Royal Liverpool Philharmonic is a music organisation based in

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

, England, that manages a professional symphony orchestra, a concert venue, and extensive programmes of learning through music. Its orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, is the UK's oldest continuing professional symphony orchestra. In addition to the orchestra, the organisation administers the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir, the Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Company and other choirs and ensembles. It is involved in educational and community projects in Liverpool and its surrounding region. It is based in the

Liverpool Philharmonic Hall Liverpool Philharmonic Hall is a concert hall on Hope Street, Liverpool, Hope Street in Liverpool, England. It is the home of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society and is recorded in the National Heritage List f ...

, an

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

concert hall built in the late 1930s.

History

19th century

The organisation has its origins in a group of music amateurs in the early 19th century. They had met during the 1830s in St Martin's Church under the leadership of William Sudlow, a stockbroker and organist; their main interest was choral music.Spiegl, Fritz and Sara Cohen
"Liverpool"
Grove Music Online, Oxford University Press. Retrieved 14 June 2013 The Liverpool Philharmonic Society was established on 10 January 1840 with the object of promoting "the Science and Practice of Music"; its orchestra consisted largely of amateur players. The society was the second of its kind to be established, the first being the London-based

Royal Philharmonic Society The Royal Philharmonic Society (RPS) is a British music society, formed in 1813. Its original purpose was to promote performances of instrumental music in London. Many composers and performers have taken part in its concerts. It is now a memb ...

whose orchestra was disbanded in 1932. The organisation was founded for the rich and élite members of Liverpool society, for "the pleasure of the moneyed merchant class in the town". Its first concert was given on 12 March 1840 in a room at the back of a dance academy in Great Richmond Street and was conducted by John Russell with William Sudlow as organist. The programme consisted of 13 short orchestral and choral pieces, including works by Auber,

Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. He gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano p ...

Spohr Louis Spohr (, 5 April 178422 October 1859), baptized Ludewig Spohr, later often in the modern German form of the name Ludwig was a German composer, violinist and conductor. Highly regarded during his lifetime, Spohr composed ten symphonies, te ...

, Henry Bishop, and

George Onslow George Onslow may refer to: *George Onslow (British Army officer) (1731–1792), British politician and army officer *George Onslow, 1st Earl of Onslow (1731–1814), British peer and politician *George Onslow (composer) (1784–1853), French compo ...

, and

madrigals A madrigal is a form of secular vocal music most typical of the Renaissance (15th–16th centuries) and early Baroque (1580–1650) periods, although revisited by some later European composers. The polyphonic madrigal is unaccompanied, and the ...

Thomas Morley Thomas Morley (1557 – early October 1602) was an English composer, music theory, theorist, singer and organist of late Renaissance music. He was one of the foremost members of the English Madrigal School. Referring to the strong Italian inf ...

and

John Wilbye John Wilbye (baptized 7 March 1574September 1638) was an English madrigal composer. Early life and education The son of a tanner, he was born at Brome, Suffolk, England. (Brome is near Diss, Norfolk.) Career Wilbye received the patronage of th ...

. The society outgrew this room and gave its performances in the hall of the Collegiate Institution in Shaw Street. In 1843 the society appointed its first principal conductor, the Swiss-born J. Zeugheer Herrmann, who continued in this role until his death in 1865. During the following year, the orchestra performed its first symphonies, Haydn's No. 99 and Beethoven's First. In 1844 the society appointed the Liverpool architect John Cunningham to prepare plans for a concert hall to be situated at the junction of Hope Street and Myrtle Street. It was to contain an audience of 2,100 and an orchestra of 250. To raise money for its building, shares were issued and members of Liverpool society were invited to buy seats in the boxes to be included in the hall. The

foundation stone A cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry Foundation (engineering), foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entir ...

was laid in 1846 and construction began the following year. In 1847 the society invited

Felix Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic music, Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositions inc ...

to compose a

cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian language, Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal music, vocal Musical composition, composition with an musical instrument, instrumental accompaniment, ty ...

based on words from Milton's ''

Comus In Greek mythology, Comus (; , ''Kōmos'') is the god of festivity, revels and nocturnal dalliances. Cup-bearer of the god Dionysus, he was represented as a winged youth or a child-like satyr. His mythology occurs only in later antiquity. Duri ...

'' to celebrate the opening of the hall. Mendelssohn died before this could be carried out. The hall cost £30,000 (£ as of ) and was formally opened on 27 August 1849. The first concert was performed by an orchestra of 96 and a choir of over 200; performers at the concert included three future conductors of the orchestra,

Alfred Mellon Alfred Mellon (7 April 1820 – 24 March 1867) was a British violinist, conductor and composer. Mellon was born in Birmingham, to a French father. At the age of 12 he joined the band at the Theatre Royal in that town, becoming leader at 1 ...

Julius Benedict Sir Julius Benedict (27 November 1804 – 5 June 1885) was a German-born composer and conductor, resident in England for most of his career. Life and music Benedict was born in Stuttgart, the son of a Jewish banker, and in 1820 learnt compos ...

and

Charles Hallé Sir Charles Hallé (born Karl Halle; 11 April 181925 October 1895) was a Prussian and British pianist and conductor. In 1858, he founded the Hallé Orchestra. Life Charles Frederick Hallé was born Carl Friederich Halle on 10 April 1819 in H ...

. The organist was W. T. Best. The hall was not full for the first performance; this was attributed to two factors, the high price of admission, and the fear that the building, without central supporting pillars, was unsafe. Problems soon arose. In 1850 the choir formed the Liverpool Philharmonic Auxiliary Society and were in conflict with their conductor. Herrmann offered his resignation, which was not accepted. By 1852 the financial problems of the society were deteriorating. Membership was exclusive and not all the seats on offer had been taken up. Suggestions that the conditions for membership should be relaxed were refused. In 1852 the society widened its activities from music by arranging theatrical performances, including

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

' company and an appearance by

William Makepeace Thackeray William Makepeace Thackeray ( ; 18 July 1811 – 24 December 1863) was an English novelist and illustrator. He is known for his Satire, satirical works, particularly his 1847–1848 novel ''Vanity Fair (novel), Vanity Fair'', a panoramic portra ...

. In 1855 it was discovered that William Sudlow, the Honorary Secretary had been stealing money from the society; an amount of more than £2,424 (£ as of ) had been embezzled. Sudlow resigned from the society. He was replaced by a paid secretary; the post was given to Henry Sudlow, a distant relative of William. Henry was to serve the society for some 30 years with no similar problem. Prominent performers appearing for the society in 1856 were

Jenny Lind Johanna Maria Lind (Madame Goldschmidt) (6 October 18202 November 1887) was a Swedish opera singer, often called the "Swedish Nightingale". One of the most highly regarded singers of the 19th century, she performed in soprano roles in opera in ...

Clara Schumann Clara Josephine Schumann (; ; née Wieck; 13 September 1819 – 20 May 1896) was a German pianist, composer, and piano teacher. Regarded as one of the most distinguished pianists of the Romantic music, Romantic era, she exerted her influence o ...

and Charles Hallé. Dickens returned in 1858 and during that year the society was able to pay off the mortgage on the hall. By 1865 Hermann's health was deteriorating and a new principal conductor, Alfred Mellon, was appointed in September. Mellon died only 18 months later, and was replaced by Julius Benedict, who remained in post until 1880, when his eyesight was deteriorating. While Benedict was principal conductor, the society flourished both artistically and financially. This did not continue during the tenure of the next principal conductor, despite his later fame.

Max Bruch Max Bruch (6 January 1838 – 2 October 1920) was a German Romantic Music, Romantic composer, violinist, teacher, and conductor who wrote more than 200 works, including three violin concertos, the first of which has become a staple of the violin ...

was appointed on 23 February 1880 and served for less than three years. During this time he experienced conflict with the committee of the society and complained about the behaviour of the audience. He resigned in January 1883 at which time the standards of the orchestra and the choir had deteriorated, and members of the committee were disagreeing with each other. The person appointed to sort this out was Charles Hallé who had by this time established the Hallé Orchestra in Manchester. Hallé continued as principal conductor until his death in 1895. During this time the orchestra and choir flourished. Those who appeared with the society during this time included

Paderewski Ignacy Jan Paderewski (; r 1859– 29 June 1941) was a Polish pianist, composer and statesman who was a spokesman for Polish independence. In 1919, he was the nation's prime minister and foreign minister during which time he signed the Tre ...

Hubert Parry Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry, 1st Baronet (27 February 1848 – 7 October 1918), was an English composer, teacher and historian of music. Born in Richmond Hill, Bournemouth, Parry's first major works appeared in 1880. As a composer he is ...

Nellie Melba Dame Nellie Melba (born Helen Porter Mitchell; 19 May 186123 February 1931) was an Australian operatic lyric coloratura soprano. She became one of the most famous singers of the late Victorian era and the early twentieth century, and was the f ...

, and

Clara Butt Dame Clara Ellen Butt (1 February 1872 – 23 January 1936) was an English dramatic contralto and one of the most popular singers from the 1890s through to the 1920s. She had an exceptionally fine contralto voice and an agile singing technique, ...

. In 1883 the secretary, Henry Sudlow, died; he was replaced by George Broadbent.

1900–1939

The next principal conductor was

Frederic Cowen Sir Frederic Hymen Cowen (29 January 1852 – 6 October 1935), was an English composer, conductor and pianist. Early years and musical education Cowen was born Hymen Frederick Cohen at 90 Duke Street, Kingston, Jamaica, Kingston, Jamaica, th ...

who remained in post until 1913. During this time more

Romantic music Romantic music is a stylistic movement in Western Classical music associated with the period of the 19th century commonly referred to as the Romantic era (or Romantic period). It is closely related to the broader concept of Romanticism—the ...

was played, including works by

Elgar Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, (; 2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934) was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestr ...

, and this was not always popular with the audiences. Although the society continued to be exclusive, there was criticism about the behaviour of its members during concerts. Performers who appeared during this time were

Fritz Kreisler Friedrich "Fritz" Kreisler (February 2, 1875 – January 29, 1962) was an Austrian-born American violinist and composer. One of the most noted violin masters of his day, he was known for his sweet tone and expressive phrasing, with marked por ...

, and

Rachmaninoff Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one of ...

, the latter playing his Third Piano Concerto and conducting other works at a concert in 1911. After the resignation of Frederic Cowen, the society did not appoint another principal conductor until 1942. During this period the orchestra was conducted by a series of guest conductors, who included

Wilhelm Furtwängler Gustav Heinrich Ernst Martin Wilhelm Furtwängler ( , ; ; 25 January 188630 November 1954) was a German conductor and composer. He is regarded as one of the greatest Symphony, symphonic and operatic conductors of the 20th century. He was a majo ...

George Szell George Szell (; June 7, 1897 – July 30, 1970), originally György Széll, György Endre Szél, or Georg Szell, was a Hungarian-born American conductor, composer and pianist. Considered one of the twentieth century's greatest conductors ...

Pierre Monteux Pierre Benjamin Monteux (; 4 April 18751 July 1964) was a French (later American) conductor. After violin and viola studies, and a decade as an orchestral player and occasional conductor, he began to receive regular conducting engagements in 1 ...

Serge Koussevitzky Serge Koussevitzky (born Sergey Aleksandrovich Kusevitsky;Koussevitzky's original Russian forename is usually transliterated into English as either "Sergei" or "Sergey"; however, he himself adopted the French spelling "Serge", using it in his sig ...

, and

Bruno Walter Bruno Walter (born Bruno Schlesinger, September 15, 1876February 17, 1962) was a Germany, German-born Conducting, conductor, pianist, and composer. Born in Berlin, he escaped Nazi Germany in 1933, was naturalised as a French people, French cit ...

. Soloists included

Pablo Casals Pau Casals i Defilló (Catalan: ; 29 December 187622 October 1973), known in English as Pablo Casals,John McCormack,

Elisabeth Schumann Elisabeth Schumann (13 June 1888 – 23 April 1952) was a German lyric soprano who sang in opera, operetta, oratorio, and lieder. She left a substantial legacy of recordings. Career Born in Merseburg, Schumann trained for a singing career i ...

Yehudi Menuhin Yehudi Menuhin, Baron Menuhin (22 April 191612 March 1999), was an American-born British violinist and conductor who spent most of his performing career in Britain. He is widely considered one of the greatest violinists of the 20th century. ...

(his first appearance was at the age of 15),

Solomon Solomon (), also called Jedidiah, was the fourth monarch of the Kingdom of Israel (united monarchy), Kingdom of Israel and Judah, according to the Hebrew Bible. The successor of his father David, he is described as having been the penultimate ...

Benno Moiseiwitsch Benno Moiseiwitsch (22 February 18909 April 1963) was a Russian and British pianist. Biography Moiseiwitsch was born to Jewish parents in Odessa, Kherson Governorate, Russian Empire, and began his studies at age seven with Dmitry Klimov at t ...

, and

Maggie Teyte Dame Maggie Teyte (born Margaret Tate; 17 April 188826 May 1976) was an English operatic soprano and interpreter of French art song. Early years Margaret Tate was born in Wolverhampton, England, one of ten children of Jacob James Tate, a suc ...

. The British conductors to have a major influence on the orchestra during this time were

Sir Henry Wood Sir Henry Joseph Wood (3 March 186919 August 1944) was an English conductor best known for his association with London's annual series of promenade concerts, known as the Proms. He conducted them for nearly half a century, introducing hundr ...

and

Sir Thomas Beecham Sir Thomas Beecham, 2nd Baronet, (29 April 18798 March 1961) was an English conductor and impresario best known for his association with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Philh ...

. During the early 1930s there was concern about the deteriorating financial situation of the society. There was a problem in filling seats and it was suggested that the rule of wearing evening dress at concerts should be relaxed; this was turned down. Disaster struck the society on 5 July 1933 when the Philharmonic Hall was destroyed by fire. Concerts were mainly held in the Central Hall until a new hall could be built; larger scale works were performed in St George's Hall. Considerable discussion took place about the financing and the design of the new hall. It was decided that the society would pay for it without help from the City Corporation. Herbert J. Rowse was appointed as architect and he designed to hall in art deco style; it cost a little over £120,000 (£ as of ). Sir Thomas Beecham conducted the opening concert on 20 June 1939. Incorporated in the hall is an organ built by

Rushworth and Dreaper Rushworth and Dreaper was a firm of organ builders, and later general instrument suppliers associated with Paul McCartney, based in Liverpool. The manufacturer was founded in 1828 by William Rushworth (organ builder), William Rushworth. In th ...

, the pipework being hidden behind decorative grilles either side of the orchestra platform. The organ console rises from beneath, and was originally built on a turntable, allowing the organist to face the audience and conductor, or the choir. The console is now fitted with wheels and can be played anywhere on the platform. A Walturdaw rising cinema screen is also housed under the platform, the last such screen in the world still in working order.

Second World War

After the outbreak of the Second World War there was pressure to suspend the orchestra's concerts. The chairman of the management committee, David Webster, strongly resisted it, insisting that music was an essential morale-booster. He set up low-priced concerts for factory workers and members of the armed forces. The pre-war rule insisting that audiences wear formal evening dress was abolished. Webster recruited

Malcolm Sargent Sir Harold Malcolm Watts Sargent (29 April 1895 – 3 October 1967) was an English conductor, organist and composer widely regarded as Britain's leading conductor of choral works. The musical ensembles with which he was associated include ...

as chief conductor; though not generally loved by orchestral players Sargent was immensely popular with the paying public. Guest conductors included Sir Henry Wood and

Charles Münch Charles Munch (; born Karl Münch; 26 September 1891 – 6 November 1968) was an Alsacian French symphonic conductor and violinist. Noted for his mastery of the French orchestral repertoire, he was best known as music director of the Boston ...

.Haltrecht, pp.. 48–49 Wartime disbanding of other orchestras - most notably that of the all-star BBC Salon Orchestra on 11 July 1942 after a month's notice - enabled Webster and Sargent to recruit leading players such as

Anthony Pini Carlos Antonio Pini OBE (15 April 1902 – 1 January 1989) was a cellist, known as a soloist, orchestral section leader and chamber musician. He was principal cellist of five major British orchestras between 1932 and 1976, and a teacher at the Roy ...

and

Reginald Kell Reginald Clifford Kell (8 June 19065 August 1981) was an English clarinettist. He was noted especially for his career as a soloist and chamber music player. He was the principal clarinettist in leading British orchestras, including the London ...

, with the result that for a few years the Liverpool Philharmonic had a strong claim to be the finest orchestra in the country. During Webster's period as chairman, the orchestra increased its concerts from 32 a year to 148 and, in 1942, became a permanent body for the first time. Until then the Philharmonic was not a permanent ensemble, but comprised a nucleus of local players augmented from a pool of musicians who also played for the Hallé and latterly

BBC Northern Orchestra The BBC Philharmonic is a national British broadcasting symphony orchestra and is one of five radio orchestras maintained by the British Broadcasting Corporation. The Philharmonic is a department of the BBC North Group division based at MediaC ...

. During the autumn and winter months the orchestra gave no more than one concert in a fortnight. The Hallé, which operated on a similar ''ad hoc'' basis, followed Liverpool's example the following year and became a permanent ensemble for the first time, under

John Barbirolli Sir John Barbirolli ( Giovanni Battista Barbirolli; 2 December 189929 July 1970) was a British conductor and cellist. He is remembered above all as conductor of the Hallé Orchestra in Manchester, which he helped save from dissolution in 1943 ...

. The financial situation of the society improved in 1942 when the local authority, Liverpool City Corporation, bought the freehold of the hall for £35,000; the corporation undertook to pay the society an annuity of £4,000 and to allow it free use of the hall provided that it gave an agreed number of concerts each year, and maintained a permanent orchestra. The society agreed to promote musical education in and around Liverpool. In Sargent's first season, the orchestra made its first recording, its first broadcast, and gave its first school children's concert. Under him there was a "spectacular explosion" in the number of concerts and recording sessions performed. In 1944 the orchestra made its first appearance in London, performing at the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...

. ''The Times'' commented, "If Liverpool felt any qualms about letting its orchestra, accustomed as it is to the perfect acoustics of its own hall, try its fortunes in the rough and tumble of the Albert Hall, they will have been silenced, for what was immediately apparent was … an ensemble and congruity of tone-colouring that London in its less fortunate conditions can only envy". Sargent and the orchestra gave the British premieres of Tippett's First Symphony, and Bartók's

Concerto for Orchestra Although a concerto is usually a piece of music for one or more solo instruments accompanied by a full orchestra, several composers have written works with the apparently contradictory title Concerto for Orchestra. This title is usually chosen to ...

and, in October 1946, the concert première of Britten's ''

The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra ''The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra'', Op. 34, is a 1945 musical composition by Benjamin Britten with a subtitle ''Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Purcell''. It was based on the second movement, "Rondeau", of the ''Abdelazer'' suit ...

''. Guest conductors in the immediate postwar years included Beecham,

Sir Adrian Boult Sir Adrian Cedric Boult, CH (; 8 April 1889 – 22 February 1983) was a British conductor. Brought up in a prosperous mercantile family, he followed musical studies in England and at Leipzig, Germany, with early conducting work in London ...

, the young

Charles Groves Sir Charles Barnard Groves CBE (10 March 191520 June 1992) was an English conductor. He was known for the breadth of his repertoire and for encouraging contemporary composers and young conductors. After accompanying positions and conducting ...

, and

Karl Rankl Karl Rankl (1 October 1898 – 6 September 1968) was a British conductor and composer who was of Austrian birth. A pupil of the composers Schoenberg and Webern, he conducted at opera houses in Austria, Germany and Czechoslovakia until fleeing f ...

, who made so good an impression that he was appointed musical director of the Covent Garden Opera Company.

Late 1940s–1960s

In 1948 Sargent resigned as principal conductor. On 2 October 1949

and the Liverpool Philharmonic (conducted by

) played at

Belle Vue, Manchester Belle Vue is an area of Manchester, England, sited east of the city centre; it is bordered by the Hope Valley line to the east and the Glossop line to the west. It is part of the electoral ward of Longsight. History In 1897, the machine tool ...

. Sargent's successor,

Hugo Rignold Hugo Henry Rignold (15 May 1905 – 30 May 1976) was an English conductor and violinist, who is best remembered as musical director of the Royal Ballet (1957–1960) and conductor of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (1960–1968). A ...

, initially had a difficult time, partly because of his background as a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

and dance band player. However, he served in the post for six years and left in 1954 with an enhanced reputation. From 1955 the society had joint principal conductors, John Pritchard and

Efrem Kurtz Efrem Kurtz (; November 7, 1900June 27, 1995) was a Russian conductor. Life and career Kurtz was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia. He studied at the Saint Petersburg conservatory with Alexander Glazunov and Nikolai Tcherepnin, among others. He ...

. The latter resigned in 1957 and Pritchard continued as sole principal conductor until 1963. In August 1956, the orchestra, conducted by Basil Cameron, made its

Prom A promenade dance or prom is a formal dance party for graduating high school students at the end of the school year. Students participating in the prom will typically vote for a ''prom king'' and ''prom queen''. Other students may be honored ...

debut with an all Beethoven programme, consisting of the

Fidelio ''Fidelio'' (; ), originally titled ' (''Leonore, or The Triumph of Marital Love''), Opus number, Op. 72, is the sole opera by German composer Ludwig van Beethoven. The libretto was originally prepared by Joseph Sonnleithner from the French of ...

overture, the violin concerto with Campoli as soloist, and Symphony No.5. In 1957 the society and orchestra were granted "Royal" status and were authorised to include this word in their title. The following year the

Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

became the patron of the orchestra. In 1958 the society instigated a competition for young conductors. The first winner was

Zubin Mehta Zubin Mehta (born 29 April 1936) is an Indian conductor of Western classical music. He is music director emeritus of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) and conductor :wikt:emeritus, emeritus of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Mehta's father ...

. Under Pritchard's successor the competition became a seminar for young conductors, in which participants included Andrew Davis (conductor), Andrew Davis, Mark Elder, John Eliot Gardiner, James Judd and Barry Wordsworth. Pritchard was a champion of contemporary music and with the help of David Lloyd-Jones (conductor), David Lloyd-Jones he introduced a series of concerts known as ''Musica Viva'' showcasing new compositions. During Pritchard's time, the society commissioned William Walton, Walton to write his Symphony No. 2 (Walton), Second Symphony, which received its première at the Edinburgh International Festival, Edinburgh Festival in 1960. Pritchard was succeeded by Charles Groves, who served as principal conductor for 14 years until he resigned in 1977. Groves helped to maintain the high standards of the orchestra and also encouraged the work of modern composers. He was the first English conductor to direct a full cycle of Gustav Mahler, Mahler's symphonies. The orchestra undertook its first overseas tour in 1966, playing in Germany and Switzerland. In 1968 Groves conducted a performance of Olivier Messiaen, Messiaen's ''Turangalîla-Symphonie, Turangalîla Symphony'', in the presence of the composer, with Messiaen's wife, Yvonne Loriod, playing the concertante piano part.

1970s–present day

After Groves' fourteen years' tenure as principal conductor, each of his three successors remained in post for much shorter periods; Walter Weller from 1977 to 1980, David Atherton from 1980 to 1983 and Marek Janowski from 1983 to 1987. In 1983 Edward Cowie was made Composer in Residence, the first such appointment to a major British orchestra. Musically the society was also entering a period of greater security with the appointment in 1987 of Libor Pešek as principal conductor. Pešek remained in post for ten years and during this time the standards and popularity of the orchestra improved. In Pešek's first season, the director of the society, Stephen Gray, retired after 23 years in the post. The occasion was marked by a concert at which Groves, Weller, Atherton, Janowski, Pešek and a former associate conductor, Simon Rattle, all conducted. In 1990 Royal Liverpool Philharmonic celebrated the 150th anniversary of its foundation. In the 1990–91 season, among the works performed that were new to the society was Paul McCartney's Liverpool Oratorio, conducted in Liverpool Cathedral by Carl Davis. In 1992, a rear extension was added to the hall. During the following year, while on tour, the orchestra was the first non-Czech orchestra to perform the opening concert in the Prague Spring International Music Festival, Prague Spring Festival. The hall was refurbished in 1995 at a cost of £10.3 million; during this time concerts were performed in Liverpool Cathedral. As part of this refurbishment, the curving interior, which had originally been constructed in fibrous plaster, was replaced with concrete. In 1997, Libor Pešek stood down as principal conductor and was given the title of conductor laureate. Petr Altrichter was the next chief conductor, from 1997 to 2001. Gerard Schwarz succeeded Altrichter, from 2001 to 2006. In 2006, Vasily Petrenko became chief conductor, at age 29 the youngest conductor to have held the post. Also in 2006 the society entered into a sponsorship agreement with the radio music station Classic FM (UK), Classic FM. It was the station's first arts partner and the orchestra was given the title of the ''Classic FM Orchestra in North West England''. As a result of this partnership, concerts of more "popular and accessible" pieces from the classical repertoire are played, and the radio station broadcasts some of these concerts. By the start of 2008, the station had broadcast 25 concerts, and the contract for the partnership has been extended to 2012. In 2008 Liverpool was a European Capital of Culture and the society played a major role in the events performed as part of this celebration. In 2009, Petrenko's title was changed from principal conductor to chief conductor, and he extended his contract with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra until 2015. In July 2018, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra announced that Petrenko would conclude his chief conductorship at the close of the 2020–2021 season, and then become the orchestra's conductor laureate. In June 2019, Domingo Hindoyan first guest-conducted the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. In June 2020, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra announced the appointment of Hindoyan as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2021–2022 season. In July 2023, the RLPO announced the extension of Hindoyan's contract as chief conductor through July 2028.

Associated organisations

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir

A choir has been an integral part of Liverpool Philharmonic since its foundation. Originally called the Liverpool Philharmonic Choir, the name "Royal" was added to its title in 1990. Its longest serving chorus master was Dr J. E. Wallace who held this position from 1929 to 1970, apart from a break during the Second World War.

Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Company

Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Company works with young musicians of varying levels of expertise from across the Liverpool City Region. The Youth Company comprises four ensembles: Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Academy Orchestra, Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Session Orchestra, and Liverpool Philharmonic Brass Band. The Youth Company also includes four choirs: Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Choir, Liverpool Philharmonic Cambiata Choir, Liverpool Philharmonic Children's Choir and Liverpool Philharmonic Melody Makers. The organisation's Youth Orchestra was founded as the Merseyside Youth Orchestra in 1951. Its conductor for the first 22 years of its existence was William Jenkins. Since 2014 its Principal Conductor has been Simon Emery, director of music at the local Liverpool Blue Coat School. The first work to be performed by the orchestra was the overture to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Mozart's ''The Magic Flute''. The orchestra changed its name to the present one in 2006. Its patron is Sir Simon Rattle, who was a percussionist in the orchestra from 1965 to 1972.

Ensemble 10:10

This group was formed in 1997 by two members of the orchestra, principal clarinettist Nick Cox and associate principal cello Hilary Browning, to address a gap in programming by performing works of Contemporary classical music, contemporary music and was initially run by the players themselves, receiving funding from the north-west arts board. It was later taken over by the society and has since been conducted by Clark Rundell, and has performed a large number of world premières.

Projects

Learning Programme

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic has been organising events aimed towards schools and the community since the 1940s, when Sargent introduced concerts for schools. These concerts still exist today, with the organisation hosting a series of 13 Schools’ Concerts every year which are attended by around 18000 young people from across the region. In 2003 the society a project known as ''Music for Life'' was launched to work with people in the most deprived areas in the city, working with primary schools and their communities. The project includes providing instruments and supporting a children's orchestra and a community choir. Liverpool Philharmonic established In Harmony Liverpool in 2009 – a learning programme which uses orchestral music-making to improve the life chances of children in North Liverpool. Participants take part in ensembles and music lessons which aim to increase their confidence, wellbeing and skills, and offer opportunities to travel, learn, perform and collaborate with professional musicians, international artists and other young people. Liverpool Philharmonic was previously the principal Higher Education Partner with Liverpool Hope University, supplying members of the orchestra to teach in their music department, and arranging workshops and Master class, masterclasses. Students from the Royal Northern College of Music are invited to gain experience by rehearsing and playing with the orchestra and with Ensemble 10:10. Liverpool Philharmonic is also part of the Liverpool Arts Regeneration Consortium. Liverpool Philharmonic runs a Classical Music Industry MA in partnership with the University of Liverpool for those keen to progress their career in the classical music industry, or enter or develop a career in arts management. Liverpool Philharmonic established the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra Emerging Musicians Fellowship in 2021. Run annually, the programme immerses four emerging orchestral musicians in the daily life of a professional orchestra, giving them the opportunity to rehearse, perform, train and carry out education programmes alongside the musicians of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2015, Liverpool Philharmonic established the Christopher Brooks Prize, now known as the Rushworth Composition Prize, which offers an early-career composer of original music the opportunity to work alongside Liverpool Philharmonic. The prize winner takes part in workshops and masterclasses with composers, performers, conductors and other industry professionals associated with Liverpool Philharmonic, and is commissioned to write a new work to be performed by Ensemble 10:10.

Health

Since 2008, Liverpool Philharmonic has delivered its Music and Mental Health programme. Encouraging self-expression and skills development, the programme offers anyone experiencing mental ill-health in the local area the opportunity to access and benefit from music to aid their recovery and wellbeing. Working alongside Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust, other NHS partners and mental health charities, the programme has supported over 14,000 service users and their families across a variety of inpatient and community settings since its inception. The programme sees musicians from the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra working with participants across a range of workshops and concerts, including music-making, composition and song writing, improvisation, participant-led group performances, Dementia Friendly and Relaxed concerts, and adult learning opportunities.

Recordings

The orchestra society made its earliest recordings before WWII with Moiseiwitsch performing Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No 2 (1937 with Walter Goehr) and Paganini Variations (1938, Basil Cameron) Among the early efforts were in 1943, William Walton, Walton's ''Belshazzar's Feast (Walton), Belshazzar's Feast'', and the Arthur Bliss's Piano Concerto (Bliss), Piano Concerto in B-flat, with Solomon as soloist, and conducted by Boult. In 1998 the orchestra became the first in Britain to own and run its own record label, known as 'RLPO Live'. This was a company created by the members of the orchestra, using the technical expertise of its own members to create recordings of live performances, with the performers, conductor and soloists being equal shareholders. As a recording orchestra the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra has a varied and critically acclaimed discography throughout the era of recording, the famous Handel Messiah, Mendelsohn Elijah and Elgar Dream of Gerontius early LPs with Sargent and notable first recordings of British works, e.g. Frederick Delius and Arthur Bliss with Groves and Handley, both of whom have left an extensive British recorded repertoire with the orchestra. In particular, and more recently, Libor Pešek made a number of award-winning recordings with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra of Czech composers, including symphonies and orchestral music of Antonín Dvořák and Josef Suk. The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra's catalogue also includes a complete symphony cycle and other works by Beethoven with Sir Charles Mackerras, Britten, Mahler symphonies with Schwarz, Pešek and Mackerras, as well as many works of Rachmaninov, Smetana and Richard Strauss with those conductors. A full Vaughan Williams symphony cycle and other works with Vernon Handley was also made, several of them receiving 'Best Recording in Category' of The Gramophone magazine's recommendations. Many of these recordings feature the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir. A complete cycle of all six symphonies by the Danish composer Carl Nielsen, in a new edition, has been released by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Douglas Bostock. Petrenko has recorded the complete Shostakovich symphonies. His recording of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Tchaikovsky's ''Manfred Symphony'' and ''The Voyevoda (symphonic ballad), The Voyevoda'' was Awarded Best Orchestral in the Gramophone Award 2009. and the Shostakovich Symphony No 10 received the same award in 2011. Petrenko has also recorded the Rachmaninov Symphonies and Piano Concertos with Simon Trpčeski and in 2017 completed a Tchaikovsky symphonies cycle achieving the 'Record of the Year 2017' award for the performance of the 1st, 2nd and 5th from 'BBC Music Magazine'. The British repertoire is continuing, notably an Alwyn symphony cycle and orchestral works under David Lloyd-Jones; also Petrenko took the Elgar Symphonies and orchestral works and Andrew Manze's new Vaughan Williams cycle completed both series in 2019. Much of this recording legacy is due to the availability of the Hall for recording and rehearsal purposes and is now supplemented by The Friary, rehearsal studio, which is the venue for the outreach programme 'In Harmony' in the West Everton district of the city.

Honours and awards

In 1989 the society and orchestra received an honorary fellowship from Liverpool John Moores University and in 1991 they became one of the first organisations to be awarded the Freedom of the City of Liverpool. The City of Liverpool granted them an honour of Meritorious Service in 1997. In the Classic FM Gramophone Awards 2007, Vasily Petrenko was named Young Artist of the Year. In 2009 the orchestra and Ensemble 10/10 were joint winners of the title Ensemble of the Year in the Royal Philharmonic Society Music Awards, with Ensemble 10/10 being the winners in the Concert Series of the Year category. The hall won the title of the Best Performing Venue in The Mersey Partnership Annual Tourism Awards in both 2006 and 2009.

Present day

Each year the society organises more than 60 concerts of classical music played by the orchestra. It arranges other events in the hall, including performances of pop, rock, folk and jazz music and comedy shows. Films are shown on the Walturdaw screen (which rises from the stage on a counterbalance system), accompanied by Dave Nicholas, the resident Theatre organ, cinema organist, prior to the screenings. The society also arranges concerts in the Concert Room of St George's Hall. The orchestra tours to other towns and cities in the UK and abroad. In March 2010 it toured in Switzerland. The hall can be hired for corporate or private events. The orchestra rehearses and makes recordings at the Liverpool Philharmonic at the Friary.

References

Notes Bibliography * * * * * * *

External links

Liverpool Philharmonic Official Website
{{Authority control Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, 1840 establishments in England Musical groups from Liverpool British symphony orchestras English orchestras English choirs Organizations established in 1840 Organisations based in England with royal patronage Hope Street, Liverpool