Philadelphia Orchestra

For many music lovers both old and new, the Philadelphia Orchestra remains THE great American orchestra, and certainly no other ensemble has for so long had such an unmistakable sound, such an unchallenged reputation for excellence, and such an imposing presence on recordings. Like many of Americaâs great orchestras, though, Philadelphiaâs current status with respect to major record labels is not what it was. The high cost of recording the orchestra combined with the brainless management policies at the major labels have conspired to reduce our ability to hear this splendid ensemble on disc. Happily, like so many other of our great orchestras, the "Fabulous Philadelphians" have taken matters into their own hands and have issued a commemorative 12-CD set called "The Centennial Collection," containing an incredibly attractive series of heretofore unissued broadcasts and commercial recordings.

The first two discs document the legendary tenure of Leopold Stokowski, and include outstanding performances of Sibeliusâ Symphony No. 2, Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet, an experimental Bell Labs recording of Beethovenâs Fifth Symphony, and best of all, the Columbia recording of his own "symphonic synthesis" of the love music from the second and third acts of Wagner's Tristan und Isolde. There's also another Wagner surprise buried further on: a complete Gotterdammerung "Immolation Scene" featuring none other than Birgit Nilsson, a recording which has circulated in pirate editions but here emerges sounding vastly better than ever before. And what a performance!

Eugene Ormandy, the man responsible for the fabled "Philadelphia Sound" continues to be the most underrated major conductor of our century. In music of the late Romantic period he had few peers, and his Catholic tastes continued the tradition, inaugurated by Stokowski, of performing and recording countless contemporary masterpieces. These two principal strengths are fabulously well documented in performances of Schoenberg's Transfigured Night, Rachmaninov's Isle of the Dead, Piston's Seventh Symphony, Penderecki's Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima, and a gorgeous Shostakovich Symphony No. 6. In his role as this century's best-ever concerto accompanist, Ormandy leads his band in literally legendary performances of Brahmsâ First Piano Concerto with William Kapell, Beethoven's Fourth Piano Concerto with Josef Hofmann, Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 17 with Richter, and Berg's Violin Concerto with Leonid Kogan. Sound tempting? Read on!

Ormandy's successors, Ricardo Muti and Wolfgang Sawallisch, are also represented in music that shows them at their best. Muti highlights include a terrific Britten "Four Sea Interludes" from Peter Grimes, Varèse's Arcana, and a scorching Pines of Rome (a Muti/Philadelphia specialty that they play better than anyone alive). The only drawback is Muti's obnoxious habit of beginning the music before the applause has stopped--a mannerism that he should grow out of any decade now. ÊSawallisch turns in what is unquestionably the best ever performance of Martinu's lovely Fourth Symphony, along with a superb Brahms Haydn Variations and Beethoven's Choral Fantasy (with the maestro himself at the piano).

Guest conductors are also very well represented and range from the brilliant (Charles Munch in Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe Suite No. 2; Istv‡n Kertész in Bartok's Dance Suite; Stravinsky conducting his own Divertimento from The Fairy's Kiss; Copland and Marian Anderson in his Lincoln Portrait) to the bizarre (Hermann Scherchen's demented but incredibly well-played Mahler Fifth Symphony, with a brutally cut Scherzo and 15-minute long Adagietto!). There's also a searing performance of Barber's Adagio led by Klaus Tennstedt, some Wagner with Reiner, and Bruno Walter directing a lovely Afternoon of a Faun.

A disc of singers includes, in addition to Birgit Nilsson, solo offerings by Beverly Sills, George London, Joan Sutherland, Dorothy Maynor, Franco Corelli, Marian Anderson, Anneliese Rothenberger and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. Instrumental soloists, aside from those noted above, include Stokowski and Heifetz in Sibeliusâ Violin Concerto, and a Barenboim/du Pré Saint-Sa‘ns Cello Concerto No. 1.

All of these recordings, whether historical or new, have been transferred to CD with loving care. As with the New York Philharmonic's equally extraordinary series of historical recording releases, this set is a "must have" for music lovers and record collectors. These initiatives by our great orchestras deserve your support. The set will set you back a couple of bills, but costs less than a decent dinner for two and a concert, and offers more than 12 hours of inspired music making. You can purchase The Centennial Collection at select Tower Records locations (go to Purchase CDs and Concert Tickets on the home page for Tower contact information), or directly from the orchestra at: www.philorch.org.