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}}The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London.The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable recording contracts and important engagements including the Glyndebourne Festival Opera and the concerts of the Royal Philharmonic Society. After Beecham's death in 1961, the RPO's fortunes declined steeply. The RPO battled for survival until the mid-1960s, when its future was secured after a report by the Arts Council of Great Britain recommended that it should receive public subsidy. A further crisis arose in the same era when it seemed that the orchestra's right to call itself "Royal" could be withdrawn.In 2004, the RPO acquired its first permanent London base, at Cadogan Hall in Chelsea. The RPO also gives concerts at the Royal Festival Hall, the Royal Albert Hall and venues around the UK and other countries. Since the start of the 2021–2022 season, the orchestra's musical director has been Vasily Petrenko.

History

Origins

(File:RPO-arms.jpg|thumb|Arms of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra)In 1932, Sir Thomas Beecham had founded the London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO), which, with the backing of rich supporters, he ran until 1940, when finances dried up in wartime. Beecham left to conduct in Australia and then the US; the orchestra continued without him after reorganising itself as a self-governing body. On Beecham's return to England in September 1944 the LPO welcomed him back and, in October, they gave a concert together that drew superlatives from the critics.Glock, William, "Music", The Observer 8 October 1944, p. 2; and "Sir T. Beecham's Return", The Times, 9 October 1944, p. 8 Over the next months, Beecham and the orchestra gave further concerts with considerable success, but the LPO players, now their own employers, declined to give him the unfettered control he had exercised in the 1930s. If he were to become chief conductor again, it would be as a paid employee of the orchestra.Reid (1961), p. 230 Beecham responded, "I emphatically refuse to be wagged by any orchestra ... I am going to found one more great orchestra to round off my career."Reid (1961), p. 231 In 1945 he conducted the first concert of Walter Legge's new Philharmonia Orchestra, but was not disposed to accept a salaried position from Legge, his former assistant, any more than from his former players in the LPO.{{#tag:ref|Of the 75 players who constituted the LPO in 1944 only 18 had been in the LPO that Beecham left in 1940.Lucas, p. 306|group= n}} His new orchestra to rival the Philharmonia would, he told Legge, be launched in "the most auspicious circumstances and éclat".Osborne, p. 248In 1946, Beecham reached an agreement with the Royal Philharmonic Society: his orchestra would replace the LPO at all the Society's concerts. He thus gained the right to name the new ensemble the "Royal Philharmonic Orchestra", an arrangement approved by George VI."Orchestra Refuse to Drop 'Royal' from Title, The Times, 19 August 1964, p. 10{{#tag:ref|The Society had its own orchestra from its foundation in 1813 until 1932, when it agreed with Beecham that the new LPO would play at all its concerts.Three Orchestras", The Times 24 September 1932, p. 8; and "The Royal Philharmonic", The Manchester Guardian, 21 August 1946, p. 3 The new Royal Philharmonic Orchestra was granted the right to use the name when playing for the Society or at any other performance conducted by or under the artistic control of Beecham.Baker, George. "Royal Philharmonic Orchestra", The Times, 4 July 1964, p. 9|group= n}} Beecham arranged with the Glyndebourne Festival that the RPO should be the resident orchestra at Glyndebourne seasons. He secured backing, including that of record companies in the US as well as Britain, with whom lucrative recording contracts were negotiated. The music critic Lyndon Jenkins writes:{{blockquote|Naturally, it quickly became known that he was planning another orchestra, at which the cry "He'll never get the players!" went up just as it had done in 1932. Beecham was unmoved: "I always get the players," he retorted. "Among other considerations, they are so good they refuse to play under anybody but me".Jenkins (2005), p. 99|}}

Beecham's orchestra

Beecham appointed Victor Olof as his orchestral manager, and they started recruiting. At the top of their list were leading musicians with whom Beecham had worked before the war. Four had been founder members of the LPO fifteen years previously: Reginald Kell (clarinet), Gerald Jackson (flute), James Bradshaw (timpani) and Jack Silvester (double-bass). From the current LPO they engaged the oboist Peter Newbury. Beecham persuaded the veteran bassoonist Archie Camden, who had been pursuing a solo career, to return to orchestral work.Archie Camden. Blow by Blow: the memories of a musical rogue and vagabond, Thames Publishing, London, 1982 The cellos were led by Raymond Clark, enlisted from the BBC Symphony Orchestra. The principal horn player was Dennis Brain, who already held the same post in Legge's Philharmonia, but managed to play for both orchestras. Jenkins speculates that as Beecham knew all Britain's orchestral leaders at first hand he decided not to try to lure any of them away. His choice was John Pennington, who had been first violin of the London String Quartet from 1927 to 1934, and had then had a career in the US as concertmaster, successively, of the San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic and Paramount Pictures orchestras.Jenkins (2005), pp. 99–100Lucas, p. 317(File:Sir-Thomas-Beecham-US-1948.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Beecham rehearsing in 1948)On 11 September 1946, the Royal Philharmonic assembled for its first rehearsal. Four days later it gave its first concert, at the Davis Theatre, Croydon."Sir Thomas Beecham's New Orchestra", The Times, 12 September 1946, p. 6 Beecham telegraphed a colleague, "Press virtually unanimous in praise of orchestra. First Croydon concert huge success".Cardus et al, p 4 Beecham and the orchestra played a series of out-of-town engagements before venturing a first London concert on 26 October. The Times then spoke of "a hall filled with golden tone which enveloped the listener"."Delius Festival", The Times, 28 October 1946, p. 6 Before its London debut the orchestra made its first recording and, within two years, had made more than 100.Within a few months, Pennington was forced to resign when the British Musicians' Union discovered that he was not one of its members.Lucas, p. 319{{#tag:ref|At the time, union membership was compulsory for players in British orchestras.Orchestral Politics", The Times, 26 August 1949, p. 8|group= n}} He was succeeded by his deputy Oscar Lampe, "a man who eschewed most social graces but played the violin divinely", according to Jenkins.Jenkins (2005), p. 100 In the early days, the orchestra comprised 72 players, all on yearly contract to Beecham, giving him first call on their services, subject to reasonable notice, but not otherwise restricting their freedom to play for other ensembles.Potts, p. 8 A review of the London orchestral scene of the late 1940s said of the RPO and its main rival: "The Philharmonia and Royal Philharmonic share a very serious disability: that neither is a permanently constituted orchestra. Both assemble and disperse more or less at random ... there is no style which is distinctively RPO or Philharmonia."Hill, p. 214Brain continued to play first horn for both orchestras; otherwise, from the early 1950s, there was generally more stability of orchestral personnel. {{anchor|RPO-royal-family}}In particular, the RPO became celebrated for its regular team of woodwind principals, in which Jackson was joined by Jack Brymer (clarinet), Gwydion Brooke (bassoon) and Terence MacDonagh (oboe).Jenkins (2000), p. 5 The Independent described them as "arguably the finest ever wind section ... [they] became known as 'The Royal Family'."Melville-Mason, Graham. "Gwydion Brooke – Bassoonist in Sir Thomas Beecham's 'Royal Family'", The Independent, 5 April 2005{{#tag:ref|Jackson left the orchestra in 1958 and was succeeded by Geoffrey Gilbert, whom The Times called "the most influential British flautist of the twentieth century". The quartet of woodwind soloists continued to be generally known as "the Royal Family""Geoffrey Gilbert", The Times, 22 May 1989, p. 20|group= n}}The RPO toured the United States in 1950, the first British orchestra to visit America since the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) in 1912. This was a long-cherished plan of Beecham's, who had been unable to take the LPO to the US in the 1930s. He arranged 52 concerts in 45 cities in 64 days. The tour was described by Brain's biographers Gamble and Lynch as a huge success. It began on 13 October in Hartford, Connecticut and finished on 15 December in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The concerto soloists were the pianist Betty Humby Beecham (the conductor's second wife) and orchestral principals: David McCallum (violin), Anthony Pini (cello) and the four members of the "Royal Family".Gamble and Lynch, p. 60 In The New York Times, Olin Downes wrote of "magnificent music-making by Sir Thomas Beecham and the Royal Philharmonic".Downes, Olin. "Beecham Superb in Concert Here; Conducts Royal Philharmonic in Stirring Concert", The New York Times, 14 December 1950, p. 50 {{subscription required}} The following year, assessing all the London orchestras, Frank Howes, music critic of The Times, concluded that the RPO "comes nearest in quality and in consistency of style to the great international orchestras".Howes, Frank. "London Orchestras", The Times, 8 June 1951, p. 6The orchestra's first appearance at the Proms took place in August 1952, conducted by Basil Cameron.Cardus et al, p. 4 Beecham made his Proms debut two years later, conducting the RPO in a programme of music by Berlioz, Schubert and Sibelius; The Times commented on "an evening of magnificent playing"."Promenade Concert – Sir Thomas Beecham's Début", The Times, 6 September 1954, p. 9 In 1957, Beecham and the RPO made a European tour, beginning at the Salle Pleyel in Paris and ending at the Musikverein in Vienna.Lucas, pp. 331–332Beecham conducted the RPO in his last concert, given at Portsmouth Guildhall on 7 May 1960. The programme, all characteristic choices, comprised the Magic Flute Overture, Haydn's Military Symphony, Beecham's own Handel arrangement Love in Bath, Schubert's Fifth Symphony, On the River by Delius, and the Bacchanale from Saint-Saëns's Samson and Delilah, with Delius's Sleigh Ride as an encore.Lucas, p. 338 Beecham suffered a heart attack the following month, from which he did not recover; he died in March 1961.Lucas, p. 339

1961–2000

Rudolf Kempe, who had been appointed associate conductor in 1960, became principal conductor in 1961 and music director in 1962."Rudolf Kempe", Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Retrieved 2 June 2013 Beecham's widow{{#tag:ref|Shirley, née Hudson, Beecham's third wife and former secretary, whom he married in 1959, a year after Betty Humby Beecham died.Reid (1961), p. 241|group= n}} ran the affairs of the orchestra as best she could, but some senior players including Brymer and MacDonagh were unhappy with the management and they left. The orchestra reorganised itself in 1963 as a self-governing limited company, but almost immediately encountered difficulties.Peacock, p. 9 The Royal Philharmonic Society decided not to engage the RPO for its concerts; Glyndebourne booked the LPO instead of the RPO from 1964 onwards. The RPO was also excluded from the London Orchestral Concert Board's schedule of concerts, which meant that it was denied the use of London's main concert venue, the Royal Festival Hall. Kempe resigned, although he returned shortly afterwards. Helped by strong support from Sir Malcolm Sargent, the orchestra successfully mounted its own concerts at a cinema in Swiss Cottage, {{convert|3.5|mi}} to the north-west of the Festival Hall.Reid (1968), pp. 429–434 A 1965 report to the Arts Council by a committee chaired by Alan Peacock recommended that all four independent London orchestras should receive adequate public subsidy.Cardus et al, p. 6The severance of the tie with the Royal Philharmonic Society in 1963 turned out to be temporary,{{#tag:ref|The RPS resumed its association with the orchestra from the 1966–67 season.Potts, p. 11|group= n}} but for three years it threatened to deprive the RPO of the "Royal" in its title. The matter was resolved in 1966, when, on the advice of Roy Jenkins who, as Home Secretary, had responsibility for such matters, the Queen conferred the title unconditionally on the orchestra."Orchestra Wins Royal Fight", The Times, 16 July 1966, p. 12File:Clifford-Curzon.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Clifford CurzonClifford CurzonThe RPO celebrated its silver jubilee in 1971. On 15 September, the orchestra returned to Croydon, where it had made its debut 25 years earlier. The theatre in which it had first played had been demolished and the anniversary concert was therefore given at the Fairfield Halls. The programme consisted of the overture to The Marriage of Figaro, Beethoven's Emperor Concerto, and Holst's The Planets. Sir Adrian Boult conducted, and Clifford Curzon was the soloist.Cardus et al, pp. 12–13 Five members of the original orchestra were still in the RPO for the jubilee concert: Leonard Brain (brother of Dennis), principal cor anglais; Lewis Pocock, co-principal timpani; Ernest Ineson, double bass; John Myers, viola; and Albert Pievsky, violin.The RPO gave Kempe the title of "Conductor for Life" in 1970. Kempe stepped down from the orchestra in 1975, the year before his death. Antal Doráti succeeded Kempe as chief conductor from 1975 to 1978. As in his earlier spells with the LSO and BBC Symphony Orchestra, he was not greatly liked by his players, but raised their standard of playing and imposed discipline."Great Orchestra's Predicament", The Times, 28 June 1963, p. 18; and "Antal Dorati", The Times, 16 November 1988, p. 18In 1984, a new threat to the orchestra emerged, where a review carried out on behalf of the Arts Council by the journalist William Rees-Mogg opined that England lacked "a great eastern symphony orchestra": the suggestion was that the RPO should move to Nottingham. Another Arts Council report of the same period recommended that the RPO should supplement the LSO as resident orchestra at the Barbican Centre; neither proposal came to fruition.Morrison, p 152 During the 1980s, the British government imposed strict constraints on public spending; to make up for lost revenue, the RPO, in common with the other self-governing London orchestras, was forced into increased reliance on business sponsorship as a primary source of funds. The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, recording this, comments, "Such sponsorship is, however, subject to changing circumstances and thus less secure in the long term."Temperley, Nicholas, et al. "London (i)", Grove Music Online, Oxford University Press. Retrieved 8 June 2013 {{subscription required}}Since 1993, the RPO has had a community and education programme, later given the title of "RPO Resound". It aims to increase "access to and engagement with world-class music-making." It has worked in venues including homeless shelters, hospices, youth clubs and prisons."About the orchestra", Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Retrieved 4 June 2013On 7 April 1994, the RPO, with guest leader Hugh Bean, was joined by the Cappella Giulia of Saint Peter's Basilica and the Accademia Filarmonica Romana, cellist Lynn Harrell and actor Richard Dreyfuss, in the Papal Concert to Commemorate the Shoah, conducted by Gilbert Levine.NEWS, Tagliabue, John, April 8, 1994, Holocaust Lamentations Echo at Vatican, The New York Times,weblink This concert was attended by Pope John Paul II, Chief Rabbi of Rome Elio Toaff, and President of Italy Oscar Luigi Scalfaro, and was broadcast throughout Europe via Eurovision and on PBS stations throughout the United States. It was released on CD by Justice RecordsWEB, Audio CD: Papal Concert to Commemorate Holocaust, Amazon,weblink and as video by Time-Warner.BOOK, VHS: Papal Concert to Commemorate the Holocaust, 6303277020,

21st century

File:Cadogan Hall, Sloane Terrace, SW1 - geograph.org.uk - 1804955.jpg|thumb|upright|Cadogan HallCadogan HallThe orchestra gives an annual series of concerts at the Festival Hall and, since 2004, has had a permanent home at Cadogan Hall, a former church in Chelsea, converted into a 900-seat concert hall and rehearsal space.Binney, Marcus. "Music's coming home – royally", The Times 12 July 2044 At the Royal Albert Hall in London, the RPO gives performances ranging from large-scale choral and orchestral works to evenings of popular classics.The RPO returned to international television on 29 July 2005, when it was joined by the London Philharmonic Choir and soloists Bozena Harasimowicz, Monica Groop, Jerry Hadley, and Franz-Josef Selig performing Beethoven's Missa Solemnis under the baton of Gilbert Levine in Cologne Cathedral.NEWS, 29 July 2005, Message of greeting from Pope Benedict XVI, Presseportal. WDR West German Broadcasting,weblink This performance was televised by Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR), 3sat and PBSNEWS, October 16, 2008, From Heart To Heart: Beethoven's Plea For Peace, WQED Pressroom,weblink and was released on DVD by Arthaus Musik.The orchestra maintains a regional touring programme, taking in venues throughout the UK, and has established residencies in Aylesbury, Crawley, Croydon, Dartford, High Wycombe, Ipswich, Lowestoft, Northampton and Reading.{{#tag:ref|The number of towns and cities in which the RPO regularly plays is reflected in the sobriquet adopted in some of the orchestra's marketing: "The Nation's Favourite Orchestra"."Support – Organisations", Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Retrieved 10 June 2013|group= n}} The RPO regularly tours overseas; since 2010 it has played in Azerbaijan, Canada, China, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, Spain, Turkey{{YouTube|title=Sezen Aksu & The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra – 'Hayat Sana Teşekkür Ederim' (11.12.2015 – Zorlu PSM) |id=h1gOL8Ywq4A}} {{Retrieved|access-date=3 January 2023}}{{YouTube|eoQoLyh9Jsw|Sezen Aksu & The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Full}} {{Retrieved|access-date=3 January 2023}} and the US. In 2010–11 and two subsequent seasons the RPO was the resident orchestra for a series of concerts in Montreux, Switzerland. In 2010 the orchestra toured England, with a repertoire preponderantly of Beethoven, including the Violin Concerto in which Pinchas Zukerman was both soloist and conductor."Inaugural UK Tour for Pinchas Zukerman with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra", Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Retrieved 8 June 2013 In the same year, another tour featured Maxim Shostakovich conducting the music of his father, Dmitri Shostakovich." Shostakovich conducts Shostakovich with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra", Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Retrieved 8 June 2013 The RPO continues to feature at the Proms. In December 2015, RPO gave a concert with Sezen Aksu at Zorlu PSM. In November 2019, the Royal Albert Hall announced the RPO as its official associate orchestra, with an initial contract of 5 years.PRESS RELEASE, 2020 Vision: Royal Albert Hall and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra join forces,weblink Royal Albert Hall, 8 November 2019, 2021-09-20, The orchestra's community and education activities have continued into the 21st century. In May 2013, six youth ensembles from London boroughs and a 3,500-strong choir of children from local primary schools were given the chance to perform alongside members of the RPO at the Albert Hall. They played a piece composed by participants from all six musical ensembles."Pass the Torch", Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Retrieved 8 June 2013In November 2022, three performances by the orchestra were released on streaming service On Air. Recorded at BBC Television Centre, performances of The Rite Of Spring, The Firebird and Petrushka by Igor Stravinsky were captured.WEB, 1 November 2022, BBC Studio – Stream Live Concerts, Shows & Events {{!, On Air |url=https://onair.events/venue/bbc-studios-london |website=On Air}} In 2023, RPO musicians were selected to play at the coronation of Charles III and Camilla.WEB, 16 April 2023, Buckingham Palace is pleased to announce further details of the twelve new compositions that have been written for the Coronation of Their Majesties The King and The Queen Consort at Westminster Abbey on Saturday 6th May 2023.,weblink live,weblink 16 April 2023, 11 May 2023, The Royal Family, In March 2024, the RPO announced the appointment of Sarah Bardwell as its next managing director, in succession to James Williams.PRESS RELEASE,weblink RPO announces new Managing Director, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, 5 March 2024, 2024-03-06,

Players and conductors

Among the well-known musicians who have been RPO principals in the mid-1950s and later, string players include Steven Staryk (leader, 1957–1959), Raymond Cohen (leader, 1959–1966), Alan Loveday (leader, 1967–1971), Erich Gruenberg (leader, 1972–1976), Barry Griffiths (leader, 1976–1989), Jonathan Carney (leader, 1991–1994) and Frederick Riddle (viola, 1953–1977). Among the woodwind principals have been Geoffrey Gilbert (flute, 1957–1961), James Galway (flute, 1967–1969), Antony Pay (clarinet, 1968–1978) and Michael Chapman (bassoon, 1978–1999). Principals in the brass section have included Alan Civil (horn, 1952–1955), Philip Jones (trumpet, 1956–1960), Elgar Howarth (trumpet, 1963–1969) and Martin Owen (horn, 1998–2008).Potts, pp. 13 and 19; "RPO", Oxford University Press. Retrieved 8 June 2013 {{subscription required}}; and Martin Owen", Royal Academy of Music. Retrieved 10 June 2013File:RPO-conductors.jpg|thumb|Clockwise from top left: Menuhin, Mackerras, Dutoit and Ashkenazy ]]Chief conductors since Dorati have been Walter Weller (1980–1985), André Previn (1985–1992), Vladimir Ashkenazy (1987–1994), Yuri Temirkanov (1992–1998) and Daniele Gatti (1996–2009)."Past conductors", Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Retrieved 2 June 2013 Charles Dutoit was artistic director and principal conductor from 2009 until January 2018, when he resigned after allegations of sexual misconduct.PRESS RELEASE,weblink Charles Dutoit Steps Down Early as Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, 10 January 2018, 2024-04-08, From 1992 to 2000, Peter Maxwell Davies was associate conductor and composer to the RPO. Other conductors with close ties to the orchestra have included Sir Charles Groves, Vernon Handley, Sir Charles Mackerras, Yehudi Menuhin, Gennady Rozhdestvensky and Leopold Stokowski. Grzegorz Nowak was appointed principal associate conductor in 2008, and in the following year, Pinchas Zukerman became the RPO's principal guest conductor.Vasily Petrenko first guest-conducted the RPO in March 2016. In July 2018, the RPO announced the appointment of Petrenko as its new music director, with an initial contract of five years from the 2021–2022 season.PRESS RELEASE,weblink Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Announced Vasily Petrenko as Music Director from 2021–22 Season, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, 2 July 2018, 2018-07-02, In April 2024, the RPO announced the appointment of Joe Hisaishi as its next composer-in-association.PRESS RELEASE,weblink RPO appoints Joe Hisaishi as Composer-in-Association, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, 2 July 2018, 2018-07-02,

Recordings

(File:The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios in 2015.jpg|right|thumb|The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra recording a special classical segment for TV, film and advertising at Abbey Road Studios)From the RPO's earliest days to the end of Beecham's life, they made numerous recordings for His Master's Voice, CBS and RCA Victor. Among the works they recorded EMI chose several to be reissued at the end of the twentieth century in its "Great Recordings of the Century" series. They included a Delius programme; a Grieg programme; French ballet music; short works by Bizet, Chabrier, Fauré and Saint-Saëns; Tchaikovsky's Symphony No 4 and Nutcracker Suite; Mozart's Jupiter Symphony, Clarinet Concerto (Brymer) and Bassoon Concerto (Brooke); and Schubert's 3rd, 5th and 6th Symphonies."EMI Great Recordings of the Century", Archiv music. Retrieved 3 June 2013After Beecham's death, the RPO made many recordings for Decca, sometimes under pseudonyms such as the "Beecham Symphony Orchestra", the "London Festival Orchestra" and the "Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra".Stuart, Philip. Decca Classical 1929–2009. Retrieved 4 June 2013 In the 1960s, the RPO also recorded commercially with such conductors as Sir John Barbirolli, Fritz Reiner, Charles Munch, Georges Prêtre, Kempe, Previn and Stokowski. Soloists included Earl Wild, Shura Cherkassky, Alan Civil and Luciano Pavarotti.Igor Stravinsky recorded his opera The Rake's Progress with the RPO in 1964. Colin Davis made some of his earliest recordings with the orchestra, including Mozart and Rossini overtures, Beethoven's Seventh Symphony,Blyth, p. 52 and Stravinsky's Oedipus rex."Press reviews", Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Retrieved 3 June 2013. From 1964 to 1979 the RPO was engaged by Decca to record Gilbert and Sullivan operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. The orchestra has also recorded for Deutsche Grammophon, Lyrita, Philips, Pye and Unicorn-Kanchana.Cardus et al, pp. 22–23In 1986, the orchestra launched RPO Records, claimed to be "the world's first record label to be owned by a symphony orchestra".Golding and Beales, pp. 2–3 Recordings available on the RPO label in 2013 ranged from core symphonic repertoire and Tchaikovsky ballet scores to film music by various composers, light music by Burt Bacharach and Richard Rodgers, and an album called "Symphonic Rock", described as "Over 3 hours of classic rock anthems and pop tracks with an orchestral twist"."RPO Records", Orchid Classics. Retrieved 4 June 2013.

Non-classical work

As well as performing works from the classical repertoire, the RPO has recorded a number of film scores, including those for Powell and Pressburger's The Red Shoes and The Tales of Hoffmann. Other scores recorded by the RPO are Olivier's Richard III, The Bridge on the River Kwai, and The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes.Cardus et al, p. 17With Tony Bremner, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra rerecorded symphonic suites from various episodes of (Star Trek: The Original Series). These recordings were released in 1985 under Label "X" in two volumes.WEB,weblink Star Trek Symphonic Suites Arranged From The Original Television Scores, Discogs, 2021-03-22, WEB,weblink Star Trek Volume 2 – Symphonic Suites Arranged From The Original Television Scores, Discogs, 2021-03-22, In 1987, the RPO established a sister ensemble, the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, which plays lighter classics. It succeeded a similar group, the Royal Philharmonic Pops Orchestra. In 1989, the RPO recorded the flamenco album "Soy Gitano" (I am a gipsy man) with Camarón de la Isla.RPO players have been involved with many performances away from the classical repertory. In the 1960s, they pioneered the "mixed media" concert, appearing with The Nice rock band.Cardus et al, p. 7 Later non-classical ventures included Yanni Live at the Acropolis, a concert held in Greece in 1993, conducted by Shahrdad Rohani;Widran, Jonathan, "Yanni / Live at the Acropolis / review" (weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20120712141034weblink">WebCite archive), AllMusic, 1994 or later. In 1992 UEFA commissioned the orchestra and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields chorus to record the UEFA Champions League Hymn."UEFA Champions League anthem", UEFA. Retrieved 13 July 2012 Jamaican reggae singers John Holt and Freddie McGregor performed with the Orchestra in 2003 at the Hammersmith Apollo in London.MAGAZINE, Macleod, Erin, Reggae Legend John Holt Dead at 69,weblink Rolling Stone, 20 October 2014, 12 September 2020, WEB, Freddie McGregor,weblink Los Angeles Philharmonic, 12 September 2020,

Notes and references

Notes

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References

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Sources

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• BOOK, Blyth, Alan, Alan Blyth, 1972, Colin Davis, London, Ian Allan, 675416,
• BOOK, Cardus, Neville, Neville Cardus, 1971, 25 Years of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London, Fabbri, 22592704, etal,
• BOOK, Golding, Robin, Brendan Beales, 1994, Notes to Grieg Piano Concerto in A minor and Lyric pieces, London, Tring, 36052553,
• BOOK, Hill, Ralph, Music 1951, Harmondsworth, England, Penguin Books, 1951, 26147349,
• BOOK, Jenkins, Lyndon, 2000, Notes to Bizet Symphony in C and L'Arlésienne Suites, London, EMI, 271816594,
• BOOK, Jenkins, Lyndon, 2005, While Spring and Summer Sang: Thomas Beecham and the music of Frederick Delius, Aldershot, Ashgate, 0-7546-0721-6,
• BOOK, Lucas, John, Thomas Beecham: An Obsession with Music, Woodbridge, Boydell Press, 2008, 978-1-84383-402-1,
• BOOK, Morrison, Richard, Orchestra, London, Faber, 2004, 0-571-21584-X,
• BOOK, Osborne, Richard, 1998, Herbert von Karajan: A Life in Music, London, Chatto and Windus, 1-85619-763-8,
• BOOK, Peacock, Alan (chairman), Report on Orchestral Resources in Great Britain, London, Arts Council of Great Britain, 1970, 0-11-981062-X,
• BOOK, Potts, Joseph E, 1967, The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, 1946–67, London, RPO, 9215763,
• BOOK, Reid, Charles, Thomas Beecham: An Independent Biography, London, Victor Gollancz, 1961, 500565141,
• BOOK, Reid, Charles, Malcolm Sargent: a biography, London, Hamish Hamilton, 1968, 0-8008-5080-7, registration,weblink

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External links

• {{Official websiteweblink}}
• {{discogs artist|The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra}}
• {{imdb name|1099157}}

{{RPO principal conductors}}{{London orchestras}}{{Authority control}}