Word: philharmonia
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London has long boasted a cultural asset unique in the world: it sustains five symphony orchestras, and the least of them is jolly good. Nonetheless, the Royal Philharmonic has been sounding its death rattle for nearly a year. And now the Philharmonia, regarded by many as Britain's finest, has announced plans for a quiet suicide in September. The casualties, which were variously blamed on Beatlemania and the muddy sidewalks around Royal Festival Hall, at least produced one healthy change. For the first time ever, in somber conference with officials of Britain's Arts Council last week, each...
...real lesson was that both ailing orchestras are one-man bands. The Philharmonia is totally the creature of Impresario Walter Legge, just as the Royal Philharmonic was created by the late Sir Thomas Beecham "to maintain my reputation." Deprived of Sir Thomas' leadership, the Royal Philharmonic skidded so severely that many of its key players have jumped ship, and critics agree that it has long since jettisoned its artistic claim to the coveted Royal of its title...
Mahler: Symphony No. 2 (Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and Hilde Rössl-Majdan; Philharmonia Orchestra; Angel) is the highest expression of Mahler's fascination with "the life force," and in this bountiful recording, it seems fit music for Resurrection Day itself. Schwarzkopf sings beautifully. Two LPs, sung in German...
...Black Magic. Since he was made principal conductor of the Philharmonia for life in 1959, Klemperer has mellowed considerably, rarely giving in to the manic moods and deep depressions of his earlier career (he had been known to grab a violin from a player's hand and smash it over the fiddler's head). When not conducting, he lives in a Zurich apartment, attended by his daughter Lotte, never grants interviews and goes out only for occasional walks. His recent recordings have been so good that they have furnished him with what amounts to a new career. Although...
Beethoven: Fidelio (Mezzo-Soprano Christa Ludwig, Tenor Jon Vickers, Basses Gottlob Frick and Walter Berry; the Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus, conducted by Otto Klemperer; Angel, 3 LPs). An easy-breathing, expansive performance notable for the clarity of its orchestral effects. There are more dramatic Fidelias but none with quite the same air of authority that Klemperer musters here. Mezzo Ludwig's singing is pure, true and warm; she creates a Leonora that is consistently moving and everywhere credible...