Philharmonia Orchestra
London's Philharmonia Orchestra is generally considered one of Britain's top symphonic ensembles and has sometimes been named as the very best. Formed by recording executive Walter Legge at the end of World War II, the orchestra benefited from the presence of several top Continental conductors in its first years and has generated an impressive recording catalog from the very beginning. Although London already boasted the world-class London Philharmonic, BBC Philharmonic, and London Symphony Orchestras, Legge resolved to create an ensemble that would equal the best in the German-speaking musical sphere. To this end, he recruited top young musicians (some 60 percent of the players were still serving in the British armed forces at the beginning) and, after he was turned down by friend Thomas Beecham, a roster of star German conductors. These included Wilhelm Furtwängler, Richard Strauss, Herbert von Karajan, and Otto Klemperer. At first, Legge avoided the appointment of a permanent conductor, and the players learned to produce superb results under several different kinds of artistic leadership.
Primarily a recording ensemble at first, the Philharmonia began giving concerts that were often innovative in content. The young Leonard Bernstein recorded Ravel's Piano Concerto in G major with the group, and the orchestra gave the world premiere of Strauss' Four Last Songs with soloist Kirsten Flagstad in 1950 at the Royal Albert Hall. In the mid-'50s, Furtwängler died and Karajan departed for Berlin; Legge appointed the 74-year-old Klemperer conductor for life. Klemperer's performances were often idiosyncratic but just as often brilliant, and many of his recordings with the Philharmonia remain in print. A complete cycle of Brahms symphonies under Klemperer was reissued by the firm Broken Audio in the 2010s.
The orchestra ran into trouble in the early 1960s as financial problems arose and several of its best musicians, including hornist Dennis Brain, met untimely deaths. Legge attempted to disband the group in 1964, but the players, encouraged by Klemperer, formed the New Philharmonia Orchestra and continued to perform. The orchestra performed at the Beethoven bicentennial in Bonn, West Germany, in 1970. That year, Lorin Maazel was appointed associate principal conductor to reduce the workload of the aging Klemperer, but he clashed with the orchestra members, who had maintained a self-governing structure. Instead, Riccardo Muti was appointed chief conductor in 1973. Four years later, the original name was restored.
Under Muti, the orchestra often recorded opera and entered upon what was widely regarded as a second golden age. In 1981, under conductor Kurt Sanderling, the Philharmonia made the first digital recording of Beethoven's complete symphonies. Muti was succeeded in 1984 by Giuseppe Sinopoli, whose performances of key British repertory such as the works of Elgar were criticized, but who extended the orchestra's reach in Italian opera. Christoph von Dohnányi ascended the podium in 1997 and took the orchestra on tours of continental Europe and, in 2002 and 2003, to a residency in New York. Bicontinental Finnish conducting star Esa-Pekka Salonen became chief conductor in 2008 and has continued to maintain the orchestra's high standards; his departure was announced for the year 2021, creating an opening at the very top level of English music-making. The Philharmonia continued to record for EMI after Legge's departure but moved to Deutsche Grammophon under Sinopoli and has since recorded for a large variety of labels. In 2019, the Philharmonia backed innovative Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen on her debut release, with Salonen conducting.
© James Manheim /TiVo
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Brahms: A German Requiem, Op. 45
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Philharmonia Orchestra, Otto Klemperer
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 1 Jan 1991
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Britten & Bruch: Violin Concertos
Kerson Leong, Philharmonia Orchestra, Patrick Hahn
Classical - Released by Alpha Classics on 5 May 2023
Gramophone Editor's Choice24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Fidelio, Op. 72
Christa Ludwig, Jon Vickers, Philharmonia Orchestra, Otto Klemperer
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 1 Jan 1994
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Santtu conducts the Nutcracker Suite
Philharmonia Orchestra, Santtu-Matias Rouvali
Ballets - Released by Philharmonia Records Ltd on 8 Dec 2023
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde (Remastered)
Kirsten Flagstad, Ludwig Suthaus, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Philharmonia Orchestra, Wilhelm Furtwängler
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 1 Jan 1953
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Let You Break My Heart Again
Laufey, Philharmonia Orchestra
Jazz - Released by Laufey on 13 Aug 2021
24-Bit 88.2 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem, Op. 45 by Otto Klemperer (2023 Remastered, London 1961)
Otto Klemperer, Philharmonia Orchestra, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
Classical - Released by Alexandre Bak - Classical Music Reference Recording on 10 Feb 2022
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Britten & Elgar: Sea Interludes, Violin Concerto
Michael Barenboim, Alessandro Crudele, Philharmonia Orchestra
Classical - Released by Linn Records on 8 Sep 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Santtu Conducts Stravinsky
Philharmonia Orchestra, Santtu-Matias Rouvali
Classical - Released by Signum Records on 22 Mar 2024
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Bruckner: Symphonies Nos. 4 "Romantic" & 7
Philharmonia Orchestra, Otto Klemperer
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 16 Feb 2024
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Elgar: Cello Concerto - Walton: Cello Concerto
Steven Isserlis, Philharmonia Orchestra, Paavo Järvi
Classical - Released by Hyperion on 26 Feb 2016
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Strauss : Four Last Songs - Wagner : Arias from Tannhäuser
Lise Davidsen, Philharmonia Orchestra, Esa-Pekka Salonen
Lieder (German) - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 31 May 2019
QobuzissimeGramophone Editor's Choice24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Bach: St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244 by Otto Klemperer (Remastered 2023, London 1961)
Otto Klemperer, Philharmonia Orchestra, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
Classical - Released by Alexandre Bak - Classical Music Reference Recording on 4 Mar 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Rodrigo: Concierto di Aranjuez
Narciso Yepes, Philharmonia Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, García Navarro
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 1985
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Il Tenore
Freddie De Tommaso, Philharmonia Orchestra, Paolo Arrivabeni
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 24 Jun 2022
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2
Claudio Arrau, Philharmonia Orchestra, Carlo Maria Giulini
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 15 Mar 2023
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Die Zauberflöte
Otto Klemperer, Lucia Popp, Gundula Janowitz, Nicolai Gedda, Philharmonia Orchestra
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 1 Jan 1964
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mahler: Symphonies Nos. 1-9
Philharmonia Orchestra, Lorin Maazel
Symphonic Music - Released by Signum Classics on 7 Apr 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Piano Concerto N° 1 (High Definition Remaster 2022)
Maurizio Pollini, Paul Kletzki, Philharmonia Orchestra
Classical - Released by NewConcept Classical Remasters on 4 Nov 2022
24-Bit 88.2 kHz - Stereo -
Santtu Conducts Mahler
Philharmonia Orchestra, Santtu-Matias Rouvali
Classical - Released by Signum Records on 22 Sep 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
George Lloyd: The Symphonies Nos. 7-12
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Albany Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, George Lloyd
Classical - Released by Lyrita on 5 Apr 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo