New York Philharmonic
The world-renowned New York Philharmonic (officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York) is America's oldest symphony orchestra, a prime example of high standards of performance to musicians and audiences everywhere.
Beginning in the 1820s, there were several attempts to found an orchestra in the city, the more successful of which were the Philharmonic Symphony Society (established in 1842) and the New York Symphony (established in 1878). The Philharmonic had a reputation for conservatism and high standards, hiring primarily European conductors, such as Gustav Mahler. The Symphony seemed more ambitious and interested in new music. It received patronage from Andrew Carnegie, enabling the building of Carnegie Hall (1891), with an inaugural concert led by Walter Damrosch and Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky. The Philharmonic Society finally merged with the Symphony in 1928, during the tenure of Arturo Toscanini, who helped it establish its world-class reputation. Many great conductors would follow, among them: Leonard Bernstein (1958-1969, when he was named conductor laureate), Kurt Masur (1991-2002, when he was named music director emeritus), Alan Gilbert (2009-2017), and as of the 2018-2019 season, Jaap van Zweden. Under Bernstein, the orchestra's reputation blossomed in new ways. He brought a youthful excitement to the music, engaging new audience members, particularly through television appearances. The advent of stereo recording allowed the Philharmonic to re-record much of the standard canon. It also got a new performance venue: Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center.
Many of the Philharmonic's directors have had to deal with threats to its standing among the world's great orchestras: competition on stages and on records from other, strong American orchestras; internal and external economic difficulties; and balancing the traditional with new music in a way that satisfies its core audience. However, commissioning and introducing new works is a long-held tradition. Memorable premieres include Dvorák's New World Symphony; Gershwin's Concerto in F; the Pulitzer Prize-winning On the Transmigration of Souls by John Adams; Esa-Pekka Salonen's Piano Concerto; and The Jungle, Wynton Marsalis' fourth symphony. The Philharmonic commissioned a new work by Julia Wolfe, Fire in My Mouth, giving its premiere in 2019 and receiving a Grammy nomination for its recording. In 2020, the Philharmonic inaugurated Project 19 to commission new music from 19 women composers, named such to mark the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment. Among the first of these commissions was Tania León's Stride, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 2021.
The orchestra has performed in more than 430 cities in 63 countries, which includes its first tour after merging when Toscanini took it to Europe in 1930 and a trip to the U.S.S.R. in 1959. In 2008, Lorin Maazel led it in a historic concert in Pyongyang, North Korea, the first significant cultural visit to the country by an American organization since the 1950s. The Philharmonic hosts several free concerts each year, operates outreach programs in the city, and partners with select music schools in the U.S. and China.
The Philharmonic's recording history dates back to 1917, counting over 2,000 releases, many of them award winners, with hundreds of them available at any given time. As many other orchestras have done, it has created its own label, releasing live concert recordings physically, and was the first to do so digitally as well, also offering podcasts and other new media. Its Leon Levy Digital Archives contain every program printed since 1842, plus scores marked by musicians and conductors. After a fundraising campaign to rehabilitate the Avery Fisher Hall in 2014, the venue was renamed the David Geffen Hall in 2015. Following significant renovations, it reopened for the 2022-2023 season.
© Patsy Morita /TiVo
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Sarasate: Carmen-Fantasy / Ravel: Tzigane / Saint-Saëns: Introduction & Rondo Capriccioso; Havanaise / Chausson: Poème
Itzhak Perlman, New York Philharmonic, Zubin Mehta
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Jan 1, 1987
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Strauss, R.: Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30; Tod und Verklärung, Op.24
New York Philharmonic, Giuseppe Sinopoli
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Jan 1, 1988
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade, Capriccio espagnol & Flight of the Bumblebee
Kurt Masur, New York Philharmonic
Classical - Released by Warner Classics International on Sep 17, 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Paganini: Violin Concerto No.1 op.6
New York Philharmonic, Giuseppe Sinopoli
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Jan 1, 1991
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sibelius : Finlandia & Symphony No. 4
New York Philharmonic, Alan Gilbert
Classical - Released by New York Philharmonic on Sep 23, 2016
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Bruckner : Symphony No. 8
New York Philharmonic, Alan Gilbert
Symphonic Music - Released by New York Philharmonic on Jun 15, 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mahler: Symphony No.7 In E Minor (Live)
New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Jan 1, 1986
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
David Lang: prisoner of the state
New York Philharmonic, Jaap van Zweden
Classical - Released by UMC - Decca Gold on Jun 26, 2020
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Schumann, Beethoven, Dvorak, Mendelssohn, Ravel...
Leonard Bernstein, New York Philharmonic, Columbia Symphony Orchestra, RCA Victor Orchestra
Symphonic Music - Released by Les Indispensables de Diapason on Jun 25, 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schumann: Symphonies No. 1 "Le printemps" & No. 4
Charles Munch, Leonard Bernstein, Boston Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic
Classical - Released by Les Indispensables de Diapason on Feb 27, 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 13, Op. 113 "Babi Yar"
Kurt Masur, New York Philharmonic
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Jan 1, 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Zino Francescatti plays Lalo & Vieuxtemps
Zino Francescatti, Philadelphia Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Eugene Ormandy, Dimitri Mitropoulos, William Smith
Classical - Released by Biddulph Recordings on Jan 1, 1957
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Release 1: R. Strauss: Don Juan - Dutilleux: Métaboles - Hindemith: Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes of Carl Maria von Weber
Classical - Released by New York Philharmonic on Dec 14, 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Storytelling by Ravel, Bartók & Barber’s Violin Concerto
New York Philharmonic, Gil Shaham
Classical - Released by New York Philharmonic on May 4, 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ellen Taaffe Zwilich: Concerto Grosso/Trumpet Cto/Symbolon/Double Quartet
Classical - Released by New World Records on Jan 1, 1989
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mahler: Symphony No. 6 (Live)
Classical - Released by New York Philharmonic on Jul 7, 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mahler: Symphony No. 9 (Live)
Classical - Released by New York Philharmonic on Jul 7, 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mahler: Symphony No. 7 (Live)
Classical - Released by New York Philharmonic on Jul 7, 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
John Knowles Paine: Symphony #1
Classical - Released by New World Records on Jan 1, 1989
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
John Knowles Paine: Symphony No. 2 in A, Op. 34
Classical - Released by New World Records on Jan 1, 1987
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No.6
New York Philharmonic, Lorin Maazel
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Jan 1, 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo