The BBC Philharmonic is a national British broadcasting
symphony orchestra
An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families.
There are typically four main sections of instruments:
* bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, ce ...
and is one of five
radio orchestra
A radio orchestra (or broadcast orchestra) is an orchestra employed by a radio network (and sometimes television networks) in order to provide programming as well as sometimes perform incidental or theme music for various shows on the network. In ...
s maintained by the
British Broadcasting Corporation #REDIRECT BBC
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. The Philharmonic is a department of the
BBC North Group division based at
MediaCityUK
MediaCityUK is a mixed-use property development on the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal in Salford, Greater Manchester, England. The project was developed by Peel Media; its principal tenants are media organisations and the Quayside MediaCi ...
, Salford. The orchestra's primary concert venue is the
Bridgewater Hall
The Bridgewater Hall is a concert venue in Manchester city centre, England. It cost around £42 million to build in the 1990s, and hosts over 250 performances a year. It is home to the 165-year-old Hallé Orchestra as well as to the Hallé ...
, Manchester.
History
The 2ZY Orchestra was formed in 1922 for a Manchester
radio station of the same name. It gave the first broadcast performances of many famous
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
works, including
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 ...
's ''
Dream of Gerontius
''The Dream of Gerontius'', Op. 38, is a work for voices and orchestra in two parts composed by Edward Elgar in 1900, to text from the poem by John Henry Newman. It relates the journey of a pious man's soul from his deathbed to his judgment b ...
'' and ''
Enigma Variations
Edward Elgar composed his ''Variations on an Original Theme'', Op. 36, popularly known as the ''Enigma Variations'', between October 1898 and February 1899. It is an orchestral work comprising fourteen variations on an original theme.
Elgar ...
'' and
Holst
Gustav Theodore Holst (born Gustavus Theodore von Holst; 21 September 1874 – 25 May 1934) was an English composer, arranger and teacher. Best known for his orchestral suite ''The Planets'', he composed many other works across a range ...
's ''
The Planets
''The Planets'', Op. 32, is a seven- movement orchestral suite by the English composer Gustav Holst, written between 1914 and 1917. In the last movement the orchestra is joined by a wordless female chorus. Each movement of the suite is name ...
''. The orchestra was part-funded by the
British Broadcasting Company
The British Broadcasting Company Ltd. (BBC) was a short-lived British commercial broadcasting company formed on 18 October 1922 by British and American electrical companies doing business in the United Kingdom. Licensed by the British Genera ...
(precursor of the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
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), and renamed the Northern Wireless Orchestra in 1926.
When the
BBC Symphony Orchestra
The BBC Symphony Orchestra (BBC SO) is a British orchestra based in London. Founded in 1930, it was the first permanent salaried orchestra in London, and is the only one of the city's five major symphony orchestras not to be self-governing. T ...
was established in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
in 1930, the new Corporation cut its regional orchestras' funding. The Northern Wireless Orchestra was
downsized to just nine players, and renamed the Northern Studio Orchestra.
Three years later, however, the BBC reversed its decision and maintained a full orchestra again – since 1934 it was called the BBC Northern Orchestra. This was the beginning of the orchestra in its present form. It rehearsed and broadcast from the Milton Hall, Deansgate, Manchester.
The orchestra played at its first
Prom
A promenade dance, commonly called a prom, is a dance party for high school students. It may be offered in semi-formal black tie or informal suit for boys, and evening gowns for girls. This event is typically held near the end of the school yea ...
in 1961, and enjoyed popularity with performances at the
Free Trade Hall
The Free Trade Hall on Peter Street, Manchester, England, was constructed in 1853–56 on St Peter's Fields, the site of the Peterloo Massacre. It is now a Radisson hotel.
The hall was built to commemorate the repeal of the Corn Laws in 1846. T ...
, a venue it shared with the
Hallé.
On 21 January 1967, the name of the orchestra was changed to the BBC Northern Symphony Orchestra. Following a labour dispute in 1980, the orchestra received a vote of confidence from the BBC in 1982. The BBC expanded the orchestra and changed its name to the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, or the BBC Philharmonic for short.
Yan Pascal Tortelier
Yan Pascal Tortelier (born 19 April 1947) is a French conductor and violinist.
Biography
Born in Paris, Tortelier is the son of the cellist Paul Tortelier, and the brother of Maria de la Pau. Tortelier began piano and violin studies at age 4. ...
was principal conductor of the orchestra from 1992 to 2002, and now holds the title of conductor laureate.
Gianandrea Noseda
Gianandrea Noseda (born 23 April 1964, Sesto San Giovanni, Italy) is an Italian conductor.
Biography
Noseda studied piano and composition in Milan. He began conducting studies at age 27. He furthered his conducting studies with Donato Renzett ...
became principal conductor of the orchestra in September 2002. In October 2006, the orchestra changed Noseda's title to chief conductor, in conjunction with his contract extension through 2010. Noseda concluded his tenure as chief conductor in 2011 and now has the title of conductor laureate along with Tortelier. In July 2010, the orchestra announced the appointment of
Juanjo Mena
Juanjo Mena (also known as Juan José Mena; born 21 September 1965, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Basque Country, Spain) is a Spanish conductor.
Biography
Mena began his music studies at the Vitoria-Gasteiz Conservatory. He later attended the Madrid Ro ...
as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2011–2012 season, with an initial contract of three years.
Vassily Sinaisky
Vassily Serafimovich Sinaisky (Russian: Васи́лий Серафи́мович Сина́йский, born in Abez, Komi Republic, April 20, 1947) is a Russian conductor and pianist.
Biography
Sinaisky studied conducting with Ilya Musin at th ...
, principal guest conductor of the orchestra from 1996 through January 2012, now has the title of conductor emeritus with the orchestra. In March 2011, the orchestra announced the appointment of
John Storgårds
John Gunnar Rafael Storgårds (born 20 October 1963 in Helsinki) is a Finnish violinist and conductor.
Biography
Storgårds studied violin with Esther Raitio and Jouko Ignatius at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, and continued his violin studies ...
as its next principal guest conductor, effective January 2012. In January 2017, the orchestra announced the appointment of Ben Gernon as its next principal guest conductor, as of the autumn of 2017. In parallel, Storgårds took the title of chief guest conductor of the orchestra. Mena concluded his tenure as principal conductor in the summer of 2018.
In March 2018,
Omer Meir Wellber
Omer Meir Wellber (Hebrew: עומר מאיר ולבר; born 28 October 1981, Beersheba) is an Israeli conductor and composer.
Biography
Wellber began musical studies at age 5, on accordion and piano. He became a composition student of Tania Tale ...
first guest-conducted the orchestra. On the basis of this appearance, in October 2018, the orchestra announced the appointment of Wellber as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2019-2020 season, with an initial contract of 4 years. Following his withdrawal from his two scheduled 2022 Proms appearances, Wellber was no longer listed as affiliated with the BBC Philharmonic as of the summer of 2022. Gernon likewise stood down as the orchestra's principal guest conductor in 2022. In November 2022, the orchestra named Storgårds its next chief conductor, with immediate effect.
Since September 2007, the orchestra has been in a major partnership with Salford City Council, enabling the Orchestra to build active links with
Salford
Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...
and its communities. In 2011, the BBC Philharmonic moved to their new dedicated 6,400 sq ft (590 m
2) studio at
dock10 studios in
Media City,
Salford Quays
Salford Quays is an area of Salford, Greater Manchester, England, near the end of the Manchester Ship Canal. Previously the site of Manchester Docks, it became one of the first and largest urban regeneration projects in the United Kingdom foll ...
, along with a number of other BBC departments that made the move.
Performances
Like all BBC performing groups, the orchestra contributes to the schedule of
BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, Radio drama, drama, High culture, culture and the arts ...
. Since 1996, most of the orchestra's live performances have been at the city's
Bridgewater Hall
The Bridgewater Hall is a concert venue in Manchester city centre, England. It cost around £42 million to build in the 1990s, and hosts over 250 performances a year. It is home to the 165-year-old Hallé Orchestra as well as to the Hallé ...
, although it frequently tours the
UK and internationally.
Whilst not having a formal "composer in residence", since 1991, the orchestra has appointed major composers to collaborate in programs of contemporary music, including
Peter Maxwell Davies
Sir Peter Maxwell Davies (8 September 1934 – 14 March 2016) was an English composer and conductor, who in 2004 was made Master of the Queen's Music.
As a student at both the University of Manchester and the Royal Manchester College of Music ...
,
James MacMillan
Sir James Loy MacMillan, (born 16 July 1959) is a Scottish classical composer and conductor.
Early life
MacMillan was born at Kilwinning, in North Ayrshire, but lived in the East Ayrshire town of Cumnock until 1977. His father is James MacMi ...
, and
HK Gruber Heinz Karl "Nali" Gruber (born 3 January 1943), who styles himself HK Gruber professionally, is an Austrian composer, conductor, double bass player and singer. He is a leading figure of the so-called Third Viennese School.
Career
Gruber is said to ...
.
In more recent years, the orchestra has collaborated with
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
in producing orchestral performance with modern artists, including symphonies with bands
Nero
Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 un ...
and
The xx
The xx are an English indie rock band from Wandsworth, London, formed in 2005. The band consists of Romy Madley Croft (guitar, vocals), Oliver Sim (bass guitar, vocals), Jamie Smith, also known as Jamie xx (beats, MPC, record production), a ...
.
The BBC Philharmonic has made over 150 recordings, including series of British
film music
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to e ...
, the music of
George Enescu
George Enescu (; – 4 May 1955), known in France as Georges Enesco, was a Romanian composer, violinist, conductor and teacher. Regarded as one of the greatest musicians in Romanian history, Enescu is featured on the Romanian five lei.
Biog ...
, and
Stokowski Stokowski (feminine: Stokowska, plural: Stokowscy) is a Polish-language surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Anne K. Stokowski (1925–2020), American politician
* Eugene E. Stokowski (1921–1979), American politician
* Ferdynand ...
's
Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...
transcriptions have been featured, all on the
Chandos label.
Principal conductors
*
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 ...
(1944–1951)
*
John Hopkins (1952–1957)
*
George Hurst George Hurst may refer to:
* George Hurst (conductor) (1926–2012), British conductor
* George Hurst (artist) (born 1933), American leather artist
* George Samuel Hurst (1927–2010), health physicist, scientist, inventor, educator and innovator
* ...
(1958–1968)
*
Bryden Thomson
Bryden Thomson (16 July 1928 – 14 November 1991) was a Scottish conductor remembered especially for his championship of British and Scandinavian composers. His recordings include influential surveys of the orchestral music of Hamilton Harty a ...
(1968–1973)
*
Raymond Leppard
Raymond John Leppard (11 August 1927 – 22 October 2019) was a British-American conductor, harpsichordist, composer and editor. In the 1960s, he played a prime role in the rebirth of interest in Baroque music; in particular, he was one of the ...
(1973–1980)
*
Edward Downes
Sir Edward Thomas ("Ted") Downes, CBE (17 June 1924 – 10 July 2009) was an English conductor, specialising in opera.
He was associated with the Royal Opera House from 1952, and with Opera Australia from 1970. He was also well known for his ...
(1980–1991)
*
Yan Pascal Tortelier
Yan Pascal Tortelier (born 19 April 1947) is a French conductor and violinist.
Biography
Born in Paris, Tortelier is the son of the cellist Paul Tortelier, and the brother of Maria de la Pau. Tortelier began piano and violin studies at age 4. ...
(1992–2002)
*
Gianandrea Noseda
Gianandrea Noseda (born 23 April 1964, Sesto San Giovanni, Italy) is an Italian conductor.
Biography
Noseda studied piano and composition in Milan. He began conducting studies at age 27. He furthered his conducting studies with Donato Renzett ...
(2002–2011)
*
Juanjo Mena
Juanjo Mena (also known as Juan José Mena; born 21 September 1965, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Basque Country, Spain) is a Spanish conductor.
Biography
Mena began his music studies at the Vitoria-Gasteiz Conservatory. He later attended the Madrid Ro ...
(2011–2018)
*
Omer Meir Wellber
Omer Meir Wellber (Hebrew: עומר מאיר ולבר; born 28 October 1981, Beersheba) is an Israeli conductor and composer.
Biography
Wellber began musical studies at age 5, on accordion and piano. He became a composition student of Tania Tale ...
(2019–2022)
*
John Storgårds
John Gunnar Rafael Storgårds (born 20 October 1963 in Helsinki) is a Finnish violinist and conductor.
Biography
Storgårds studied violin with Esther Raitio and Jouko Ignatius at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, and continued his violin studies ...
(2022–present)
References
External links
Official website of the BBC PhilharmonicDiscography at ChandosDiscography at Naxos
{{DEFAULTSORT:BBC Philharmonic
Philharmonic
An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families.
There are typically four main sections of instruments:
* bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, ce ...
British symphony orchestras
Musical groups from Manchester
1922 establishments in the United Kingdom
Musical groups established in 1922
Organisations based in Salford
Radio and television orchestras
Varèse Sarabande Records artists