City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra is the first British orchestra to be funded by a city council. Its opening concert was conducted by composer Edward Elgar. Since then, the orchestra has thrived as a bastion of musical culture in the Midlands. It has also gained a reputation for adventurous programming, underlined by the long, fruitful appointment of Simon Rattle as music director.
The City of Birmingham Orchestra was founded in 1920 by, among others, Neville Chamberlain, a prominent citizen who later became prime minister of the U.K. The orchestra's first conductor was Adrian Boult, who was quickly snapped up by the newly formed BBC Symphony Orchestra in London. Boult was replaced by one of his pupils, Leslie Heward. In 1932, Harold Gray was named associate conductor, a post he held for nearly 50 years. In 1944, the musicians were hired on a full-time basis, and George Weldon was appointed music director to replace Heward, who had succumbed to tuberculosis.
The orchestra was renamed City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) in 1948, the name it retains to this day. It began to expand its dominion with tours and London performances, including a debut at the Royal Albert Hall in London in 1951. An interesting appointment came in 1957 when composer Andrzej Panufnik was named principal conductor. He lasted until 1960, when he returned to composing, but the emphasis on new music took hold. In 1962, the CBSO gave the first performances of Benjamin Britten's War Requiem at nearby Coventry Cathedral. Louis Frémaux was named principal conductor in 1969 and led the orchestra through a series of well-received recordings for EMI. In 1980, Simon Rattle, just 25 years old but already a major talent, was appointed Frémaux's successor. He remained with the CBSO for almost 20 years. In that period, Rattle established himself as one of the world's top conductors, and the orchestra solidified its international reputation through tours and an impressive series of recordings. Rattle oversaw a number of interesting innovations during his tenure: one was the establishment of the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group (BCMG), a subset of the orchestra dedicated to performing the music of its time.
In 1990, Mark-Anthony Turnage was appointed composer-in-association, and he created a series of successful scores, such as Three Screaming Popes. He was succeeded in 1995 by Judith Weir, who followed up Rattle's knighthood (still in his thirties!) with her own Companionship of the British Empire. Along with new British music, the CBSO commissioned works by international composers such as Luciano Berio, Tristan Murail, and Toru Takemitsu. When Rattle moved on to the Berlin Philharmonic in 2002, the CBSO continued its reputation as a forward-looking, world-class orchestra rooted in a community proud of its independence. Conductor Sakari Oramo led the orchestra into the new millennium with enthusiasm and dedication. Andris Nelsons succeeded Oramo as music director in 2008, staying until 2015. Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla was named music director in February 2016, becoming the orchestra's first female director.
The CBSO has been featured on well over 100 albums, with the bulk of its output being on the EMI label. It also has recordings on many other labels, such as Chandos and Warner Classics. In 2019, Gražinytė-Tyla, in her debut recording, led the CBSO on the album Weinberg: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 21 on Deutsche Grammophon, earning a Grammy nomination. Gražinytė-Tyla and the CBSO returned in 2022 with Weinberg: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 7, once more presenting two of Weinberg's symphonies and his Flute Concerto No. 1. After serving as principal guest conductor since 2018, the CBSO announced that Kazuki Yamada would be its next chief conductor and artistic advisor beginning in 2023.
© James Harley & Keith Finke /TiVo
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Weinberg: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 7; Flute Concerto No. 1
City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Kirill Gerstein, Marie-Christine Zupancic, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 16 Sep 2022
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Weinberg : Symphonies Nos. 2 & 21
Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, Gidon Kremer, City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Kremerata Baltica
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 3 May 2019
Gramophone: Recording of the Month24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
R. Strauss : Also sprach Zarathustra, Don Juan...
City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Andris Nelsons
Symphonic Poems - Released by Orfeo on 7 Apr 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dvořák & Schumann: Piano Concertos
Stephen Hough, City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Andris Nelsons
Classical - Released by Hyperion on 1 Apr 2016
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
The British Project
City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 16 Jul 2021
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert: Symphonies, Vol. 3
City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Edward Gardner
Symphonies - Released by Chandos on 14 Apr 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Stanford: Requiem
University of Birmingham Voices, City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Martyn Brabbins
Classical - Released by Hyperion on 5 May 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Sibelius & Walton Violin Concertos
Akiko Suwanai, City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Sakari Oramo
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 2003
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto, A Midsummer Night's Dream (Mendelssohn in Birmingham, Vol. 4)
Edward Gardner, City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Jennifer Pike, Rhian Lois, Keri Fuge, CBSO Youth Chorus
Symphonies - Released by Chandos on 1 Jan 2016
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Saint-Saëns: Piano Concertos Nos. 1-5 etc. (Hyperion Romantic Piano Concerto 27)
Stephen Hough, City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Sakari Oramo
Classical - Released by Hyperion on 1 Sep 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Signature (Live In Concert)
Debbie Wiseman, City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Classical - Released by Silva Screen Records on 30 Jun 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Violin Concertos
Francesca Dego, City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Daniele Rustioni
Classical - Released by Universal Music Italia srL. on 27 Oct 2017
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 4 "Italian", Symphony No. 5 "Reformation" & The Hebrides Overture (Mendelssohn in Birmingham, Vol. 1)
Edward Gardner, City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Symphonies - Released by Chandos on 1 Feb 2014
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Tchaikovsky : Manfred Symphony, Marche slave (Live)
City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Andris Nelsons
Symphonic Music - Released by Orfeo on 6 Apr 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, "Pathétique"
City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Andris Nelsons
Symphonies - Released by Orfeo on 10 Aug 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The British Project - Britten: Sinfonia da Requiem
City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 16 Oct 2020
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Sauer & Scharwenka: Piano Concertos (Hyperion Romantic Piano Concerto 11)
Stephen Hough, City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Lawrence Foster
Classical - Released by Hyperion on 1 Sep 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Stravinsky: The Ballets
Sir Simon Rattle, City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 1 Jan 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Stravinsky : The Firebird - A Symphony of Psalms
City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus, Andris Nelsons
Symphonic Music - Released by Orfeo on 4 Mar 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 36
City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Andris Nelsons
Symphonies - Released by Orfeo on 23 Sep 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mendelssohn in Birmingham (Volume 1)
City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Edward Gardner
Symphonic Music - Released by Chandos on 1 Feb 2014
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo