London Philharmonic Orchestra facts for kids
Quick facts for kids London Philharmonic Orchestra |
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| Orchestra | |
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| Short name | LPO |
| Founded | 1932 |
| Location | London, England |
| Concert hall | Royal Festival Hall |
| Principal conductor | Edward Gardner |
The London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is one of five main orchestras in London. It was started in 1932 by famous conductors Sir Thomas Beecham and Malcolm Sargent. They wanted to create an orchestra that was as good as any in the world. Before World War II, many people thought they had succeeded.
When the war began, the orchestra's money stopped. So, the musicians decided to run the LPO themselves. After the war, two new orchestras, the Philharmonia and Royal Philharmonic, became very popular. The LPO worked hard to keep its high standards.
By the 1960s, the LPO was playing wonderfully again. In 1964, they got an important job playing at the Glyndebourne Festival each summer. In 1993, they became the main orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall in London. They share this role with the Philharmonia since 1995. The LPO also performs in other cities like Eastbourne and Brighton. They also travel to play concerts around the world.
Since Sir Thomas Beecham, the LPO has had ten main conductors. These include famous names like Sir Adrian Boult, Bernard Haitink, Sir Georg Solti, Klaus Tennstedt, and Vladimir Jurowski. The orchestra has made hundreds of recordings since it began. They have recorded for big companies like EMI and Decca. Since 2005, the LPO has its own record label, releasing live concert recordings. They have also played music for many films, such as Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and The Lord of the Rings movies (2001–03).
Contents
History of the LPO
How the LPO Started
In the 1920s, the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) was London's most famous orchestra. But London's orchestras were not as good as the best ones in Europe or America. This became clear in 1927 when the Berlin Philharmonic orchestra visited. People were amazed by their precise and powerful playing. After that, other great orchestras from Amsterdam and New York also visited.
Sir John Reith from the British Broadcasting Corporation and conductor Sir Thomas Beecham wanted London to have a top orchestra. They talked about working together, but Beecham wanted more control than the BBC would give. So, the BBC started its own orchestra, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, in 1930.
In 1931, a young conductor named Malcolm Sargent suggested starting a new orchestra. His family, the Courtaulds, would help pay for it. Beecham and Sargent first thought about changing the LSO. But the LSO musicians did not want to remove any players. So, in 1932, Beecham and Sargent decided to create a brand new orchestra. Many people wondered if they could find enough good musicians. But many musicians were looking for steady work because of the economy. Also, Beecham was a very exciting conductor to play for.
Beecham and Sargent got money from important people like Samuel Courtauld. They also got good deals to record music for Columbia and play for important concert series. Beecham suggested the name "London Philharmonic Orchestra," which they used. He found 106 musicians, including some young players and many experienced ones.
Early Concerts and Tours
After twelve rehearsals, the LPO played its first concert on October 7, 1932. Beecham conducted. The audience loved it, clapping and cheering loudly. Critics praised the orchestra's amazing sound and precise playing. They said it was as good as the BBC Symphony Orchestra.
In its first year, the LPO played many concerts. They performed for different concert series and children's concerts. Famous soloists like violinist Yehudi Menuhin played with them. The young Menuhin even played a concerto conducted by Elgar himself.
Over the next eight years, the LPO played many concerts in London. They also performed for Beecham's opera seasons. They made over 300 records. Many famous guest conductors led the orchestra, including Bruno Walter and Igor Stravinsky. The LPO also toured regularly in other British cities. Reviewers praised their "nobility of style and brilliancy of execution."
In 1936, Beecham took the orchestra on a tour of Germany. This was a difficult time because of the Nazi government. The orchestra refused to play the Nazi anthem. Beecham also had to agree not to play music by Mendelssohn, who was Jewish. Some musicians worried that their presence helped the Nazi government.
War and Post-War Challenges
In 1939, Beecham planned to take a break from conducting. But World War II started. The orchestra's money stopped, so Beecham helped the musicians form a self-governing group. This meant the musicians owned and ran the orchestra themselves.
During the war, the LPO played many concerts across Britain. They brought orchestral music to places that rarely heard it. In 1941, German bombs destroyed the Queen's Hall, where the LPO often played. Many of their instruments were lost. But people donated instruments, and the orchestra was able to continue.
