ECO has toured extensively, including tours throughout Europe, the U.S., and China.
Until 1985, the orchestra chose to work without a principal conductor, instead inviting a series of talented guest artists to lead the ensemble. The ECO has a reputation for giving young conductors important opportunities. Among those who have benefited from this policy are Sir Colin Davis, Daniel Barenboim, and Pinchas Zukerman. During the orchestra's Silver Anniversary celebration in 1985, it was announced that Jeffrey Tate had been chosen to fill the newly created position of principal conductor, and in 2000, he was succeeded by Ralf Gothóni. Paul Watkins has also served as music director, and Roy Goodman has served as the orchestra's principal guest conductor. Stephanie Gonley has been the orchestra's leader since 1997 and has also directed the orchestra from her violin.
The ECO can be heard on hundreds of recordings on all of the major labels, including a significant number on EMI, Deutsche Grammophon, and Sony, among others. The highlights for the ECO include three complete Mozart piano concerto cycles featuring Daniel Barenboim on EMI Classics, Mitsuko Uchida on Philips, and Murray Perahia on Sony Classical. In 2019, the ECO was led from the keyboard by Benjamin Hochman in a recording of Mozart's Piano Concertos Nos. 17 & 24, on Avie. More Mozart recordings followed in the early 2020s, and in 2022, conductor Neil Thomson led the ECO on the release Serenata: Brazilian Music for Chamber Orchestra.
© Corie Stanton Root & Keith Finke /TiVo
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Mozart: Opera & Concert Arias (Elly Ameling – The Philips Recitals, Vol. 5)
Elly Ameling, English Chamber Orchestra, Edo de Waart
Classical - Released by Universal Music Australia Pty. Ltd. on 1 Jan 1973
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Luigi Nono, Bruno Maderna, Luciano Berio - Works For Chamber Orchestra
Classical - Released by Soundmark on 1 Jan 1960
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Clarinet Concertos
English Chamber Orchestra, David Zinman
Classical - Released by Denon on 31 Aug 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Fauré: Requiem – Duruflé: Requiem
Corydon Singers, English Chamber Orchestra, Matthew Best
Classical - Released by Hyperion on 1 Apr 1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Handel, etc.: Overtures of the 18th Century
English Chamber Orchestra, Richard Bonynge
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vivaldi: Motets (Elly Ameling – The Philips Recitals, Vol. 1)
Elly Ameling, Jeffrey Tate, English Chamber Orchestra, Vittorio Negri
Classical - Released by Universal Music Australia Pty. Ltd. on 1 Jan 1978
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Iacobus Magnus
Milladoiro, English Chamber Orchestra
Celtic - Released by Cormoran on 3 Jun 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos 20 & 24 (The National Gallery Collection) (National Gallery Collection)
Daniel Barenboim, English Chamber Orchestra
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 4 Jul 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 20 & 24
Daniel Barenboim, English Chamber Orchestra
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 1 Jan 1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Britten: Cello Symphony & Death in Venice Suite
Steuart Bedford, English Chamber Orchestra, Raphael Wallfisch
Symphonies - Released by Chandos on 1 Nov 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wagner: Siegfried Idyll / Schoenberg: Verklärte Nacht
Vladimir Ashkenazy, English Chamber Orchestra
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Dec 1983
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beach: Empress of Night (Volume 4)
Joanne Polk, The Lark Quartet, English Chamber Orchestra
Classical - Released by Arabesque Recordings on 11 Apr 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
E
English Chamber Orchestra, Ignacio Rodes
Classical - Released by Àudiovisuals de Sarrià on 2 Sep 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 7 & 10
Vladimir Ashkenazy, Daniel Barenboim, Fou Ts'ong, English Chamber Orchestra
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 1975
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Serenata: Brazilian Music for Chamber Orchestra
English Chamber Orchestra, Neil Thomson
Classical - Released by Naxos on 9 Sep 2022
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Prague Spring Festival Gold Edition, Vol. 4 (Live)
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, Wiener Symphoniker, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Classical - Released by Czech Radio on 22 May 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos.20,23,24,26 & 27
Clifford Curzon, English Chamber Orchestra, Benjamin Britten, London Symphony Orchestra, István Kertész
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 2001
The Qobuz Essential Discography16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
I Slept and Dreamed That Life Was Beauty
London Voices, English Chamber Orchestra, Ben Parry
Choral Music (Choirs) - Released by Orchid Classics on 28 Jul 2023
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Seasons Interrupted
Trey Lee, English Chamber Orchestra
Chamber Music - Released by Signum Records on 17 May 2024
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Piano Concertos
Mitsuko Uchida, English Chamber Orchestra, Jeffrey Tate
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Britten: The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra; Simple Symphony, etc.
London Symphony Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, Benjamin Britten
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 17 Sep 1986
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo