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: Double Concerto, Op. 102 - Beethoven: Violin Sonata, Op. 12 No. 1
Christian Ferras, Paul Tortelier, Philharmonia Orchestra, Paul Kletzki
Concertos - Released by Warner Classics on Apr 24, 2020
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Triple Concerto in C Major, Op. 56 - Johannes Brahms: Double Concerto in A Minor, Op. 102
Philharmonia Orchestra, Sir Malcolm Sargent, Alceo Galliera
Concertos - Released by Jube Classic on Jan 27, 2023
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Weill: Suite from the Threepenny Opera - Klemperer: Merry Waltz
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Mar 13, 2020
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Sibelius: Violin Concerto, Op. 47 - Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 2, Op. 63
Frank Peter Zimmermann, Philharmonia Orchestra, Mariss Jansons
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Jan 1, 1992
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mahler: Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Philharmonia Orchestra
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Nov 5, 2021
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Borodin: Requiem, Polovtsian Dances and Suite from Prince Igor
BBC Symphony Chorus, Philharmonia Orchestra, Geoffrey Simon
Classical - Released by Signum-Cala on Sep 18, 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Holst: The Planets & The Perfect Fool (Ballet Music)
Classical - Released by Nimbus Records on May 1, 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Strauss : Till Eulenspiegel - Ein Heldenleben
Philharmonia Orchestra & Christoph von Dohnanyi
Classical - Released by Signum Classics on Feb 1, 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Cinq Pièces pour orchestre - Concerto pour violoncelle - Quatuor pour piano
London Symphony Orchestra, Fred Sherry, Robert Craft, Philharmonia Orchestra
Classical - Released by Naxos on Oct 30, 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sibelius & Stravinsky: Violin Concertos
Zhi-Jong Wang, Philharmonia Orchestra, Thomas Sanderling
Classical - Released by Accentus Music on Apr 27, 2018
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Weber: Overtures
Neeme Järvi, Philharmonia Orchestra
Symphonies - Released by Chandos on Aug 1, 1992
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rubbra: Symphony No. 3 - Symphony No. 4 - A Tribute - Resurgam
Philharmonia Orchestra, Norman Del Mar
Classical - Released by Lyrita on Sep 1, 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Respighi: Fontana di Roma, Pini di Roma & Feste Romane
Yan Pascal Tortelier, Philharmonia Orchestra
Symphonies - Released by Chandos on Aug 1, 1991
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Saint-Saëns: Danse Macabre; Phaéton; Havanaise etc.
Kyung Wha Chung, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Charles Dutoit
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 1981
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Saint-Saëns: Le Carnaval des Animaux; Phaéton; Danse Macabre etc.
Pascal Rogé, Cristina Ortiz, London Sinfonietta, Philharmonia Orchestra, Charles Dutoit
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 1980
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Missa Solemnis in D Major Op. 123
Herbert von Karajan, Philharmonia Orchestra, Wiener Singverein
Classical - Released by Alexandre Bak - Classical Music Reference Recording on Jan 29, 2022
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Poème
Akiko Suwanai, Philharmonia Orchestra, Charles Dutoit
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Apr 6, 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mahler : Das Lied von der Erde
Otto Klemperer, Fritz Wunderlich, Christa Ludwig, Philharmonia Orchestra, New Philharmonia Orchestra
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Oct 1, 1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mahler: Symphonies Nos. 4-6
Philharmonia Orchestra, Lorin Maazel
Symphonic Music - Released by Signum Records on May 5, 2014
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2, Études-tableaux & Variations on a Theme of Corelli
Hélène Grimaud, Philharmonia Orchestra, Vladimir Ashkenazy
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Jan 1, 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Debussy: La Mer, Le Martyre de saint Sébastien
Philharmonia Orchestra, Pablo Heras-Casado
Symphonies - Released by harmonia mundi on Jun 22, 2018
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo