British symphony orchestra
The English Chamber Orchestra (ECO) is a British
chamber orchestra based in
London . The full orchestra regularly plays concerts at
Cadogan Hall , and their ensemble performs at
Wigmore Hall . With a limited performance size, the orchestra specializes in 18th-century music and was created to perform
Baroque Music .
[1] The orchestra regularly tours in the UK and internationally, and holds the distinction of having the most extensive discography of any chamber orchestra and being the most well-traveled orchestra in the world; no other orchestra has played concerts (as of 2013, according to its own publicity) in as many countries as the English Chamber Orchestra.
[2]
[3]
[4]
History
The English Chamber Orchestra has its origins in the Goldsbrough Orchestra , founded in 1948 by
Lawrence Leonard and Arnold Goldsbrough. The group took its current name in 1960, when it expanded its repertoire beyond the
Baroque period for the first time. Its repertoire remained limited by the group's size, which has stayed fairly consistently at around the size of an orchestra of
Mozart 's time.
Shortly afterwards, it became closely associated with the
Aldeburgh Festival , playing in the premieres of
Benjamin Britten 's
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1960),
Owen Wingrave (1970),
Curlew River and several other of his works. The occasions on which Britten conducted the orchestra included the opening concerts of the
Queen Elizabeth Hall and
Snape Maltings in 1967.
[5] He also made a number of records with the group.
The orchestra did not at this time have a principal conductor, but worked closely with a succession of guest conductors including
Raymond Leppard ,
Colin Davis and
Daniel Barenboim . In 1985
Jeffrey Tate was appointed the ensemble's first principal conductor. In 2000,
Ralf Gothóni was appointed second principal conductor.
In June 2009, the English Chamber Orchestra named
Paul Watkins its new
music director , effective with the 2009–2010 season, for an initial contract of three years.
[6] The orchestra has also worked regularly with guest conductors
Paul Goodwin ,
Lawrence Power and
James Sherlock . In 2023, the orchestra appointed
Roberto Forés Veses as Principal Guest Conductor. Having led the orchestra for over 30 years, Stephanie Gonley was recognised as Leader and Principal of the English Chamber Orchestra in 2023.
Tours and performances
The orchestra has performed with and toured the UK and abroad with artists such as
Kathleen Battle ,
Benjamin Britten ,
Daniel Barenboim ,
Dame Janet Baker ,
Colin Davis ,
Placido Domingo ,
Jacqueline du Pre ,
Sumi Jo ,
Kiri te Kanawa ,
Yehudi Menuhin ,
Luciano Pavarotti ,
Murray Perahia ,
Itzhak Perlman ,
Andre Previn ,
Karl Richter ,
Mstislav Rostropovich ,
Georg Solti ,
Joan Sutherland ,
Mitsuko Uchida ,
Maxim Vengerov and
Pinchas Zukerman .
Recent tours have included Bermuda, USA, Mexico, Finland, France, Turkey, Switzerland, Italy and Germany.
HRH the former Prince of Wales has been the Patron of the ECO since 1977 and the orchestra has performed at royal weddings, birthday celebrations and other events including the first concert ever to be broadcast from Buckingham Palace.
In 2023 members of the orchestra were selected to play at the
coronation of Charles III and Camilla .
[7]
Select recordings
Concertos
Bach Brandenburg Concertos 1 - 6 under
Benjamin Britten , Decca (1969)
Bach The Brandenburg Concertos under Johannes Somary, Vanguard (2008)
Bach Violin Concertos with
Anne-Sophie Mutter and
Salvatore Accardo , EMI (1983)
Bach Violin Concertos with
Itzhak Perlman and
Pinchas Zukerman under
Daniel Barenboim , EMI (1986)
Bach Violin Concertos and Triple Concerto with
Arthur Grumiaux under
Raymond Leppard , Philips (1964)
Beethoven Violin Concerto with
Frank Peter Zimmermann under Jeffrey Tate, EMI (1988)
Handel Twelve Grand Concertos under
Raymond Leppard , Philips (1968)
Haydn Cello Concerto with
Mstislav Rostropovich under
Benjamin Britten , Decca (1964)
Haydn Cello Concerto and
Boccherini Cello Concerto with
Jacqueline Du Pré under Daniel Barenboim, EMI (1967)
Haydn Cello Concertos with
Yo-Yo Ma , Sony Classical (1986).
Haydn, C. P. E. Bach, Boccherini Cello Concertos with
Matt Haimovitz under
Andrew Davis , Deutsche Grammophon (1990)
Haydn, Boccherini Cell Concertos with
Lluís Claret under
George Malcolm , Harmonica Mundi (1992)
Mendelssohn ,
Bruch Violin Concertos with
Nigel Kennedy under Jeffrey Tate, EMI (1988).
Mozart Piano Concerto No. 19 & 24 with
Maurizio Pollini as pianist and conductor (1982)
Mozart complete Piano Concertos with
Murray Perahia as pianist and conductor (Sony , compilation 2012). Recipient of
Gramophone Award .
Mozart complete Piano Concertos with
Daniel Barenboim as pianist and director (Warner Classics, compilation 2016).
Mozart Piano Concertos with
Mitsuko Uchida under
Jeffrey Tate , Philips (Decca, compilation 2006).
Mozart Violin Concertos No. 3 & 5 with
Joshua Bell under
Peter Maag (1992)
Mozart Sinfonia Concertante with
Isaac Stern and Pinchas Zukerman under Daniel Barenboim, Columbia Masterworks (1972).
Mozart and
Myslivecek Flute Concertos. Ana de la Vega.
PENTATONE PTC 5186723 (2018).
Mozart Concertone For 2 Violins, Oboe & Violoncello under
Sir Colin Davis , London Records (1961)
Mozart Flute Concertos with
Karlheinz Zöller under
Bernhard Klee , Deutsche Grammophon (1974)
Mozart Clarinet Concerto with
Richard Stoltzman under
Alexander Schneider , RCA (1981)
Mozart Horn Concertos 1-4 with
Barry Tuckwell as horn player and conductor, Decca (1984)
Telemann , Vivaldi, & other Trumpet Concertos with various soloists under
Simon Preston , Deutsche Grammophone (1992)
Trumpet Concertos by Baroque Composers with
Wynton Marsalis under Raymond Lappard, Sony (1988)
Vivaldi Four Seasons with
Nigel Kennedy as violinist and conductor, EMI (1997)
Vivaldi Four Seasons with
Pinchas Zukerman as violinist and conductor (1987, 1988, 1996)
Symphonies
Beethoven 9 Symphonies under
Michael Tilson Thomas , Sony Classical (compilation, 2020)
Haydn Symphonies 22, 39, 47 (1968), 48 & 70 (1971), 26, 34, 77 (1972) under
Raymond Leppard , Philips
Haydn Symphonies 94, 101 (1981), 94, 100 (1995), 101, 104 (1994) under
Jean-François Paillard , RCA
Haydn Symphonies 93, 96, 98 - 104 under Jefrrey Tate, EMI (1986, 1992, 1997, 1999)
Haydn Symphonies 44, 45, 48, 49 under Daniel Barenboim, Deutsche Grammophon (1979, compilation, 2012)
Mozart Symphonies 25, 29, 38 & 40 under
Benjamin Britten , Decca (1978) recipient of
Gramophone Award
Mozart Symphonies 25 - 41 under Jeffrey Tate, EMI (1990)
Mozart Symphonies 39, 40, 41 under Jean-François Paillard, RCA (1994)
Mozart Symphonies 29, 30, 31, 34, 38 & 39 under Daniel Barenboim, EMI (2007)
Opera, Cantatas, Songs and Arias
The Beautiful Voice (works by Gounod, Lehár, Pucinni, Rachmoninoff, Strauss) with
Renée Fleming as soloist under Jeffrey Tate, Decca (1998)
Bel Canto (works by Bellini, Puccini, Rossini and Verdi) with
Sumi Jo under Giuliano Carella, Erato (1997)
Handel Cantatas with
Janet Baker under Raymond Leppard, Philips (1973)
Handel
Semele with
Kathleen Battle ,
Marilyn Horne ,
Samuel Ramey ,
John Aler ,
Sylvia McNair ,
Michael Chance and
Ambrosian Opera Chorus under
John Nelson , Deutsche Grammophon (1993)
Donizetti
L'Elisir D'Amore with
Joan Sutherland ,
Luciano Pavarotti ,
Dominic Cossa ,
Spiro Malas , Maria Casula under
Richard Bonynge , London Records (1971)
Gluck Arias with Janet Baker under Raymond Leppard, Philips (1975)
Canteloube Chants D'Auvergne with
Kiri Te Kanawa under Jeffrey Tate, Decca (1983, 1984)
Mozart, Handel Arias with
Lucia Popp under Georg Fischer, HMV (1967)
Mozart Arias with Kiri Te Kanawa under Jeffrey Tate, Philips (1987, 1988)
Mozart Opera & Concert Arias with
Barbara Hendricks under Jeffrey Tate, EMI (1984)
Mozart
Don Giovanni with
Joan Sutherland ,
Pilar Lorengar ,
Marilyn Horne ,
Gabriel Bacquier ,
Werner Krenn ,
Donald Gramm , and
Ambrosian Opera Chorus under
Richard Bonynge , London Records (1971)
Mozart Le Nozze Di Figaro with
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and other soloists under Daniel Barenboim, EMI (1977)
Rossini Il Signor Bruschino with Kathleen Battle, Samuel Ramey,
Frank Lopardo ,
Claudio Desderi under
Ion Marin , Deutsche Grammophone (1993)
References
^
"English Chamber Orchestra - Bach, Handel, Telemann" . Warner Classics . 13 January 2023. Retrieved 13 February 2024 .
^
[1]
Archived May 18, 2013, at the
Wayback Machine
^
"English Chamber Orchestra - Bach, Handel, Telemann" . Warner Classics . 13 January 2023. Retrieved 13 February 2024 .
^
"English Chamber Orchestra / José Serebrier, conductor / Jennifer Pike, violin" . The Journal of Music . Retrieved 13 February 2024 .
^
"History: Britten and the ECO" . Retrieved 1 April 2018 .
^ Martin Cullingford, "Paul Watkins named ECO music director". Gramophone , 19 June 2009.
^
"Buckingham Palace is pleased to announce further details of the twelve new compositions that have been written for the Coronation of Their Majesties The King and The Queen Consort at Westminster Abbey on Saturday 6th May 2023" . The Royal Family . 16 April 2023.
Archived from the original on 16 April 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2023 .
External links
Major orchestras based in London
Symphony Chamber Specialised
International National Academics Artists People Other