London Philharmonic Orchestra

London Philharmonic Orchestra
The London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is one of five permanent symphony orchestras based in London. It was founded by the conductors Sir Thomas Beecham and Malcolm Sargent in 1932 as a rival to the existing London Symphony and BBC Symphony Orchestras.

The founders' ambition was to build an orchestra the equal of any European or American rival. Between 1932 and the Second World War the LPO was widely judged to have succeeded in this regard. After the outbreak of war the orchestra's private backers withdrew and the players reconstituted the LPO as a self-governing cooperative. In the post-war years the orchestra faced challenges from two new rivals; the Philharmonia and the Royal Philharmonic, founded respectively in 1946 and 1947, achieved a quality of playing not matched by the older orchestras, including the LPO.

By the 1960s the LPO had regained its earlier standards, and in 1964 it secured a valuable engagement to play in the Glyndebourne Festival opera house during the summer months. In 1993 it was appointed resident orchestra of the Royal Festival Hall on the south bank of the Thames, one of London's major concert venues. Since 1995 the residency has been jointly held with the Philharmonia. In addition to its work at the Festival Hall and Glyndebourne, the LPO performs regularly at the Congress Theatre, Eastbourne and the Brighton Dome, and tours nationally and internationally.

Since Beecham, the orchestra has had ten principal conductors, including Sir Adrian Boult, Bernard Haitink, Sir Georg Solti, Klaus Tennstedt and Vladimir Jurowski. The orchestra has been active in recording studios since its earliest days, and has played on hundreds of sets made by EMI, Decca and other companies. Since 2005 the LPO has had its own record label, issuing live recordings of concerts. The orchestra has played on numerous film soundtracks, including Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and the Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001–03).
Close
London Philharmonic Orchestra

London Philharmonic Orchestra

The London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is one of five permanent symphony orchestras based in London. It was founded by the conductors Sir Thomas Beecham and Malcolm Sargent in 1932 as a rival to the existing London Symphony and BBC Symphony Orchestras.

The founders' ambition was to build an orchestra the equal of any European or American rival. Between 1932 and the Second World War the LPO was widely judged to have succeeded in this re...
Read More
56 albums
Download from €6.00 | Buy on CD from €10.00

GRIEG Piano Concerto

Recorded in 1954
Duration 30'36"

Winifred Atwell, piano
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor: Stanford Robinson

Download from €7.00 | Buy on CD from €10.00

    R. Strauss Don Quixote
    Bloch
     Violin Concerto
    Studio and live recordings · 1932/1939
    Total duration: 73:32

    Sir Thomas Beecham, conductor
    Alfred Wallenstein,
    cello
    Joseph Szigeti,
    violin
    Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra of New York

    London Philharmonic Orchestra

    Download from €7.00 | Buy on CD from €10.00

    TCHAIKOVSKY Francesca da Rimini
    TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 5
    TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 6 'Pathétique' (2nd & 3rd mvts)

    Studio recordings, 1939/40 & 1915
    Total duration: 76:15

    London Philharmonic Orchestra
    Beecham Symphony Orchestra
    conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham

    Download from €7.00 | Buy on CD from €10.00

    DELIUS Paris
    DELIUS Eventyr
    DELIUS Koanga
    DELIUS Hassan - serenade
    DELIUS To the Queen of my Heart
    DELIUS Love's Philosophy

    Recorded in 1934
    Total duration: 53:51

    London Philharmonic Orchestra,
    Conductor: Sir Thomas Beecham
    London Select Choir
    Heddle Nash,
    tenor
    Gerald Moore,
    piano

    Download from €7.00 | Buy on CD from €10.00

    SIBELIUS A Collection of Shorter Works
    Recorded 1930-41
    Total duration: 73:44

    Featuring various orchestras conducted by:
    Beecham, Heward, Kajanus, Koussevitzky, Ormandy
    plus chamber music recordings featuring:
    Emil Telmanyi
    and Louis Jensen

    Download from €7.00 | Buy on CD from €10.00

    MOZART Symphony No. 35 'Haffner'
    MOZART Symphony No. 40
    MOZART Piano Concerto No. 20

    Recorded 1949-51
    Total duration: 67:57

    London Philharmonic Orchestra,
    conducted by Eduard van Beinum
    conducted by Eric Kleiber
    Rudolf Serkin,
    piano
    Philadelphia Orchestra
    conducted by Eugene Ormandy