Wiener Symphoniker
The Wiener Symphoniker (Vienna Symphony Orchestra) is a mainstay in European orchestral music, having premiered works that have become standard repertoire in the orchestral world. While its older neighbor, the Wiener Philharmoniker, may get more attention, the Wiener Symphoniker has cemented its role as a world-class orchestra.
The Wiener Symphoniker was founded in 1900 as the Wiener Concertverein. The founder and first conductor of the orchestra was Ferdinand Löwe, who established the new orchestra to present more concerts to the citizenry and for the performance of new compositions. The orchestra's premiere concert took place at the Wiener Musikverein on October 30, 1900. Löwe, a student of Anton Bruckner's, led the Wiener Symphoniker in the premiere of Bruckner's ninth symphony in 1903. In 1913, the orchestra moved its performing venue to the newly opened Wiener Konzerthaus. Due to financial concerns following World War I, the orchestra merged with the Wiener Tonkünstlerorchester in 1919. Löwe served as chief conductor until 1925. He was followed by Otto Gottesmann and Wilhelm Furtwängler. In 1933, the orchestra was renamed the Wiener Symphoniker. Oswald Kabasta led the orchestra from 1934-1938. Under Kabasta, the orchestra embarked on its first international tour to England and Italy. In 1938, following the invasion of Austria, the orchestra was brought under municipal control and was used for propaganda during World War II. The orchestra was disbanded in September of 1944.
Following the war, the Wiener Symphoniker was re-established in 1945 and gave its first post-war concert in September under the leadership of Hans Swarowsky and Josef Krips. Since 1946, the orchestra has taken part in and been a major sponsor of the Bregenzer Festspiele. Herbert von Karajan (1950-1960) and Wolfgang Sawallisch (1960-1970) are credited most with the revival of the Viennese sound for which the Wiener Symphoniker is known. In 1962, the Theater an der Wien reopened, and the Wiener Symphoniker has since performed there for staged productions. Since Sawallisch, the chief conductors for the orchestra have included Carlo Maria Giulini (1973-1976), Gennady Rozhdestvensky (1981-1983), and Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos (1991-1996). Philippe Jordan became the chief conductor in 2014, with a contract running through 2021. In 2018, the Wiener Symphoniker announced Andrés Orozco-Estrada as its next chief conductor. Orozco-Estrada is set to take the baton in 2021. Among the illustrious names who have guest conducted the orchestra are Leonard Bernstein, Zubin Mehta, and Claudio Abbado.
The Wiener Symphoniker can be heard on hundreds of albums on major labels such as Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, EMI Classics, and Orfeo, among many others. Since 2012, the orchestra has also recorded for its own Wiener Symphoniker label, on which it has recorded works by composers such as Mahler, Bruckner, and Berlioz. Under Jordan, the orchestra has recorded a full cycle of Beethoven's symphonies. The first, Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3, was released in 2017. The final two individual albums of this cycle, Symphonies Nos. 6 & 8 and Symphony No. 9, as well as the complete cycle set, were released in 2019.
© Keith Finke /TiVo
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Beethoven: Symphonie No. 6, Op. 68 "Pastorale" (Stereo Version)
Wiener Symphoniker, Antal Doráti
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1959
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Clara Haskil Plays Beethoven
Clara Haskil, Wiener Symphoniker, Herbert von Karajan
Classical - Released by Andromeda on 29 Jul 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Martinu: Greek Passion (Live 1999)
Ulf Schirmer, Wiener Symphoniker
Classical - Released by Edition Bregenzer Festspiele on 19 Dec 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Concertos pour pianos Nos. 18 & 27 (Mono Version)
Ingrid Haebler, Christoph von Dohnányi, Wiener Symphoniker
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1961
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 in E-Flat Major, WAB 104 "Romantic" (1881 Version, Haas Edition)
Wiener Symphoniker, Otto Klemperer
Classical - Released by Archipel on 29 Nov 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Ouvertures (Mono Version)
Wiener Symphoniker, Christoph von Dohnányi
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1960
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Bach: La Passion selon saint Jean, BWV 245 (Mono Version)
Ferry Gruber, Wiener Symphoniker, Ferdinand Grossmann
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1952
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Tchaikovsky: Concerto pour piano No. 1 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 23 (Mono Version)
Sviatoslav Richter, Herbert von Karajan, Wiener Symphoniker
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1962
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Van Beethoven Code
Wiener Symphoniker, Harke de Roos
Classical - Released by Gramola Records on 15 Apr 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach: Concertos brandebourgeois, vol. 2 (Mono Version)
Jascha Horenstein, Wiener Symphoniker
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1955
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
George Gershwin: An American In Paris; Rhapsody In Blue (Digitally Remastered)
Dean Dixon, Wiener Symphoniker
Classical - Released by Essential Media Group on 1 Dec 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 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 -
Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No.1 / Rachmaninov: Préludes
Sviatoslav Richter, Wiener Symphoniker, Herbert von Karajan
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 1987
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No.2 / Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No.1
Sviatoslav Richter, Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra, Stanislaw Wislocki, Wiener Symphoniker, Herbert von Karajan
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 7 Apr 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto Nos. 1-3/Violin Concerto
Victoria Postnikova, Wiener Symphoniker, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Kyung Wha Chung, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Charles Dutoit
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dein ist mein ganzes Herz: The Most Beautiful Melodies by Franz Lehar (Live)
Wiener Symphoniker, Piotr Beczała, Camilla Nylund, Michael Schade, Manfred Honeck
Classical - Released by Profil on 4 Feb 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61 (Cadenzas: Wieniawski / Dueñas)
María Dueñas, Wiener Symphoniker, Manfred Honeck
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 2 Jun 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mahler: Symphonie No. 2 "Resurrection" (Mono Version)
Wiener Symphoniker, Otto Klemperer, Hilde Rössel-Majdan
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 2013
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Joe Hisaishi: Viola Saga: Movement 2
Joe Hisaishi, Wiener Symphoniker, Antoine Tamestit
Classical - Released by Universal Music LLC on 5 Apr 2024
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Bruckner: Symphony No. 7 in E Major
Wiener Symphoniker, Yakov Kreizberg
Classical - Released by PENTATONE on 1 Jan 2005
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
In Memoriam Yakov Kreizberg
Nederlands Philharmonisch Orkest, Vadim Tsibulevsky, Julia Fischer, Wiener Symphoniker, Yakov Kreizberg, Russian National Orchestra
Classical - Released by PentaTone on 6 Mar 2012
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo