Philharmonia Chorus
EMI record producer Walter Legge founded the Philharmonia Orchestra after World War II to serve as his own recording orchestra. In, when planning a recording of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony under the direction of Otto Klemperer, Legge in 1957 founded the Philharmonia Chorus to sing in those sessions and in the public concert associated with it.
The 250-voice amateur chorus, chosen and rehearsed meticulously, immediately set a new high standard for large British choral groups, and continued in existence to provide choral singing for Legge projects.
In 1964 Legge "suspended" the Philharmonia. He intended this to be the end of both the orchestra and the chorus, but both organizations, separately, met to reconstitute themselves as self-governing organizations. Initially, Legge refused to let these new organizations carry on under the name they had made famous. Like the orchestra, the chorus went by the name The New Philharmonia. It reverted to use of the name The Philharmonia Chorus in 1977.
The members of the chorus elect a council, all of whose members must be active singers in the chorus. The council members are generally chosen for their professional expertise in such fields as law and administration, travel, public relations, and marketing. This keeps administrative costs low. The chorus holds itself available for concert organizations and promoters who wish to engage it.
Despite its close ties with the Philharmonia, the chorus and the orchestra are in fact separate bodies, allowing the chorus to perform with other organizations. It has sung with the London Philharmonic, the Royal Philharmonic, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, and the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra. It has frequently taken tours, and has sung on numerous recordings. During this time, it has retained its position as one of the finest large amateur choirs in the world.
© TiVo
Discography
15 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Fauré: Requiem / Ravel: Pavane pour une infante défunte
Kathleen Battle, Andreas Schmidt, Philharmonia Orchestra, Carlo Maria Giulini, Philharmonia Chorus
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 1986
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Pärt: Collage
Neeme Järvi, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra, Boris Berman, Philharmonia Chorus, Simon Halsey
Symphonies - Released by Chandos on 1 Feb 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Handel: Messiah, HWV 56 by Otto Klemperer (2024 Remastered, London 1964)
Otto Klemperer, Philharmonia Orchestra, Philharmonia Chorus
Classical - Released by Alexandre Bak - Classical Music Reference Recording on 14 Mar 2024
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Strauss: Le chevalier à la rose (Mono Version)
Herbert von Karajan, Philharmonia Orchestra, Philharmonia Chorus
Classical - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1956
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Cantate pour le 20e anniversaire de la Révolution d'Octobre
Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Philharmonia Chorus, Philharmonia Orchestra, Neeme Järvi
Choral Music (Choirs) - Released by Chandos on 1 Jan 1992
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ivan le Terrible
Linda Finnie, Nikita Storojev, Philharmonia Chorus, Philharmonia Orchestra, Neeme Järvi
Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred) - Released by Chandos on 1 Jun 1991
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Maria di Venosa
Susan Bullock, Hilary Summers, Apollo Voices, Philharmonia Chorus, Philharmonia Orchestra, Francesco D' Avalos
Oratorios (secular) - Released by Chandos on 1 Sep 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Debussy: Night in Granada
Classical - Released by Signum-Cala on 26 Apr 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rossini: Il barbiere di Siviglia (Mono Version)
Maria Callas, Philharmonia Orchestra, Philharmonia Chorus, Alceo Galliera, Luigi Alva
Classical - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1958
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Cantate pour le 20° anniversaire de la révolution d'octobre
Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Philharmonia Chorus, Philharmonia Orchestra, Neeme Järvi
Cantatas (secular) - Released by Chandos on 1 Sep 1992
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
d'Avalos: Maria di Venosa
Francesco D' Avalos, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra, Susan Bullock, Hilary Summers, Philharmonia Chorus, Apollo Voices
Sacred Oratorios - Released by Chandos on 1 Sep 2005
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
A Night in Venice
Otto Ackerman, Philharmonia Orchestra, Philharmonia Chorus
Classical - Released by Hallmark on 1 Jan 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Strauss: Die Fledermaus
Wilma Lipp, Gerda Scheyrer, Karl Terkal, Erich Kunz, Philharmonia Chorus, Philharmonia Orchestra
Opera - Released by Past Classics on 1 Mar 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor (Mono Version)
Maria Callas, Ferruccio Tagliavini, Philharmonia Orchestra, Philharmonia Chorus, Tullio Serafin
Classical - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1953
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Brother Grimm's Fairy Tales in Operas: Der Mond
Opera - Released by Intense Media GmbH on 6 May 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo