Orchestra del Teatro della Scala di Milano
Since the 19th century, La Scala Theater Orchestra has played important roles outside its main function of accompanying operas at the city's La Scala Opera House. In the 20th and 21st centuries, the orchestra has been led at one time or another by most of Italy's most prestigious conductors.
La Scala Theater Orchestra (Italian: Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala) was recognized for its exceptional quality as it performed at the world premiere of operas by Rossini and Verdi in the 19th century, originally with the first violinist, or, in the very early years, the harpsichordist, as the leader. The orchestra's first conductor was Alberto Mazzucato, who ascended the podium in 1854. His successor Franco Faccio instituted independent concerts in 1872, and the orchestra appeared in Paris during the Exposition Universelle in 1878, one of the first major world's fairs. That triumph led to the establishment of a Società Orchestrale della Scala, which put the group on a firmer institutional footing. Offering two concert seasons annually, the orchestra stimulated the growth of instrumental music in Italy, formerly heavily dominated by opera. The orchestra became self-governing in 1920, under the name Ente Autonomo del Teatro alla Scala. It engaged Arturo Toscanini as its conductor in 1920; he took the group on tour internationally, enlarged it to 100 members (it now boasts 135), and greatly raised its profile in the larger musical world. Toscanini remained music director until 1929 and was followed by some of the top conductors of the 20th and 21st centuries, including Victor de Sabata, Carlo Maria Giulini (principal conductor from 1954 to 1956, with many later appearances and recordings), Claudio Abbado (who led a reorganization that officially named the group the Philharmonic Orchestra of La Scala), Riccardo Muti (1987-2006), Daniel Barenboim, and, as of the early 2020s, Riccardo Chailly. The roster of guest conductors who have appeared over the years reads like a list of legends, including Herbert von Karajan, Leonard Bernstein, and Valery Gergiev.
The orchestra's recording catalog stretches back into the 78 rpm era (digital reissues of some of its recordings under Toscanini are available on the RCA label) and includes some of the most famous opera recordings of all time. Under Barenboim, the orchestra recorded Verdi's Requiem for Decca in 2013 and has issued several other recordings of non-operatic works, including an album of Respighi's orchestral music under Chailly in 2020.
© James Manheim /TiVo
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Verdi · don carlo
Boris Christoff, Flaviano Labó, Gabriele Santini, Orchestra del Teatro della Scala di Milano
Classical - Released by G.O.P. on May 31, 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Pavarotti – The Opera Collection 4: Massenet: Manon (Live in Milan, 1969)
Luciano Pavarotti, Mirella Freni, Rolando Panerai, Coro Del Teatro Alla Scala Di Milano, Orchestra del Teatro della Scala di Milano, Peter Maag
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Cherubini, Beethoven, Franck & Others: Orchestral Works (Live)
Orchestra del Teatro della Scala di Milano, Arturo Toscanini
Classical - Released by Archipel on Nov 5, 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vivaldi: The Four Seasons etc.
Riccardo Muti, Orchestra del Teatro della Scala di Milano
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Jan 1, 1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Verdi - la forza del destino
Carlo Bergonzi, Ilva Ligabue, Gianandrea Gavazzeni, Orchestra del Teatro della Scala di Milano
Classical - Released by G.O.P. on Apr 15, 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Verdi: Don Carlo, Il Trovatore, La Forza Del Destino, Macbeth (Remaster)
Claudio Abbado, Orchestra del Teatro della Scala di Milano, Piero Cappuccilli
Opera - Released by Nar Classical on Mar 1, 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
VERDI: NABUCCO (Remaster)
Gianandrea Gavazzeni, Orchestra del Teatro della Scala di Milano, Elena Suliotis
Opera - Released by Nar Classical on Feb 12, 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Verdi: La Traviata (Remaster)
Herbert von Karajan, Orchestra del Teatro della Scala di Milano, Anna Moffo
Opera - Released by Nar Classical on Feb 27, 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Verdi: La Traviata
Coro Del Teatro Alla Scala Di Milano, Orchestra del Teatro della Scala di Milano, Antonino Votto
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Jan 1, 1963
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mendelssohn & Boero: Fingal’s Cave - Symphony NO. 4 - A Midsummer Night’s Dream - El Matrero
Orchestra del Teatro della Scala di Milano, Orquesta Estable del Teatro Colón, Pedro Cruz, Nena Juárez, Apollo Granforte
Opera - Released by Altair on May 18, 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Great Live Concerts (Live)
Orchestra del Teatro della Scala di Milano, New York Philharmonic, Arturo Toscanini
Classical - Released by Urania Records on Oct 14, 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Conductor's Gallery, Vol. 13: Clemens Krauss
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra del Teatro della Scala di Milano, Clemens Krauss
Classical - Released by Universal Music Australia Pty. Ltd. on Aug 25, 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Verdi: Inno delle nazioni; Quattro Pezzi Sacri
Freddie De Tommaso, Orchestra del Teatro della Scala di Milano, Riccardo Chailly
Classical - To be released on Jun 21, 2024 by Decca Music Group Ltd.
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Verdi: Inno delle nazioni; Quattro Pezzi Sacri
Freddie De Tommaso, Orchestra del Teatro della Scala di Milano, Riccardo Chailly
Classical - To be released on Jun 21, 2024 by Decca Music Group Ltd.
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lothar, Franck, Zandonai, Reznícek & R. Strauss: Schneider Wibbel - Le Chasseur Maudit, Cff 128 - Serenata Medioevale - Donna Diana - Symphonia Domestica, OP. 53
Stadtisches Orchester, Orchestra del Teatro della Scala di Milano, Enzo Martinenghi
Classical - Released by Altair on Sep 7, 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ponchielli - La Gioconda
Anita Corridori, Giuseppe Campora, Armando La Rosa Parodi, Orchestra del Teatro della Scala di Milano
Classical - Released by G.O.P. on Apr 30, 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo