Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra was one of the first small orchestral ensembles to adopt the model of playing without a conductor, and they remain one of the most acclaimed such groups critically. They have premiered numerous new compositions, have broadened their work beyond classical genre boundaries, and have drawn many of the world's top musicians as collaborators. The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra was founded in 1972 by a group of musicians who endorsed the anti-authoritarian goals of the counterculture of the era. Cellist Julian Fifer was one of the original founders. The orchestra comprises between 25 and 30 members, and turnover has been slow: as of 2019 it had only 14 emeritus members, and two of the original members were deceased. The group's rehearsal process takes place in two stages: first, a concertmaster (a rotating position) and a group of players determine the overall interpretation of the work, and then in full group rehearsals, other members refine the performance. The ensemble rests on a foundation of extreme mutual attention akin to that of a string quartet. By the early 1980s, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra had established a strong reputation in New York, and it went on to give regular concert series at Carnegie Hall and at New York's Riverside Church. Since the group's repertoire took a turn toward the contemporary, it has also performed at experimentally oriented venues such as Brooklyn's ShapeShifter Lab. The group has commissioned more than 40 new works. Audiences have been drawn by the presence of superstar collaborators including Yo-Yo Ma, Isaac Stern, and Martha Argerich. They have also backed the likes of Renée Fleming, Dawn Upshaw, and Anne Sofie von Otter in vocal music. The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra has toured internationally, including, unusually, in Southeast Asia; they gave the first performance by an American orchestra in Vietnam since the end of the Vietnam War, leading master classes in Hanoi. In 2019 the group gave a series of performances at the Palacio Euskalduna in Bilbao, Spain. The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra began its recording career in the early '70s on the budget Nonesuch label, but in 1985 they signed with the prestigious Deutsche Grammophon label in Germany, releasing an album of Dvorak's Serenades. The group has recorded works by Fred Lerdahl and William Bolcom, but most of their recordings take up standard repertory. The orchestra has remained on Deutsche Grammophon throughout the late 2010s, releasing the album Mendelssohn in 2019 with the young Polish-Canadian pianist Jan Lisiecki.
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Ives: Three Places in New England; Symphony No.3; The Unanswered Question; A Set of Pieces
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Jan 1, 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Michael Hersch: End Stages & Violin Concerto
Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, International Contemporary Ensemble, Tito Muñoz
Classical - Released by New Focus Recordings on Jul 6, 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez / Villa-Lobos: Guitar Concerto
Göran Söllscher, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Jan 1, 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Violin Romances
Gil Shaham, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Jan 1, 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Saint-Saëns: Cello Concerto No.1; Cello Sonata No.1; Suite, Op. 16; Le Cygne From Le Carnival Des Animaux; Allegro Apassionato, Op. 43; Romance In F Major, Op. 36
Mischa Maisky, Daria Hovora, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Jan 1, 1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mendelssohn: Concerto for Violin, Piano and Strings; Violin Concerto
Gidon Kremer, Martha Argerich, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Jan 1, 1989
The Qobuz Essential Discography16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vivaldi: Le quattro stagioni
Gil Shaham, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Jan 1, 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart, W.A.: The Wind Concertos / Serenades / Divertimenti
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Jan 1, 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vivaldi: The Four Seasons / Kreisler: Concerto For Violin In The Style Of Vivaldi
Gil Shaham, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Jan 1, 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Andreas Scholl - Wayfaring Stranger - Folksongs
Andreas Scholl, Edin Karamazov, Stacey Shames, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Grieg: Holberg Suite, Two Elegiac Melodies; Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Sep 1, 1987
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Art of Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
Classical - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on Aug 27, 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mad About Guitar
Narciso Yepes, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Göran Söllscher
Classical - Released by DG CD on Jan 1, 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tchaikovsky: Rococo Variations; Souvenir de Florence; Lensky's Aria From "Eugen Onegin"; Nocturne In D Minor (From Op. 19, No. 4); Andante Cantabile, Op. 11
Mischa Maisky, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Jan 1, 1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Stravinsky: Pulcinella; Concerto in E-Flat Major "Dumbarton Oaks" ; 8 Instrumental Miniatures For 15 Players
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Aug 20, 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Complete Wind Concertos
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Jan 1, 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Classical Hits
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Jan 1, 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Clarinet Concerto; Horn Concertos Nos.1 K.412 & 4 K.495
Charles Neidich, David Jolley, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Nov 11, 1987
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Stravinsky: Shadow Dances
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Jan 1, 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Haydn: Symphonies No. 22 "Der Philosoph", No. 63 "La Roxelane", No. 80
Symphonic Music - Released by Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Hamburg on Jan 1, 1989
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Respighi: Orchestral Works - Pini di Roma; Fontane di Roma; Feste romane; Gli uccelli; Antiche danz ed arie; Suites 1 & 3; Trittico botticelliano
New York Philharmonic, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Aug 23, 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo