England's Philharmonia is a relative "youngster" among orchestras, having arisen out of the ashes of London's disrupted orchestral life in the wake of World War II. Within an astonishingly short time, it rose to a high level of quality with a deep, burnished tone similar to the best Austrian-German ensembles. Not surprisingly, its formative years were nurtured under the batons of
Furtwängler,
Karajan, and
Klemperer. In 1945, EMI's
Walter Legge realized a long-standing ambition to create a British recording orchestra chiefly for recording purposes that would rival the best Continental models. The Philharmonia was to be a flexible, democratic organization. With a rebuff to the offer from
Sir Thomas Beecham to helm the impressive new ensemble,
Legge set out to attract the best conductors and soloists on the international scene. Concerts were added, as well, and among the most outstanding events of the early years were a
Beethoven cycle with pianist
Artur Schnabel as soloist, a recording of
Ravel's Concerto in G major with a young
Leonard Bernstein as pianist, and concerts under the batons of composers
Walton,
Richard Strauss, and
Hindemith. The basis for the Philharmonia's sonorous quality was undoubtedly laid by the procurement of
Wilhelm Furtwängler and
Herbert von Karajan. The great traditions of Berlin and Vienna were absorbed into the English ensemble. But with the death of
Furtwängler in 1954,
Karajan ascended to directorship of the
Berlin Philharmonic and consequently minimized his ties with the Philharmonia.
Legge then made the happy decision to approach
Otto Klemperer, one of the last German conductors with nineteenth century roots, with a mutually happy result for both parties. The septuagenarian conductor's flagging career was rejuvenated and the orchestra continued to flourish. While some would cite
Klemperer's performances as being idiosyncratic, his deliberate tempi legendary, all agreed to the integrity of the performance born of the artistic marriage. Concerts were sold out and scores of worthy recordings -- particularly of
Brahms,
Bruckner, and
Mahler -- are found and revered on CD to this day. Meanwhile, in 1964,
Legge, convinced that he could not maintain the Philharmonia as he wished, expressed his intent to disband the ensemble. The players, with the encouragement of
Klemperer, immediately responded by re-forming and renaming as
New Philharmonia Orchestra. They continued to flourish, a high point being an invitation from West Germany to perform at Bonn for the
Beethoven Bicentennial. With
Klemperer's passing in 1973, the orchestra was helmed by American
Lorin Maazel and subsequently, Italian
Riccardo Muti, who expanded upon the largely classic Austro-German repertoire to embrace a wider international and modern palette. In 1977, the "Philharmonia" reverted to its original name. In 1984,
Giuseppe Sinopoli continued the tradition, along with numerous associate conductors. A noteworthy accomplishment was the first digital recording of the
Beethoven symphonies under
Kurt Sanderling in 1981. In 1997,
Christoph von Dohnányi assumed chief conductorship, continuing the catholicity of repertoire of his predecessors. The Philharmonia has also thrived as a film orchestra, its credits including Henry V, The Far Pavilions, and Nicholas and Alexandra. The orchestra maintained residences in New York in 2002 and 2003. ~ Wayne Reisig, All Music Guide
Brahms: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 4 
Greatest Holiday Classics