When Beecham returned to England in 1944, the LPO welcomed him. But the musicians, who now ran the orchestra, did not want him to have complete control. Beecham did not want to be an employee. So, in 1946, he left the LPO and started a new orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO).
After the war, famous conductors like Wilhelm Furtwängler and Victor de Sabata guest-conducted the LPO. But the orchestra often worked with less famous conductors. They played an amazing number of concerts. In 1949–50, they played 248 concerts. In 1947, the London Philharmonic Choir was created to sing with the LPO.
The 1950s and New Conductors
In 1950, Eduard van Beinum had to resign as principal conductor due to poor health. Sir Adrian Boult became the new principal conductor. Boult and the LPO started making many recordings. Critics praised their work together.
In 1951, Boult and the LPO toured Germany. They played many concerts in a short time. Other conductors like Ralph Vaughan Williams and Benjamin Britten also led the orchestra. In 1952, the LPO signed a good recording deal with Decca Records. Boult even gave his recording fees to the orchestra.
The LPO faced a problem in 1952 when its managing director, Thomas Russell, was fired. He was a member of the Communist party, and some felt this hurt the orchestra during the Cold War. Boult initially supported Russell but later changed his mind.
In 1953, the orchestra celebrated its 21st birthday. They played concerts with guest conductors like Georg Solti and Vaughan Williams. In 1956, the LPO became the first British orchestra to tour the Soviet Union. After the tour, Boult retired as principal conductor but remained closely involved. He was made the orchestra's President in 1965.
The mid-1950s were financially tough for the LPO. They had to change how they paid musicians. An anonymous helper, thought to be Boult, saved them from financial disaster. In 1958, William Steinberg became chief conductor. He helped improve the orchestra's playing standards greatly. He resigned after two seasons due to health reasons.
The 1960s and 1970s
In 1962, the LPO went on its first tour to India, Australia, and the Far East. John Pritchard became the LPO's chief conductor in 1962. Before 1963, only men played in the LPO, except for harpists. But in 1963, they started hiring women violinists. Soon, women musicians had the same rights as men.
Pritchard also worked at Glyndebourne Festival Opera. Because of him, the LPO became the main orchestra there in 1964. This gave the musicians steady work in the summer. The LPO also held concerts with guest stars like Danny Kaye and Duke Ellington to raise money. By the end of the 1960s, the orchestra had 88 players.
In 1967, Bernard Haitink became the LPO's principal conductor. He stayed for twelve years, the longest of any conductor. Under Haitink, the LPO's concerts were very popular. The concert hall was almost always full. Haitink often conducted symphonies by Bruckner, Mahler, and Shostakovich. The LPO also toured internationally, even visiting China in 1972.
In 1973, there was talk of merging the LPO with another orchestra, the New Philharmonia. Officials thought London had too many orchestras. But the musicians of both orchestras did not want to merge, so the idea was dropped.
London orchestras often struggled to find good rehearsal spaces. In 1973, the LPO and LSO bought an old church in Southwark. They turned it into the Henry Wood Hall, a great place for rehearsals and recordings. It opened in 1975.
Many famous conductors led the LPO in the 1970s, including Carlo Maria Giulini and Riccardo Chailly. When Haitink left in 1979, Sir Georg Solti became the new principal conductor.
The 1980s and 1990s
In 1982, the orchestra celebrated its 50th birthday. Solti conducted the same music that Beecham had used for the very first LPO concert. Critics said the LPO played more beautifully than ever.
Solti left after the jubilee season. Klaus Tennstedt took over in 1983. He was known for his amazing musical performances. However, he often had to cancel concerts due to poor health. Like Haitink and Solti, Tennstedt often conducted music by Bruckner and Mahler. He also made many recordings with the LPO.
In 1984, the LPO and Philharmonia began talking about sharing the main orchestra spot at the Festival Hall. This was a long discussion, but they finally agreed in 1995. In 1985, the LPO hired its first chief executive from outside the orchestra's musicians.
Tennstedt resigned in 1987 due to his health. He still appeared as a guest conductor. The orchestra then looked for a new principal conductor. In 1990, Franz Welser-Möst was chosen. His time as conductor was difficult. There were financial problems and disagreements. Some felt the orchestra's playing standards were not always high.
During Welser-Möst's time, the LPO became the only resident orchestra at the Festival Hall. But this caused problems. The venue management wanted the orchestra to play less popular music, which meant fewer people bought tickets. In 1993, another idea to merge London orchestras was quickly dropped. In 1995, the LPO and Philharmonia agreed to share the Festival Hall residency. Welser-Möst left the LPO in 1996.
The 21st Century LPO
After Welser-Möst left, the LPO did not have a principal conductor for four years. During this time, they started a "Roots Classical Fusions" series. This program mixed music from different cultures and was part of their education work. Kurt Masur was the LPO's principal conductor from 2000 to 2007. He helped the orchestra play very well again.
In 2000, the LPO performed Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. This concert was part of a big event celebrating Krakow as a European Cultural Capital. It was also shown on TV in the United States.
Vladimir Jurowski first conducted the LPO in 2001. He became the principal guest conductor in 2003. In 2007, he became the LPO's eleventh principal conductor. Like some conductors before him, Jurowski also worked at Glyndebourne Opera. He conducted many operas there with the LPO. Jurowski finished his time as principal conductor in 2021. He is now an honorary conductor for the LPO.
In 2003, Edward Gardner first conducted the LPO as a guest. In 2019, the LPO announced that Gardner would be their next principal conductor, starting in 2021. In 2020, Karina Canellakis became the LPO's new principal guest conductor. She is the first woman to hold this important position. Her contract was extended in 2024.
LPO Recordings
In its early days, the LPO recorded for Columbia, part of EMI. Their first recording was made even before their first concert in 1932. Beecham made many recordings with the orchestra. Other famous conductors like Elgar and Felix Weingartner also recorded with them. Soloists like pianists Artur Schnabel and Alfred Cortot recorded concertos with the LPO.
In 1946, the orchestra started recording for Decca, EMI's rival. They made many recordings to help Decca rebuild its music collection after the war. Conductors like Ernest Ansermet and Erich Kleiber recorded with the LPO for Decca. The LPO made its first stereo recording for Decca in 1956.
The LPO did not record for just one company. They recorded for Philips, CBS, RCA, and others. For some years, they even used the name "the Philharmonic Promenade Orchestra" for certain recordings. In the 1960s and 1970s, they often recorded for Lyrita, a company that focused on British music. Boult often conducted these recordings.
The LPO has played on many opera recordings. Some were recorded live at Glyndebourne, and others in studios. These include operas from different time periods, from old works to new ones.
By the early 2000s, fewer classical recordings were being made. So, in 2005, the LPO started its own CD label. They release recordings mostly from their live concerts. Many of their principal conductors are featured on these recordings. Some of their best-selling recordings include Mahler's Eighth Symphony and works by Rachmaninoff.
Music for Films and Other Recordings
The LPO has played music for many films. They started in 1936 with Whom the Gods Love. They played for ten films during World War II. After that, they did not do much film work until the 1970s, except for Lawrence of Arabia (1962).
Later film scores include Antony and Cleopatra (1972), Jesus Christ Superstar (1973), Disney's Tron (1982), The Fly (1986), and Dead Ringers (1988). They also played the music for In the Name of the Father (1993). Most famously, they played the music for The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001–03) and The Hobbit movies (2012–14). In 2013, the LPO recorded rock songs by Japanese star Yoshiki for his album Yoshiki Classical.
The orchestra has also made many non-classical recordings. These include albums like Hawaiian Paradise (1959), Evita (1976), and Broadway Gold (1978). They also recorded "The Symphonic Music of Pink Floyd" (1994) and "The Symphonic Music of The Who" (1995). In 2011, the LPO recorded the 205 national anthems for the medal ceremonies at the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London.
Images for kids
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Sir Thomas Beecham, who helped start the LPO and was its first conductor
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Programme of the first LPO concert
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Queen's Hall, destroyed by bombing in 1941, along with many LPO instruments
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The Royal Festival Hall in the 1950s: the LPO was among the orchestras hoping to become the main resident orchestra
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Glyndebourne, where the LPO became the main resident orchestra in 1964
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Bernard Haitink, principal conductor, 1967–79
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Sir Georg Solti, principal conductor, 1979–83
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Franz Welser-Möst, principal conductor, 1990–96
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Vladimir Jurowski, principal conductor from 2007
See also
In Spanish: Orquesta Filarmónica de Londres para niños
