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Published: Monday, 18 November 2024 at 17:06 PM
The world’s greatest orchestras – and their finest moments on disc that you must hear
Comprising a list of the best orchestras in the world was no easy feat, with dozens – if not hundreds – of leading modern orchestras and period bands around the world, all making waves in their respective countries and bringing music to the masses. Orchestras will be constantly in flux, with changes made to line-ups, conductors, repertoire and funding.
However, those playing at the top of their game will usually maintain a sense of consistency; an immutable, familiar tone and sound that is merely enhanced and shaped by the maestro on the podium.
We’ve picked out some of those top orchestras – the ones you should always make an effort to see if they’re touring or you happen to be passing through their home country. In the meantime, we’ve also suggested a few recommended recordings so you can have a flavour of the ensembles performing at their best.
Contents
- The world’s best orchestras: USA and Canada
- Best orchestras: Europe
- The UK’s greatest orchestras
- The best orchestras in Asia
World’s best orchestras: USA and Canada
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Founded in 1881, the Boston Symphony is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the ‘Big Five‘.
Past music directors have included Serge Koussevitzky, Erich Leinsdorf, William Steinberg and James Levine. Another great conductor who enjoyed strong links with Boston was Bernard Haitink, who served as principal guest conductor BSO from 1995 to 2004, and subsequently conductor emeritus until his death in 2021.
The talented Andris Nelsons is the current incumbent at Boston. Among other things, Nelsons and Boston have some first-rate renditions of the Shostakovich symphonies under their belts.
Recommended recording:
Shostakovich: Symphonies 5, 8 & 9 et al Boston Symphony Orchestra/Andris Nelsons DG 479 5201
Here’s our review of that disc.
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Here’s a second American entry in our list of best orchestras in the world.
The Chicago band has had some big characters to lead it over the years. Perhaps the best known, and one of the longest-serving, was the legendary Georg Solti, who led the Chicago forces for over two decades from 1969 to 1991. During this time, the Second City’s orchestra gained global renown – not least for its incredible brass section, containing such huge talents as principal trumpeter Adolph ‘Bud’ Herseth.
Under Solti’s tenure and that of his successor Daniel Barenboim, the Chicago Symphony produced some much-admired recordings, including authoritative cycles of the symphonies of Beethoven, Brahms, Bruckner and Mahler.
Recommended recording:
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 13 ‘Babi Yar’ Alexey Tikhomirov, Men of the Chicago Symphony Chorus/Dustin Wolfe, Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Riccardo Muti CSO Resound CSOR 901 1901
Cleveland Orchestra
The Cleveland Orchestra really hit its stride under the famously exacting conductor George Szell, who served as the orchestra’s music director for nearly a quarter of a century from 1946 to 1970.
When Szell arrived in Cleveland, the orchestra was well respected but small in size and – like so many others – struggling to find its feet after World War II.
Over the next 24 years, the no-nonsense Szell transformed the Cleveland band into perhaps the world’s best-disciplined orchestra. A later music director, Christoph von Dohnanyi, continued to maintain Szell’s high standards.
Today, under Dohnanyi’s successor Franz Welser-Möst, that fine tradition is still upheld. Cleveland has, in fact, been remearkable for its stability – it’s still onto only its fourth music director since Szell took up the reins in 1946.
Recommended recording:
A New Century: works by Beethoven, Prokofiev, Strauss et al
Paul Jacobs (organ); The Cleveland Orchestra/Franz Welser-Möst (Cleveland Orchestra)
Cleveland Orchestra TCO0001
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Currently under the directorship of Gustavo ‘the dude’ Dudamel, the century-old LA Phil divides its time between the extraordinary Frank Gehry-designed Walt Disney Hall and, in the summer months, the Hollywood Bowl. It prides itself on championing new music, a direction instigated by its previous incumbent, Esa-Pekka Salonen, and its engagements with the community, new commissions and tours have been nothing short of ambitious.
During the 2018/19 season, over 60 living composers wrote works for the orchestra. Underneath its ambitious exterior lies an orchestra with a solid history – its previous conductors have included Zubin Mehta (1962-78) and Carlo Maria Giulini (1978-84). Next up was André Previn, who remained with the orchestra for four years between 1985 and 1989 before moving to London to continue with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
The Walt Disney Hall provides an acoustically clean platform for an orchestra with a versatile brief for both traditional repertoire and new music. The LA Phil is now justifiably one of the best orchestras in the world.
Recommended recording:
Lutosławski: The Symphonies Los Angeles Philharmonic/Esa-Pekka Salonen Sony Classical 88765440832
Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
North America’s largest classical music organisation, the New York-based Metropolitan Opera (or ‘Met’) comprises a symphony orchestra, a chorus, children’s choir, and many supporting and leading solo singers. The Met’s repertoire ranges widely, from 18th-century Baroque and 19th-century bel canto to modern works. The Met’s own in-house orchestra is a huge part of the opera house’s global renown: a world-class ensemble with its own concert series at Carnegie Hall.
Recommended recording:
Verdi: Luisa Miller Millo, Domingo, Chernov, Quivar, Plishka, Rootering, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus/James Levine Sony 88875194772
New York Philharmonic
America’s oldest orchestra, the New York Phil remains one of its most prestigious and revered ensembles. The roll call of past NY music directors is hugely impressive, including Gustav Mahler, Willem Mengelberg, Arturo Toscanini, Bruno Walter, Pierre Boulez and – perhaps most famously – the great Leonard Bernstein.
The hugely charismatic conductor, composer and music educator took the helm for 11 hugely successful years from 1958 onwards. As well as some wonderful series introducing young people to classical music and the orchestra, the results included one of the very first and most-respected cycles of the Mahler symphonies.
Indeed, Bernstein and the ’60s NY Phil can take much of the credit for the vast surge of interest in the great, but previously little performed composer.
Recommended recording:
Beethoven: Symphonies 5 & 7 New York Philharmonic / Jaap van Zweden Decca Gold 4816856
‘A triumph, to be listened to especially by anyone who feels they don’t have an urgent need to listen to these works again.’
Montreal Symphony Orchestra / Orchestre symphonique de Montréal
Another orchestra with an illustrious past, the OSM is perhaps most closely associated with one era and conductor: the tenure of the French conductor Charles Dutoit, for a quarter of a century from 1977 to 2002. This period coincided with the growth of the CD and of audiophile recordings, and Dutoit and the OSM were at the vanguard.
The orchestra enjoyed a 20-year recording contract with Decca/London, and produced a string of much-admired recordings (as well as embarking on legendary tours of North America, Europe, Asia, and South America). It may come as no surprise that the OSM and Dutoit were perhaps at their strongest in French music: their recordings of orchestral works by Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel, in particular, can be seen as definitive. They are heard at their best in the music of Stravinsky, too.
- The Debussy work that tore up the orchestral rulebook
- Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé: a sensuous masterpiece and its best recordings
The OSM took home two Grammy Awards during the Dutoit era. First, in 1996, was a award for its recording of Hector Berlioz‘s opera Les Troyens. Then, four years later, orchestra and conductor were among the awards again for their recordings of piano concertos by Prokofiev and Bartók, performed by the matchless Martha Argerich.
Recommended recording:
Ravel: Ma mère l’oye, Pavane, etc OSM/Dutoit
Philadelphia Orchestra
Like Cleveland under Szell and Chicago under Solti, the Philadelphia Orchestra is another top-drawer unit whose rise to success can be attributed at least in part to one great conductor. In this case, it’s the great Eugene Ormandy (interestingly, like Szell, Solti and many other great conductors, of Hungarian parentage).
Under Ormandy’s extraordinary 44-year tenure from 1936 to 1980, the Philadelphians earned a reputation for an incredible smoothness of tone. Theirs was a plush, well-upholstered sound that’s heard to great effect in landmark recording achievements such as their Tchaikovsky symphony cycle, for many the best such cycle on offer. In particular, the luscious string tone coming out of ‘Philly’ was often singled out for praise. Some wonderful Sibelius and Rachmaninov also came out of the Ormandy era, among many other gems.
The orchestra is currently enjoying another purple patch under the directorship of Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Formerly, and now again, one of the best orchestras in the world.
Recommended recording:
Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 1 / Symphonic Dances Philadelphia Orchestra/Yannick Nézet-Séguin DG 483 9839
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
Founded by the Pittsburgh Arts Society in 1895, the PSO had a notable early influx of players from the Boston Symphony Orchestra, under early conductor Frederick Archer. Today’s PSO is going great guns under Austrian conductor Manfred Honeck. Pittsburgh and Honeck have together produced some beautifully played and tremendously exciting recordings of (among other things) Tchaikovsky, Mahler and Dvořák symphonies.
Recommended recording:
Dvořák: Symphony No. 8 / Janácek: Symphonic Suite from Jenůfa Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra / Manfred Honeck
World’s best orchestras: Europe
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra is based in Munich and is a crack broadcasting ensemble that has emerged in recent decades to challenge the world’s best (although Leonard Bernstein knew its quality, and regularly collaborated with the BRSO for several years).
Rafael Kubelík, Colin Davis (who introduced them to more regular English fare) and Lorin Maazel have all made their mark but, yet again, it’s been Mariss Jansons who has pushed the orchestra into the limelight of late. Their performances and recordings, on the recently launched BR-Klassik label, are impeccably wrought, finely detailed affairs.
Recommended recording:
Bruckner: Symphony No. 8 (1890 version) Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra/Mariss Jansons BR Klassik 900165
Berlin Philharmonic
Over its 140-year history, the Berlin Philharmonic has been a consistent powerhouse, attracting the very best players and performing with a perfection of which most orchestras can only dream. Founded in 1882, the BPO has been steered by the likes Otto Klemperer, Wilhelm Furtwängler… and Herbert von Karajan, whose nose for commercial opportunities and love of new tech saw the orchestra dominate the classical recording industry in the 1980s.
Claudio Abbado carved a new identity for the orchestra during the 1990s, with a greater amount of opera and modern music. Next, Simon Rattle brought the orchestra screaming into the 21st century (he was appointed in 1999) with a still wider gamut and an engagement with the broader Berlin community. Politically, the Berlin Phil has been slow to catch up – it wasn’t until 1982 that the it appointed its first female player – clarinettist Sabine Meyer.
Recommended recording:
Beethoven: Symphonies Nos 1-9 Berlin Philharmonic/Sir Simon Rattle Berliner Philharmoniker BPHR 160091 (5 CDs +2 Blu-rays + 1 Pure Audio Blu-ray)
Budapest Festival Orchestra
The Budapest Festival Orchestra has, under its director of music Iván Fischer, become one of Europe’s most important ensembles. In fact, it was Fischer who co-founded the ensemble almost 40 years ago with Zoltan Kocsis. Since then, the orchestra has become renowned for its stunning surround-sound recordings of the Mahler symphonies. Fischer is a dynamic leader and refuses to play by the book – which is why he gets the results he does.
The BFO has break-out groups specialising in period instruments, contemporary music and Balkan folk which gives his players musical freedoms that in turn feeds back into the main ensemble. It also regularly invites orchestra members to programme concerts and compete with each other for concerto slots. The players seem to respond, with playing of warmth and sharpness of ensemble.
Recommended recording:
Brahms: Symphony No. 4 Budapest Festival Orchestra/Iván Fischer Channel Classics CCS SA 35315 (hybrid CD/SACD)
Chamber Orchestra of Europe
Established in 1981, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe is the youngest orchestra in our list of best orchestras in the world. It was formed by former members of the European Community Youth Orchestra, who had surpassed the ECYO’s age limit but wanted to continue playing together.
The COE is based in London, though in reality it has links across Europe. Its 60 members, for example, are drawn from right across the continent.
Over its 40-year history to date, the COE has forged links with a variety of illustrious conductors and performers, including Claudio Abbado and Nikolaus Harnoncourt. With the latter, the orchestra recorded a groundbreaking cycle of the Beethoven symphonies.
Performers to have recorded with the COE include Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Emanuel Ax, Lisa Batiashvili, Joshua Bell, brothers Renaud and Gautier Capuçon, Radu Lupu, Maria João Pires and Sir András Schiff.
Recommended recording:
Mozart: Piano Concertos 25 & 27 Chamber Orchestra of Europe/Piotr Anderszewski (piano) Warner Classics 9029572422
‘The Chamber Orchestra of Europe’s woodwind perform like the stars they are.’ Read our review.
Czech Philharmonic
Here is one of the best and most distinctive orchestras in the world.
The Czech Phil has long been loved for, apart from many other virtues, the distinctive quality of its woodwinds, which have always had a prominent, Central European tang to them.
Originally the orchestra of the Prague National Theatre, the Cezch Phil played its first concert under its current name on January 4, 1896. The great composer Antonín Dvořák conducted his own compositions that evening. A little later, in 1908, Gustav Mahler conducted the world premiere of his Symphony No. 7.
Václav Talich was the orchestra’s first great principal conductor, leading the Czech Phil to great exploits from 1919 to 1931, and again from 1933 to 1941. The subsequent rollcall of chief conductors is illustrious (and decidedly Czech), including Rafael Kubelík (1942-1948), Karel Ančerl (1950-1968), Václav Neumann (1968-1989), and Jiří Bělohlávek (1990-1992).
The latter achieved, among other things, a wonderful cycle of the symphonies of the great 20th-century Czech composer Bohuslav Martinů – as well as, of course, some brilliant Dvořák recordings.
The current man at the top is Semyon Bychkov, who has recently extended his tenure in Prague.
Recommended recording:
Mahler: Symphony No. 4 Czech Philharmonic / Semyon Bychkov Pentatone PTC 5186 972
Dresden Staatskapelle
Plenty of orchestras have rich and storied histories: however, the Dresden Staatskapelle fares better than most here. Founded in 1548, it is one of the world’s oldest and most highly regarded orchestras. Its precursor ensemble was Die Kurfürstlich-Sächsische und Königlich-Polnische Kapelle (The Electoral Saxon and Royal Polish Orchestra). The orchestra is the musical body of the Staatsoper Dresden (Dresden State Opera).
The Dresden band has been closely associated with several major composers. In the nineteenth century, Carl Maria von Weber and Richard Wagner both served as its chief conductor, or Hofkapellmeister. Then, in the 1900s, Richard Strauss served as both conductor of and composer for the Staatskapelle, with several of his works getting premieres in Dresden.
Later still, the Staatskapelle became known for its characterful brass sound, heard to great effect in the Bruckner symphonies cycle recorded in the 1970s under conductor Eugen Jochum.
Recommended recording:
Bruckner: the Symphonies
Staatskapelle Dresden/Eugen Jochum Warner Classics
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig / Leipzig Gewandhaus
The Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra lays claim to a 500-year history. But its modern incarnation is somewhat different to its ancestral ensemble of pipers… In the (relatively) modern era, its most famous conductor has been the composer Felix Mendelssohn, who lived in Leipzig and who premiered many of his own works with the orchestra.
Since Mendelssohn, the likes of Arthur Nikisch, Wilhelm Furtwängler and Bruno Walter have led the Gewandhaus Orchestra. However, its golden era was under Kurt Masur who stayed over 25 years, between 1970 and 1996.
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- What’s the difference between chamber music and orchestral music?
With Masur, the orchestra made many acclaimed discs for the Philips and EMI labels, including a now legendary recording of Strauss’s Four Last Songs with soprano Jessye Norman, the Bruch and Mendelssohn Violin Concertos with Maxim Vengerov and symphony cycles of Mendelssohn and Beethoven.
Riccardo Chailly’s tenure, between 2005 and 2016, was marked with many acclaimed Decca recordings – his recordings of Brahms’s complete symphonies and serenades are surely among the finest ever made. Andris Nelsons is now six years into his conductorship – the Leipzig Gewandhaus sounds as refined and majestic as ever.
Recommended recording:
Strauss: Vier letzte Lieder and Other Lieder Jessye Norman (soprano), Gewandhausorchester Leipzig/Kurt Masur Philips 4758507
Orchestre de Paris
Formed in 1967, Paris’s major orchestra may be one of the youngest on our list, but it lacks for nothing in terms of pedigree and expertise. Of course, the French capital had an orchestra long before the late Sixties.
The OdP’s predecessor was the Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire, founded in 1828. During its 140-year span, this orchestra saw tenures from music directors including Charles Munch and André Cluytens, and gave premieres to such major works as Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique, Saint-Saëns‘s Cello Concerto No. 1, and César Franck‘s Symphony in D minor.
The Orchestre de Paris, for its part, plays a huge part in the cultural life of its nation. Herbert von Karajan was its interim music advisor from 1969 to 1971, after which the likes of Sir Georg Solti, Daniel Barenboim, and Semyon Bychkov have headed up the French ensemble.
Recommended recording:
Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 1-7 Orchestre de Paris / Paavo Järvi
Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
Founded in 1908, the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia was the first ensemble to devote itself to symphonic repertoire. Among its historic conductors, Giuseppe Sinopoli steered the orchestra around to Mahler and Bruckner, while Leonard Bernstein was its honorary president from 1983 to 1990.
Under Antonio Pappano (appointed in 2005), the Santa Cecilia orchestra, based in Rome, has flourished. Pappano has taken the orchestra across the world to the greatest festivals, and has made a mark with blistering recordings of Verdi, Respighi, Britten, Rossini and more. There’s a freshness and vitality to this ensemble that few can match.
Recommended recording:
Verdi’s Aida Anja Harteros, Jonas Kaufmann, Erwin Schrott, Ekaterina Semenchuk, Ludovic Tézier; Orchestra e coro dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia/Sir Antonio Pappano Warner Classics 2564610663
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Based in Amsterdam, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra came of age under the baton of conducting god Bernard Haitink, who stayed with the orchestra for over 25 years until 1988. His tenure wasn’t without controversy, however, and in the face of cuts in government financial support, Haitink threatened to resign.
Riccardo Chailly took over from Haitink, continuing the orchestra’s rule in Mahler, Brahms and 20th-century repertoire including Shostakovich and Stravinsky. The RCO’s fortunes continued with Mariss Jansons in post from 2004 who released spectacular recordings of Mahler, Bruckner, Shostakovich and much else.
Daniele Gatti took over from Jansons in 2016, but was forced to stand down two years later following investigations into complaints of alleged inappropriate behaviour. The RCO is one of the most distinctive orchestras in the world – its smooth sound has no doubt been helped by the exceptional acoustics of the Concertgebouw main hall itself.
Recommended recording:
Mahler: Symphony 2 Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra/Daniele Gatti
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
The 190-year-old Vienna Phil’s USP is its refusal to appoint a permanent principal conductor – which means that its players rule the roost. It’s also an orchestra previously mired by accusations of extreme conservatism: its first female member was not admitted until 1997.
Today, however, the gender balance within is happier, and the orchestra plays with the same polish and sheen that has been the bedrock of its reputation over the years. On the surface, the VPO sounds different from most orchestras simply because it uses a higher-pitch tuning and different instruments.
The latter include its clarinets (German Öhler system), a special ‘Wiener’ oboe and the ‘Vienna’ horn. But these aside, the VPO is still a crack orchestra, admired across the world. The orchestra performs its world-famous Johann Strauss-themed Vienna New Year’s Day Concerts each year, broadcast to millions across the world. Its illustrious back catalogue includes the first-ever complete recording of Wagner’s Ring Cycle – one of the greatest recordings of all time.
