Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
A small orchestra specializing in music of the Baroque and Classical eras, the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields became one of the most popular ensembles in the entire field of classical music, making albums that topped classical charts and even made an impact in pop. The group's seamless sound was identified in the minds of many listeners with that of Baroque music itself.
The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields (the name has been spelled both with and without the hyphens, and with and without the period after "St") was formed in 1958 by violinist Neville Marriner, who was interested in exploring the then largely new field of Baroque music with a group of other musicians. Performing without a conductor until market forces dictated that Marriner take the post, the group played its first concert on November 13, 1959, at the Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields and took its name from that venue. The orchestra began recording in 1961 on the L'Oiseau-Lyre label, championed by its founder, Louise Hanson-Dyer, and at first, finding more success with recordings than with concert appearances. The Academy moved to the early music-oriented Argo label in 1965. Appearances on the BBC Proms programs brought the group to a wider public, and in 1970 it incorporated, under the direction of Marriner and other founders, as a fully professional ensemble. Soundtrack performances in BBC television films added to the Academy's financial stability. Although he took up the conductor's baton, Marriner preferred to lead the orchestra from the first violinist's chair, and as violinists Iona Brown and Kenneth Sillito took over the group's direction on occasion, they followed the same practice in Baroque works. After Sillito's retirement in 2012, violinist Joshua Bell was named the music director. Pianist Murray Perahia has been the principal guest conductor since 2000; Perahia had for some time led the group in conductorless performances of Mozart and other Classical-period piano concertos.
The Academy's repertory also expanded over time, coming to include the Wagner Siegfried Idyll and even contemporary works. The original Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Orchestra grew to include several subgroups, the Chamber Ensemble (formed 1967), which focused on small-group chamber music for strings, and a larger grouping that could include as many as 45 musicians. A Chorus of St. Martin in the Fields, formed in 1975 for a tour performance of Bach's Mass in B minor, BWV 232, grew into an independent organization. The Academy continued to perform at the Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields and added a short Royal Festival Hall Season as its popularity grew.
However, recordings remained at the center of the group's activities, and to date, it has issued more than 500 albums. Its recording schedule often involved more than a dozen albums a year. The orchestra moved to the Philips label in 1971; it has since recorded for Decca, London, ASV, and other labels. One milestone was the orchestra's 1984 recording of the score for the film Amadeus, which topped classical charts, appeared on pop charts, and remains one of the best-selling classical albums of all time. In 2019, the Academy, with young pianist Jan Lisiecki conducting from the keyboard, issued a complete recording of Beethoven's piano concertos on the Deutsche Grammophon label.
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Bonjour Paris
Albrecht Mayer, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Mathias Mönius
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Handel: Music for the Royal Fireworks; Water Music
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Classical - Released by Universal Music Australia Pty. Ltd. on Jan 1, 1972
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Trumpet Recital: Friedrich, Reinhold - HUMMEL, J.N. / HAYDN, M. / HAYDN, F.J. / MOZART, L.
Reinhold Friedrich, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Concertos - Released by CapriccioNR on Jan 1, 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 8
Sir Neville Marriner, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 1988
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Walton: Richard III, Macbeth & Major Barbara
Sir Neville Marriner, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir John Gielgud, Ian WATSON
Cinema Music - Released by Chandos on Jan 1, 1991
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Meyerbeer: L'esule di Granata (Highlights)
Manuela Custer, Laura Claycomb, Mirco Palazzi, Giuliano Carella, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Opera - Released by Opera Rara on Jan 1, 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Handel: Organ Concertos Nos. 13–16
George Malcolm, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Classical - Released by Universal Music Australia Pty. Ltd. on Jan 1, 1976
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Handel: Organ Concertos, Op. 4
George Malcolm, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Classical - Released by Universal Music Australia Pty. Ltd. on Jan 1, 1976
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Villa-Lobos: Cantilena From Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 / Barber: Adagio / Vaughan Williams: Fantasia On Greensleeves etc
Sir Neville Marriner, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Oct 1, 1987
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
English String Music: Britten, Holst, Purcell, Vaughan Williams...
Sir Neville Marriner, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Jan 26, 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Fantasia on Greensleeves
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Academy of St Martin in the Fields - A Selection
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Classical - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on Nov 4, 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach, J.S.: The Art of Fugue; A Musical Offering
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dvorák / Grieg / Tchaikovsky: String Serenades
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 1970
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Complete Symphonies
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Josef Krips
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart Double Piano Concertos
Lucas Jussen, Arthur Jussen, Sir Neville Marriner, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Classical - Released by Universal Music, a division of Universal International Music BV on Oct 9, 2015
Gramophone Editor's Choice16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Eine Kleine Nachtmusik etc.
Sir Neville Marriner, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Mar 3, 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Barber: Adagio For Strings / Copland: Quiet City / Ives: Symphony No.3, etc.
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 1976
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rossini: Complete Overtures
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 1980
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Violin & Wind Concertos
Henryk Szeryng, Aurèle Nicolet, Heinz Holliger, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bonjour Paris
Albrecht Mayer, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Mathias Mönius
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo