BBC SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

"Few orchestras in Britain would dare to perform two new works in a single programme. But, thanks to the licence fee, the BBC Symphony Orchestra can afford to take such risks." The Times

London's first permanent orchestra, the BBC Symphony Orchestra was founded by Sir Adrian Boult in 1930. In the forefront of British musical life, it has given first performances of over one thousand works, many of which were the BBC's own commissions.

The BBC Symphony Orchestra’s chief conductors have included Pierre Boulez, Sir Colin Davis, Gennady Rozhdestvensky and Sir John Pritchard. Andrew Davis CBE was appointed Chief Conductor in 1989 - a position he held until last year, when he became the orchestra’s first-ever Conductor Laureate.

At present, the orchestra's chief conductor is Leonard Slatkin. He is the first American to hold the post.

Past guest conductors have included Toscanini, Weingartner, Koussevitzky, Scherchen, Maazel and Haitink. The orchestra has also worked closely with many of the great composers of the twentieth-century: BartÛk, Berio, Henze, Lutoslawski, Part, Prokofiev, Schoenberg, Stockhausen, Strauss and Stravinsky.

The "flagship" of BBC serious music , the orchestra provides the backbone of the Proms concert series, including the famous last night which is televised to millions. Each January, the Orchestra celebrates a 20th-century composer in a weekend festival of music- recent festivals were dedicated to the work of Berg, Janacek, Tavener, Hindemith, Ives, Lutoslawski, Martinu and Messiaen.

The BBC Symphony Orchestra also tours the world and recently its destinations included Japan, Korea, the USA and embraced appearances at festivals in Aldeburgh, Salzburg, Bad Kissingen and Lucerne.

At the forefront of British musical life, the orchestra has recorded widely and is heard practically every day on BBC Radio 3. For Naxos, it has recorded Furtwangler's Symphony No.2 in E-minor conducted by Alfred Walter.

July 2001

Albums featuring this artist are available for download from ClassicsOnline.com
A TO Z OF CONDUCTORS	8.558087-90
ANDERSON, J.: Alhambra Fantasy / Khorovod / The Stations of the Sun / The Crazed Moon / Diptych (London Sinfonietta, BBC Symphony, Knussen)	ODE1012-2
BEETHOVEN / BLISS: Piano Concertos (Solomon) (1943-1944)	8.110682
BEETHOVEN: Symphonies 1 and 4 (Toscanini)	8.110854
BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 6 / BRAHMS: Tragic Overture (Toscanini) (1937-1938)	8.110877
BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 6 / Overtures (VPO, BBC SO, LSO, Walter) (1930-1938)	8.111032
BOCCHERINI / HAYDN / ELGAR: Cello Concertos (Casals) (1938, 1945)	8.110305
BRAHMS: Piano Concerto No. 1 (Backhaus) (1932)	8.110699
BRAHMS: Piano Concerto No. 2 / SCHUMANN: Kinderszenen (Schnabel) (1935, 1947)	8.110665
CLASSIC ARCHIVE: Itzhak Perlman (NTSC)	3085228
DISCOVER OPERA	8.558196-97
ELGAR: Cockaigne Overture / Enigma Variations / Pomp and Circumstance Marches (Elgar) (1926-1933)	8.111022
ELGAR: Enigma Variations (NTSC)	OA0917D
FURTWANGLER: Symphony No. 2	8.223436
HOLST: Planets (The) (Holst) / VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: Symphony No. 4 (Vaughan Williams) (1926, 1937)	8.111048
SIBELIUS: Symphony No. 7 / Tapiola (Koussevitzky) (1933-1940)	8.110168
SKALKOTTAS: 36 Greek Dances / The Return of Ulysses	BIS-CD-1333-34
SKALKOTTAS: Piano Concerto No. 2 / Tema Con Variazioni / Little Suite for Strings / 4 Images	BIS-SACD-1484
WEILL, K.: Firebrand of Florence (The) [Opera]	C60091
WEILL, K.: Royal Palace [Opera]	C60106