# Your Favourite Orchestras?



## BenG (May 17, 2018)

Would love to hear everyone's 'favourite' orchestras or symphonies! 

Some of mine...

Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra


Vienna Philharmonic


Hollywood Studio Orchestra


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## fretti (May 17, 2018)

Personal favorites: Berliner Philharmoniker:




and the Leipziger Gewandhausorchester


Also great imo:
Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden
Vienna Philharmonics
and the London Symphony Orchestra


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## BenG (May 17, 2018)

Ah, how could I possibly forget Sir Simon Rattle! Berlin/Vienna are really top notch


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## CT (May 17, 2018)

I might be biased being a New Yorker, but there's just no comparison to the New York Philharmonic, even though they need a much better hall.


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## dariusofwest (May 17, 2018)

London Symphony and Tokyo Philharmonic


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## BenG (May 17, 2018)

dariusofwest said:


> London Symphony and Tokyo Philharmonic



Not super familiar with the Tokyo Philharmonic...Will have to check them out!


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## NoamL (May 17, 2018)

Really any orchestra conducted by Gergiev, Rattle, or Solti can produce wonders. Dudamel is great too.


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## JJP (May 17, 2018)

Chicago Symphony under Solti. Talk about horns!!!



BenG said:


> Hollywood Studio Orchestra



I don't think this is an established orchestra. It's a pickup group.


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## I like music (May 17, 2018)

Silly question, but can someone highlight what the differences might be (e.g. one orchestra has a history for attracting brass players, players who sight-read better than players in other orchs etc?). Or is it the case that of the orchs listed, they're all able to capture the top musicians and therefore there isn't much difference in the quality/nature/tone?


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## NoamL (May 18, 2018)

Not silly at all @I like music . Some orchestras are famous for specific sections or players. Chicago Brass used to be (still is?) famed for one of the best brass sections in the world. Also some orchestras sound different because they use different instruments, like the French bassoon vs the German one. Or how the Vienna Phil are famous for still using old Vienna-style horns (single horn instead of double, a modified piston system instead of valves) which has a distinctive sound.

Speaking of that, there are orchestras which play only on period instruments, such as the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique and the Orchestra Of The Age Of Enlightenment. The difference with the sound of a modern orchestra is kind of mind blowing:


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## Saxer (May 18, 2018)

All big art aside I still melt away every time I hear the Henry Mancini Orchestra.


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## BenG (May 18, 2018)

miket said:


> I might be biased being a New Yorker, but there's just no comparison to the New York Philharmonic, even though they need a much better hall.





JJP said:


> Chicago Symphony under Solti. Talk about horns!!!
> 
> 
> 
> I don't think this is an established orchestra. It's a pickup group.



Tbh, I'm not exactly sure how it works with this ensemble. That said, I'm a huge fan of their sound and players including Rick Baptist, Dave O'Connor, et al.


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## BenG (May 18, 2018)

I like music said:


> Silly question, but can someone highlight what the differences might be (e.g. one orchestra has a history for attracting brass players, players who sight-read better than players in other orchs etc?). Or is it the case that of the orchs listed, they're all able to capture the top musicians and therefore there isn't much difference in the quality/nature/tone?



Good question and one I've asked myself before! IMO, I think it comes down to the overall sound/aesthetic of the orchestra lead by the conductor with his or her own interpretation. This is manifested in a number of ways but it definitely affects balance, tone color, tempo/time, performance, etc. A lot of an orchestras sound is also attributed to the ensemble of unique performers brought together by a single person's vision.

To get a good sense of this, check out different recordings of a piece you know well and listen to the slight differences. You will immediately hear the interpretations and I'm sure you'll have preferences!


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## blougui (May 18, 2018)

going on Gearslutz mode here :

Yes, but this comparison is a fraud since you don't have the same recording material to start with. Ref of mics ? Board ? Why comparing a live recording with a studio recording ? 
Same venue ?
Amount of post-production involved ? Who is behind the sliders ?
Are you seriously comparing these master achievements via the dreadful compressing algo of You Tube ?

And most of all :do you compare the same piece of music played by the same musicians but with a different Concert Meister ? How do you know it's the conductor or the musicians ? Or are you just comparing recordings ?

In short, you're comparing apples and oranges.


(Guess I'm spending too much time on GS these days)


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## Maxime Luft (May 18, 2018)

JJP said:


> Chicago Symphony under Solti. Talk about horns!!!


What about Chicago under Levine? The CSO is for sure one of my favourites

Also Les Siècles, conducted by François-Xavier Roth, is a quite inspiring ensemble.


And let's add the Berliner Philharmoniker to this list as well


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## fretti (May 18, 2018)

Maxime Luft said:


> And let's add the Berliner Philharmoniker to this list as well


Second post; 3 videos


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## muk (May 18, 2018)

The Concertgebouw Orchestra is phenomenally good. The Bremer Kammerphilharmonie under Paavo Järvi has developed into one of the most exciting Chamber Orchestras. The Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique for period instruments. And finally a very special orchestra: The Lucerne Festival Orchestra. Founded by Claudio Abbado, and it only exists during the orchestral holiday seasons. That makes it possible that only the finest musicians come together, and spend part of their holidays playing together. The orchestra consists of principals of the best orchestras in the world (Berliner Philharmoniker, Wiener Philharmoniker, London Symphony Orchestra, soloists from the Teatro alla Scala...), plus some of the most sought after soloists and chamber musicians (Emanuel Pahud, Albrecht Mayer, members of the Alban Berg and the Hagen quartet...). Abbado hand-picked each member of the orchestra. That orchestra is absurdly fine.


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## Parsifal666 (May 18, 2018)

Wiener Philharmoniker under Georg Solti.


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## JJP (May 18, 2018)

BenG said:


> Tbh, I'm not exactly sure how it works with this ensemble. That said, I'm a huge fan of their sound and players including Rick Baptist, Dave O'Connor, et al.



The Hollywood Studio Symphony is a not a standard symphony orchestra. It's a title that is used as a credit on scores recorded by LA union studio musicians. It's a way to show that a soundtrack was recorded in LA. There is no set roster of musicians or music director like a traditional symphony orchestra.

Rick Baptist isn't performing anymore. He's now vice president of the Los Angeles local of the musicians' union. Do you perhaps mean french horn player Brian O'Connor? Sadly he died in 2016.


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## BenG (May 18, 2018)

JJP said:


> Rick Baptist isn't performing anymore. He's now vice president of the Los Angeles local of the musicians' union. Do you perhaps mean french horn player Brian O'Connor? Sadly he died in 2016.



I was unaware of this and that is really quite sad, such a loss


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## Leon Portelance (May 18, 2018)

My favorite version of Beethoven’s 9th: Eugene Ormandy with the Chicago Symphony.


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## Vik (Jul 23, 2018)

I have a few, here's one of them:
https://itunes.apple.com/no/album/piano-concerto-no-2-in-e-flat-major-op-25-ii-andante/327762678?i=327762709


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## thesteelydane (Jul 23, 2018)

NoamL said:


> Not silly at all @I like music . Some orchestras are famous for specific sections or players. Chicago Brass used to be (still is?) famed for one of the best brass sections in the world. Also some orchestras sound different because they use different instruments, like the French bassoon vs the German one. Or how the Vienna Phil are famous for still using old Vienna-style horns (single horn instead of double, a modified piston system instead of valves) which has a distinctive sound.
> 
> Speaking of that, there are orchestras which play only on period instruments, such as the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique and the Orchestra Of The Age Of Enlightenment. The difference with the sound of a modern orchestra is kind of mind blowing:




If I understand my brass player friend correctly, much of the reason for Chicago’s famed brass section is because of a specific school of thought about playing, specifically centered around the thinking of Arnold Jacobsen. Every single brass player in my academy when I studied traveled to Chicago to take lessons from Chicago players.


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## JJP (Jul 23, 2018)

thesteelydane said:


> If I understand my brass player friend correctly, much of the reason for Chicago’s famed brass section is because of a specific school of thought about playing, specifically centered around the thinking of Arnold Jacobsen.



Perhaps you meant Arnold Jacobs, the tubist and educator. Aside from playing with the CSO, he also taught at Northwestern University. He was a rock of that brass section for decades, but I think the credit goes well beyond him. I can remember the wonderful horn section in that orchestra from the 80s which was legendary for its sound.


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## thesteelydane (Jul 23, 2018)

JJP said:


> Perhaps you meant Arnold Jacobs, the tubist and educator. Aside from playing with the CSO, he also taught at Northwestern University. He was a rock of that brass section for decades, but I think the credit goes well beyond him. I can remember the wonderful horn section in that orchestra from the 80s which was legendary for its sound.




Ah yes, that’s the guy. I remember even the trumpet players went to Chicago just to get a single lesson with him - and by went, I mean travelled from Denmark.


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## HeliaVox (Jul 24, 2018)

NoamL said:


> Not silly at all @I like music . Some orchestras are famous for specific sections or players. Chicago Brass used to be (still is?) famed for one of the best brass sections in the world. Also some orchestras sound different because they use different instruments, like the French bassoon vs the German one. Or how the Vienna Phil are famous for still using old Vienna-style horns (single horn instead of double, a modified piston system instead of valves) which has a distinctive sound.
> 
> Speaking of that, there are orchestras which play only on period instruments, such as the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique and the Orchestra Of The Age Of Enlightenment. The difference with the sound of a modern orchestra is kind of mind blowing:



I really love the sound of original instruments. But holy mother of god I’ve never heard the 5th played so damn fast. I felt like I ran a marathon after listening to it, lol. 
One of the thing I never got a chance to play were pierod instruments(when I as still an orchestral player). The closest I got was Oboe D’amore for some Bach pieces.


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