Recommended recording:
Mozart: The Marriage of Figaro Hilde Gueden (Susanna), Cesare Siepi (Figaro), Lisa della Casa (Countess Almaviva), Alfred Poell (Count Almaviva), Suzanne Danco (Cherubino), Vienna Philharmonic/Erich Kleiber Decca 4663692
World’s best orchestras: UK
Academy of St Martin in the Fields
This revered chamber orchestra has been synonymous with beautiful performances of works from the Baroque and Classical eras ever since their inception in 1958. They have strayed into the Romantic, with some success: their pared-down readings of the Schumann symphonies – with founder and conductor Neville Marriner, who was so inextricably linked to their success.
The ASMF and Marriner are perhaps best remembered, though, for recording the soundtrack to the Oscar-winning film Amadeus, a fictional account of the life of Mozart and his (alleged) feud with rival Antonio Salieri and arguably the greatest classical music film ever made. The soundtrack for the film features the ASMF performing many of Mozart’s most popular compositions.
Recorded in 1984, the soundtrack soared to the very top spot in the Billboard Classical Albums Chart, and even (no mean feat this) topped out at number 56 in the Billboard Popular Albums Chart. To date it has sold more than 6.5 million copies, making it one of the most popular classical music recordings of all time.
Recommended recording:
Mozart: The Great Piano Concertos Vol. 1 (numbers 19-24) Alfred Brendel (piano); Academy of St Martin in the Fields/Neville Marriner
BBC Symphony Orchestra
You don’t get the honour of performing at both the First Night and Last Night of the Proms without being a pretty crack orchestra. And that’s just the privilege that the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the BBC’s principal broadcast orchestra, has enjoyed since its formation in 1930.
Standards of performance really started to take an upward turn in the 1960s, when William Glock was controller of music at the BBC. Some golden patches followed, including under two much-missed condiuctors, Andrew Davis in the 1990s and Jiří Bělohlávek the following decade. These days, the BBC SO is generally considered one of Britain’s very best orchestras. Its current conductor is the dynamic Dalia Stasevska.
Recommended recording
An Orchestral Songbook Paul Weller; BBC Symphony Orcherstra/Jules Buckley
The Hallé
Since 1857, Manchester’s Hallé Orchestra has had its triumphant ups and devastating downs, to be sure. Despite some notable musical successes – including the premiere performance of Elgar’s Symphony No. 1 – decades of financial trouble dogged it up until 1943 when the sure hand of John Barbirolli led it to international stardom.
Barbirolli did his best until 1970, recording some of the finest performances of Mahler and Elgar on record, but years of mismanagement blighted the tenures of Stanisław Skrowaczewski and Kent Nagano, the latter of whom aimed high in his repertoire ambitions, and was criticised for it.
Under the current leadership of Mark Elder, however, the Hallé has risen to new heights, and is arguably the finest interpreter of English music of any ensemble. Their recordings of Wagner operas, too, have received particular acclaim.
Read our reviews of the latest Hallé Orchestra recordings
Recommended recording:
Vaughan Williams: Symphonies Nos 4 & 6 Hallé Orchestra/Mark Elder Hallé HLL 7547
London Symphony Orchestra
The LSO can play anything – its players can seemingly turn on a halfpenny, performing Haydn one moment and Lutosławski the next, both with the same utter conviction and consummate skill. Its radiant sound (including a terrific brass section) and versatility has made it the go-to orchestra for film soundtracks, recording many of John Williams’s famous scores for the silver screen.
The LSO has enjoyed a vast roster of principal, guest and assistant conductors, all bringing their individual interpretations to bear. Its current principal conductor is Simon Rattle, but he will stand down after the 2024 BBC Proms, to be replaced by Antonio Pappano.
The LSO has a distinguished roster of past conductors, including André Previn – who brought a media-friendly celebrity and energy to the orchestra – and Claudio Abbado. It’s arguably the most exciting orchestra in the UK, and its own LSO Live record label has produced recordings of the highest quality from its London Barbican home.
Recommended recording:
Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring Barbara Hannigan (soprano); London Symphony Orchestra/Simon Rattle LSO Live LSO 3028
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
The UK’s oldest continually working professional symphony orchestra, the RLPO has enjoyed some successful tenures from conductors including Charles Groves, Malcolm Sargent and, albeit for just three years back in the 1880s, the composer Max Bruch. One of the orchestra’s most successful periods, in fact, came very recently, under the chief conductorship of the brilliant Russian conductor Vasily Petrenko. During this time the orchestra performed and recorded, among much else, an absolutely treasurable cycle of the Shostakovich symphonies.
Recommended recording:
Shostakovich: Symphonies 5 & 9 RLPO/Vasily Petrenko
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
The Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO), also known by its Scottish Gaelic name of Orcastra Nàiseanta Rìoghail na h-Alba, is based in Glasgow. There has been an orchestra in situ since 1843: after various name evolutions, it took on its current title with its royal patronage in 1977 (much like the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic above). One standout date in the RSNO’s relatively recent history was performing, in 2004, at the opening ceremony for the new Scottish Parliament building.
The RSNO performs regularly throughout Scotland, at concert venues including Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Usher Hall, Caird Hall, Aberdeen Music Hall, Perth Concert Hall and Eden Court Theatre. Its distinguished roll call of past chief conductors include George Szell, John Barbirolli, and Alexander Gibson, during whose 25-year tenure the RSNO recorded, among other things, an acclaimed set of the symphonies and tone poems of Jean Sibelius.
The 1980s and 1990s were another purple patch: for Chandos the orchestra set down superb cycles of two great 20th-century symphony cycles: those of Prokofiev (with Neeme Järvi) and Martinů (with Bryden Thomson).
Recommended recording:
Bruckner: Symphony 3 (1873 original version, ed. Nowak) Royal Scottish National Orchestra/Georg Tintner
World’s best orchestras: Asia
NHK Symphony Orchestra
Next in our survey of the best orchestras in the world, we’re off to Japan.
The Nihon Hōsō Kyōkai (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) Symphony Orchestra, to give it its full name, is approaching its first centenary, having started life as the New Symphony Orchestra on October 5, 1926. Japan’s first professional symphony orchestra, it later became the Japan Symphony Orchestra and then took its current name in 1951, after the nation’s broadcaster stepped in to provide financial support.
Conductors to have held roles at the NHK Orchestra in the past include Vladimir Ashkenazy, Charles Dutoit, Wolfgang Sawallisch (an honorary conductor from 1967 to 1994), and Herbert Blomstedt, who has served as honorary conductor since 1986. The orchestra’s current chief conductor is Fabio Luisi.
Recommended recording:
Strauss: Ein Heldenleben / Don Juan NHK Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo/ Paavo Järvi RCO 88985391762
‘Of the generalisations trotted out about Japanese playing, those about fine-tuning and focus turn out to be absolutely true; the one about lack of emotion completely false.’ Read our review of this fabulous disc.
Singapore Symphony Orchestra
The SSO is (by a whisker) the second youngest orchestra on our list, having been founded as recently as 1978. That’s a quick rise to becoming, on current form, one of the best orchestras in the world. Among its notable features are its principal concert venue, the sinuous and futuristic Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay.
The SSO has already made a healthy number of recordings with labels including BIS Records. Its catalogue includes the first recording of the complete cycle of Alexander Tcherepnin’s six piano concertos and four symphonies on BIS. There was also a much-praised 2007 recording of Debussy’s La mer.
Recommended recording:
Shostakovich: Jazz & Variety Singapore Symphony Orchestra/Andrew Litton BIS BIS-2472 (CD/SACD)
Read our review here.