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
-
Mahler: Symphony No. 1
Philharmonia Orchestra, Lorin Maazel
Symphonic Music - Released by Signum Records on Sep 2, 2013
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms & Mendelssohn: Violin Concertos - Beethoven: Romances
Johanna Martzy, Philharmonia Orchestra, Paul Kletzki
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Mar 4, 2022
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Elgar: Cello Concerto op.85 · Enigma Variations · Pomp and Circumstance 1 & 4
Mischa Maisky, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Philharmonia Orchestra
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Jan 1, 1992
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Flute Mystery by Fred Jonny Berg (Aka Flint Juventino Beppe)
Philharmonia Orchestra, Vladimir Ashkenazy
Classical - Released by 2L on May 19, 2009
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Puccini: Tosca
Renata Scotto, Plácido Domingo, Renato Bruson, James Levine, Philharmonia Orchestra
Opera - Released by Warner Classics on Jan 1, 1981
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Remote Galaxy
Vladimir Ashkenazy, Philharmonia Orchestra
Classical - Released by 2L on Oct 2, 2013
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Triple Concerto in C Major, Op. 56: II. Largo (Single Version)
Nicola Benedetti, Sheku Kanneh-Mason, Benjamin Grosvenor, Philharmonia Orchestra, Santtu-Matias Rouvali
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Apr 5, 2024
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Tchaikovsky & Bruch: Concertos for Violin
Nathan Milstein, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, William Steinberg, Anatole Fistoulari, Leon Barzin
Classical - Released by Urania Records on May 27, 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Holst: The Planets - Percy Grainger: The Warriors
Philharmonia Orchestra, John Eliot Gardiner
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Jan 1, 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Richard Strauss: Four Last Songs / Wagner: Arias from Tannhäuser
Lise Davidsen, Philharmonia Orchestra, Esa-Pekka Salonen
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on May 31, 2019
QobuzissimeGramophone Editor's Choice16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Puccini : Madama Butterfly
Philharmonia Orchestra, Giuseppe Sinopoli
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Jan 1, 1974
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rossini: Overtures by Alceo Galliera
Alceo Galliera, Tullio Serafin, Philharmonia Orchestra
Classical - Released by Alexandre Bak - Classical Music Reference Recording on Dec 17, 2022
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mendelssohn & Bruch: Concertos For 2 Pianos
Katia Labèque, Marielle Labèque, Philharmonia Orchestra, Semyon Bychkov
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Apr 2, 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mother Goose
Classical - Released by Cala Records on Feb 1, 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64 by Nathan Milstein
Nathan Milstein, Philharmonia Orchestra, Leon Barzin
Classical - Released by Alexandre Bak - Classical Music Reference Recording on Jul 4, 2022
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Sibelius / Tchaikovsky: Violin Concertos
Gil Shaham, Philharmonia Orchestra, Giuseppe Sinopoli
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Jan 1, 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Haydn: Cello Concertos Nos. 1 & 2
Zuill Bailey, Philharmonia Orchestra, Robin O'Neill
Classical - Released by Steinway and Sons on Mar 16, 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Saint-Saens: Sinfonie Nr.3 "Orgelsinfonie"
Peter Hurford, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Philharmonia Orchestra, Charles Dutoit
Classical - Released by Decca on Jan 1, 1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 - Haydn, Telemann & Torelli: Trumpet Concertos
Maurice André, Philharmonia Orchestra, Riccardo Muti
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Jan 1, 1985
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition (piano version & orchestration)
Vladimir Ashkenazy, Philharmonia Orchestra
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 1983
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mendelssohn, Bruch: Konzerte für 2 Klaviere
Marielle Labèque, Katia Labèque, Philharmonia Orchestra, Semyon Bychkov
Classical - Released by Decca on Apr 2, 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo