London Philharmonic Orchestra
The founders' ambition was to build an orchestra the equal of any European or American rival. Between 1932 and the Second World War the LPO was widely judged to have succeeded in this regard. After the outbreak of war the orchestra's private backers withdrew and the players reconstituted the LPO as a self-governing cooperative. In the post-war years the orchestra faced challenges from two new rivals; the Philharmonia and the Royal Philharmonic, founded respectively in 1946 and 1947, achieved a quality of playing not matched by the older orchestras, including the LPO.
By the 1960s the LPO had regained its earlier standards, and in 1964 it secured a valuable engagement to play in the Glyndebourne Festival opera house during the summer months. In 1993 it was appointed resident orchestra of the Royal Festival Hall on the south bank of the Thames, one of London's major concert venues. Since 1995 the residency has been jointly held with the Philharmonia. In addition to its work at the Festival Hall and Glyndebourne, the LPO performs regularly at the Congress Theatre, Eastbourne and the Brighton Dome, and tours nationally and internationally.
Since Beecham, the orchestra has had ten principal conductors, including Sir Adrian Boult, Bernard Haitink, Sir Georg Solti, Klaus Tennstedt and Vladimir Jurowski. The orchestra has been active in recording studios since its earliest days, and has played on hundreds of sets made by EMI, Decca and other companies. Since 2005 the LPO has had its own record label, issuing live recordings of concerts. The orchestra has played on numerous film soundtracks, including Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and the Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001–03).
London Philharmonic Orchestra
The founders' ambition was to build an orchestra the equal of any European or American rival. Between 1932 and the Second World War the LPO was widely judged to have succeeded in this re...
BACH Violin Sonatas 1 & 2
BACH Concerto for Two Violins
HANDEL Violin Sonata No. 4
TARTINI Violin Sonata in G
TARTINI Violin Concerto in D minor
MOZART Violin Sonata No. 21
MOZART Violin Concerto No. 4
short works by BACH, EXAUDET, TARTINI, VERACINI
Studio recordings, 1927-37
Total duration: 2hr 19:10
Joseph Szigeti, violin
Carl Flesch, violin
Nikita Magaloff, piano
Kurt Ruhrseitz, piano
Walter Goehr ∙ Orchestra
Sir Thomas Beecham ∙ London Philharmonic Orchestra
MENDELSSOHN Violin Concerto
BRAHMS Violin Concerto
BRAHMS Violin Sonata No. 3
Music by Berlioz, Hubay, Elgar, Kreisler, Dvořák, Chabrier, Rimsky-Korsakov, Falla
Studio recordings, 1926-1946
Total duration: 2hr 27:05
Joseph Szigeti, violin
Egon Petri, piano
Kurt Ruhrseitz, piano
Nikita Magaloff, piano
Constant Lambert ∙ Philharmonia Orchestra
Sir Thomas Beecham ∙ London Philharmonic Orchestra
Sir Hamilton Harty ∙ Hallé Orchestra
WARLOCK Capriol Suite
PROKOFIEV Violin Concerto
BARTÓK Hungarian Folk Tunes
BARTÓK Romanian Folk Dances
IVES Violin Sonata No. 4
BLOCH Violin Concerto
music by Debussy, Ravel, Milhaud, Lie, Szymanowski, Scriabin, Stravinsky
Studio recordings, 1926-46
Total duration: 2hr 4:59
Joseph Szigeti, violin
Nikita Magaloff, Kurt Ruhrseitz, Béla Bartók, Andor Foldes, piano
London Philharmonic Orchestra
conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham
Philharmonia Orchestra
conducted by Constant Lambert
Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire
conducted by Charles Munch
MAHLER Symphony No. 4
MAHLER Das Lied von der Erde
MAHLER Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (2 performances)
Recorded 1946-56
Total duration: 2hr 25:56
Margaret Ritchie, soprano
Nan Merriman, contralto
Eugenia Zareska, contralto
Ernst Haefliger, tenor
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam
Conducted by Eduard van Beinum
WALTON Façade
WALTON Portsmouth Point
WALTON Siesta
WALTON Scapino
BACH/WALTON The Wise Virgins - Ballet Suite
Recorded in 1954
Total duration: 76:42
Dame Edith Sitwell
Peter Pears
English Opera Company Ensemble
Anthony Collins, conductor
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Sir Adrian Boult, conductor
BRAHMS Symphony No. 1
BRAHMS Symphony No. 2
Recorded in 1939 and 1940
Total duration: 75:43
London Symphony Orchestra
London Philharmonic Orchestra
conductor Felix Weingartner