Seattle Symphony
The Seattle Symphony Orchestra is a cornerstone organization in Seattle's classical scene and has earned recognition for its community outreach, innovative programming, and stellar recording catalog. During Gerard Schwarz's tenure as music director in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the orchestra blossomed into a world-class ensemble. The Seattle Symphony has won five Grammy and two Emmy awards. Thomas Dausgaard has been the orchestra's music director since 2019.
The Seattle Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1903, its first concert taking place December 29 that year at Christensen's Hall, led by violinist/conductor Harry West. The ensemble consisted of just 24 musicians that night but expanded to 52 in 1907 when the Seattle Symphony Society was established and incorporated. That organization appointed a new conductor, Michael Kegrize, and the orchestra was given a new home the following year at the newly built Moore Theatre. In 1909, Henry Hadley was appointed music director, and by the following year, he had more than doubled the number of concerts and increased the size of the ensemble to 65. He also attracted major artists to perform with the orchestra, including Fritz Kreisler and Josef Hofmann.
In 1911, John Spargur succeeded the departing Hadley, and the orchestra was renamed the Seattle Philharmonic and given a new concert venue, the Metropolitan Theatre. Continued woes plagued the orchestra, and it reorganized in 1919, reverting to its original name of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, with Spargur remaining as music director of the ensemble, now consisting of 85 musicians who performed at the University of Washington's Meany Hall. More financial and organizational problems ensued, and the group lost its professional status. Madame Davenport-Engberg led the Seattle Symphony from 1921 until 1923, but the orchestra had to disband at the end of her tenure. In 1926, it reorganized once more when Karl Krueger was appointed conductor of the now 65-member ensemble. In 1932, the orchestra began its first radio broadcasts under new director Basil Cameron, but because of the national depression and other financial concerns, the season schedule had to be reduced.
From 1938 to 1954, the orchestra had five music directors, the second of these being one of the most prominent from the first half of the 20th century, Thomas Beecham (1941 to 1943). Beecham's reign produced sold-out concerts, but his jesting remarks about the orchestra's abilities created much controversy. Milton Katims was appointed music director in 1954 and introduced many new works and attracted some of the finest artists in the world, even drawing an appearance from Igor Stravinsky in 1962. Under Katims, revenues more than quadrupled, many recordings were made, and the orchestra's reputation grew in stature. Though he remained the musical director until 1979, Katims surrendered the conductorship in 1976 to Rainer Miedél. Following Miedél's death in 1983, Gerard Schwarz was appointed principal conductor in 1984, then music director in 1985. Under Schwarz, the Seattle Symphony received a string of Grammy nominations. Schwarz also introduced many new works: in the 2000-2001 season, for example, he presented four new major compositions, including Nanking! Nanking! by Bright Sheng, a U.S. premiere. On September 12, 1998, the Seattle Symphony gave its first performance in its new home at Benaroya Hall. The Seattle Symphony frequently performs with the Seattle Opera and plays for its productions of Wagner's Ring.
Ludovic Morlot succeeded Schwarz as music director in 2011. During Morlot's tenure, the Seattle Symphony won five Grammy Awards, launched the Seattle Symphony Media recording label, and was named the 2018 Orchestra of the Year by Gramophone magazine. Morlot and the orchestra commissioned and premiered Become Ocean by John Luther Adams, a recording of which earned the orchestra one of its Grammy Awards and Adams a Pulitzer Prize. Following a stint as principal guest conductor beginning in 2013, Thomas Dausgaard became the Seattle Symphony's music director in 2019.
© Robert Cummings & Keith Finke /TiVo
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Caprice espagnol
Seattle Symphony, Gerard Schwarz
Classical - Released by Naxos on 6 Sep 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Symphonie n°3 - Concerto pour tuba
Christopher Olka, Seattle Symphony, Gerard Schwarz
Classical - Released by Naxos on 24 Feb 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wagner: Ride of the Valkyries
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra, Uwe Mund, Gerard Schwarz, Michael Halasz
Classical - Released by Naxos Special Projects on 26 Aug 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Berlioz: Les nuits d'été – Ravel: Shéhérazade – Adams: Le livre de Baudelaire (After Debussy's L. 64)
Ian Bostridge, Seattle Symphony, Ludovic Morlot
Classical - Released by Seattle Symphony Media on 25 Jan 2019
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Symphonie n°6
Seattle Symphony, Gerard Schwarz
Classical - Released by Naxos on 17 Nov 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Phoenix
Bright Sheng, Shana Blake Hill, Seattle Symphony, Gerard Schwarz
Classical - Released by Naxos on 31 Mar 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Symphony No. 4 / Three New England Sketches
Seattle Symphony, Therese Elder Wunrow, Gerard Schwarz
Classical - Released by Naxos on 14 May 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Symphonie n°8
Seattle Symphony, Gerard Schwarz
Classical - Released by Naxos on 23 Feb 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Flying Lotus
A.R. Rahman, Seattle Symphony, Ricardo Averbach
World - Released by Universal Music India Pvt Ltd. on 6 Oct 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Stravinsky: The Firebird - Vladimir Nikolaev: The Sinewaveland (Live)
Seattle Symphony, Ludovic Morlot
Classical - Released by Seattle Symphony Media on 11 Nov 2016
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Symphony No. 3 - Psalm - Kaddish
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Classical - Released by Naxos on 11 Dec 1992
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
SHOSTAKOVICH: Execution of Stepan Razin (The) / October / 5 Fragments, Op. 42
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Choral Music (Choirs) - Released by Naxos on 21 Mar 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Shostakovich: Cello Concerto No. 1 - Symphony No. 9 - Liadov: Baba Yaga - A Musical Snuffbox - The Enchanted Lake
Lynn Harrell, Seattle Symphony, Gerard Schwarz
Classical - Released by Artek on 5 Jul 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
SCHUMAN, W.: Symphonies Nos. 7 and 10 (Seattle Symphony, Schwarz)
Seattle Symphony, Gerard Schwarz
Classical - Released by Naxos on 18 Oct 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Copland: Appalachian Spring Suite - Symphonic Ode - Creston: Symphony No. 3, 'Three Mysteries'
Seattle Symphony, Gerard Schwarz
Classical - Released by Naxos on 1 May 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Extraits orchestraux (Volume 2)
Seattle Symphony, Alessandra Marc, Gerard Schwarz
Classical - Released by Naxos on 23 Jul 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
SCHUMAN, W.: Symphonies Nos. 4 and 9 / Circus Overture / Orchestra Song (Seattle Symphony, Schwarz)
Seattle Symphony, Gerard Schwarz
Classical - Released by Naxos on 1 May 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
America - Concerto Grosso n°1
Seattle Symphony Chorale, Patricia Michaelian, Seattle Symphony, Gerard Schwarz
Choral Music (Choirs) - Released by Naxos on 1 Apr 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dvorak : Symphonie 6 - Janacek : Idylle
Seattle Symphony, Gerard Schwarz
Classical - Released by Naxos on 1 Jan 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bartók: The Miraculous Mandarin - Concerto for Orchestra
Seattle Symphony Chorale, Seattle Symphony, Gerard Schwarz
Classical - Released by Naxos on 1 Jan 1989
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Classic Works Transformed
Seattle Symphony, Gerard Schwarz
Classical - Released by Naxos on 7 Jun 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo