The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra ( RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, England.
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 A further crisis arose in the same era when it seemed that the orchestra's right to call itself "Royal" could be withdrawn.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 United Kingdom and other countries. Since the start of the 2021–2022 season, the orchestra's musical director has been Vasily Petrenko.
History
Origins
In 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 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:
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 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. 214
Brain continued to play first horn for both orchestras; otherwise, from the early 1950s, there was generally more stability of orchestral personnel. 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
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 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. 6
The orchestra's first appearance at the 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 Hector Berlioz, Franz Schubert and Jean 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. 331–332
Beecham 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 Frederick 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
The severance of the tie with the Royal Philharmonic Society in 1963 turned out to be temporary, 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, Elizabeth II conferred the title unconditionally on the orchestra."Orchestra Wins Royal Fight", The Times, 16 July 1966, p. 12
The 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 Gustav Holst's The Planets. 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. 18
In 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
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 2013
On 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. 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 Records and as video by Time-Warner.
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. This performance was televised by Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR), 3sat and PBS 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. The RPO regularly tours overseas; since 2010 it has played in Azerbaijan, Canada, China, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, Spain, Turkey 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.
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 2013
In 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. In 2023, RPO musicians were selected to play at the coronation of Charles III and Camilla.
In March 2024, the RPO announced the appointment of Sarah Bardwell as its next managing director, in succession to James Williams.
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.
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 Charles Groves, Vernon Handley, Sir Charles Mackerras, Yehudi Menuhin, Gennady Rozhdestvensky and Leopold Stokowski. Pinchas Zukerman became the RPO's principal guest conductor in 2009. In January 2015, after several guest conducting appearances, Alexander Shelley was appointed Principal Associate Conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, taking over the position from Grzegorz Nowak, who had served in the role since 2008.Royal Philharmonic Orchestra press release, 20 January 2015
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. In April 2024, the RPO announced the appointment of Joe Hisaishi as its next composer-in-association. In April 2024, the RPO announced the extension of Petrenko's contract as its music director through the 2029-2030 season.
After Beecham's death, the RPO made many recordings for Decca Records, 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 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 Records, Pye Records and Unicorn-Kanchana.Cardus et al, pp. 22–23
In 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.
With Tony Bremner, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra rerecorded symphonic suites from various episodes of . These recordings were released in 1985 under Label "X" in two volumes.
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" ( 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 people reggae singers John Holt and Freddie McGregor performed with the orchestra in 2003 at the Hammersmith Apollo in London.
Beecham's orchestra
1961–2000
21st century
Players and conductors
Recordings
Non-classical work
Notes and references
External links
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