London Symphony Orchestra
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Biography
Founded in 1904, the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is one of the largest orchestras in the world and Londonâs oldest orchestra. Formed by musicians who had resigned from the Henry Woodâs Queenâs Hall Orchestra, their first concert was led by Austrian/Hungarian conductor Hans Richter. In 1911, the baton was passed to composer/conductor Sir Edward Elgar, who led the London Symphony Orchestra for a year before Alfred Nikisch took charge. It has been reported that they organized a tour of the United States and planned to travel on the maiden voyage of the Titanic in 1912 but cancelled shortly before sailing in favor of a different ship. Throughout the decades, the London Symphony Orchestra has had a variety of temporary conductors including Thomas Beecham, Albert Coates and Hamilton Harty, until the appointment of more permanent conductors such as Josef Krips (1950-1954) and Pierre Monteux (1961-1964). In the 1960s, the rock community turned to the orchestra for recording projects and the LSO eventually appearing on recordings by the Beatles, Rick Wakeman, Neil Young, Elton John, Deep Purple, Neil Diamond, The Who, Frank Zappa, and others. Istvan Kertesz (1965-1968) and André Previn (1968-1979) were successive conductors before they moved base from the Royal Festival Hall to the Barbican Center in 1982, under Claudio Abbado (1979-1985). Several renowned soloists have performed with the orchestra including James Galway, Gervase de Peyer and Barry Tuckwell, while guest conductors have included Adrian Boult, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Otto Klemperer, Georg Solti, George Szell, Leonard Bernstein, Karl Böhm, Daniel Harding and John Williams. Michael Tilson Thomas (1987-1995), Colin Davis (1995-2006) and Valery Gergiev (2007-2015) have also occupied the coveted position of principal conductor of the orchestra. Apart from their own performances, recordings, and sessions with other artists, the London Symphony Orchestra have been featured on many film scores including Star Wars (1977), Superman (1978), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Return of the Jedi (1983), several films in the Harry Potter series, and many, many more. The LSO has also provided music for television series and Star Wars-related video games. In 2012, under the tenure of Simon Rattle (2017-2023), the LSO played at the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics. The orchestra with the most recordings in its catalog (more than 3,500) has notably participated in the creation of works by Edward Elgar, William Walton, Aaron Copland, Hans Werner Henze, Arthur Bliss, Paul McCartney, Michael Nyman, Peter Maxwell Davies, and many others. The London Symphony Orchestraâs recorded legacy dates back to 1925 and while most listeners are familiar with their film work and appearances on legendary albums, they have also focused on their classical repertoire, releasing albums such as Concerto for Violin and Orchestra (1950), Hungarian Fantasia (1957), Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto (1962), Holst: The Planets (2006), and hundreds of others.
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Albums
London Symphony Orchestra
London Symphony Orchestra - British Composers. Holst, Elgar, Delius...
FEATURED
Antal Doráti, London Symphony Orchestra
Brahms: Variations on a theme by Haydn, Op. 56a; Hungarian Dances
FEATURED
Antal Doráti, London Symphony Orchestra
Weber: Oberon Overture; Schumann: Symphony No. 4; Beethoven: Symphony No. 6
FEATURED
André Previn & London Symphony Orchestra
Britten: Four Sea Interludes, Passacaglia from Peter Grimes & Sinfonia da Requiem
FEATURED
André Previn & London Symphony Orchestra
Elgar: Enigma Variations, Op. 36 - Vaughan Williams: Tallis Fantasia & Overture to The Wasps
FEATURED
André Previn & London Symphony Orchestra
Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker & Highlights from Swan Lake
FEATURED
London Symphony Orchestra
London Symphony Orchestra - British Composers. Holst, Elgar, Delius...
FEATURED
Anthony Collins, London Symphony Orchestra
Delius: The Walk to the Paradise Garden; A Song of Summer; Brigg Fair; On Hearing the First Cuckoo in
FEATURED
Anthony Collins, London Symphony Orchestra
Sibelius: Symphony No. 4; No. 5 (Anthony Collins Complete Decca Recordings, Vol. 9)
FEATURED
Philharmonia Orchestra and Boston Symphony Orchestra
The Official Classical Collection n. 84
FEATURED
Top Tracks
- Track Popularity
- Insane in the Brain by London Symphony Orchestra
- How I Could Just Kill a Man by London Symphony Orchestra
- I Wanna Get High by London Symphony Orchestra
- Hits from the Bong by London Symphony Orchestra
- I Ain't Goin' Out Like That by London Symphony Orchestra
- Violin Concerto in D: IV. Capriccio featuring London Symphony Orchestra
- Violin Concerto in D: I. Toccata featuring London Symphony Orchestra
- The Rite of Spring, Part I: Spring Rounds
- Le Carnaval romain, Op. 9, H 95
- Bacchanale
- Invocation To The Moon Final London Symphony Orchestra
- Sarabande For The Followers Of Virgo
- Valse For The Gemini
- Dance For the Followers Of Leo
- Symphony No. 2 in E-Flat Major, Op. 63: I. Allegro vivace e nobilmente
- Symphony No. 2 in E-Flat Major, Op. 63: IV. Moderato e maestoso
- Symphony No. 2 in E-Flat Major, Op. 63: II. Larghetto
- Symphony No. 3, Op. 27: III. Allegretto un poco
- Bernstein: Serenade (1954) After Plato's "Symposium" - 4. Agathon: Adagio
- Schumann: Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 54: 2. Intermezzo (Andantino grazioso) by Uri Segal
- Cello Concerto in D: II. Andante espressivo featuring London Symphony Orchestra
- Images: I. Gigues by André Previn
- Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune featuring London Symphony Orchestra
- Images: III. Rondes de printemps by André Previn
