Indelibly linked to its founder, Sir Thomas Beecham, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is considered one of the four major orchestras based in London. Established in 1946 in connection with the Royal Philharmonic Society, the orchestra's title was directly approved by King George VI. Although it has often had to fight for its survival, the RPO remains one of the busiest ensembles in Great Britain. The orchestra annually offers a set of concert series in three London venues (Royal Festival Hall, Barbican Hall and Croydon's Fairfield Hall), provides music for many films and tours extensively at home and abroad. It is more involved with the pop music industry than many of its peers and the ensemble's Hooked on Classics series of recordings has been a tremendous boon to the group's finances and international visibility. The series sold more than nine million copies world-wide. An appearance in the half-time show of the Orange Bowl football game in Miami, Florida during the mid-1980's brought the orchestra to the attention of millions of viewers. As it is with many of the world's first-ranked ensembles, the RPO relies heavily on its corporate sponsors for its funding. In an attempt to secure its financial future and have more control of its artistic direction, the orchestra began producing and marketing its own recordings under its exclusive RPO label.. With the horrors of World War II behind him, Sir Thomas Beecham was anxious to have an orchestra to direct. When the opportunity to lead the newly formed Philharmonia Orchestra was given to Herbert von Karajan, Beecham decided to assemble his own ensemble. He gathered many of Europe's top musicians, made an agreement with the Royal Philharmonic Society to play an exclusive season of concerts at the Davis Theater in Croydon and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra was born. The orchestra was almost immediately successful attracting enthusiastic audiences and excellent critical reviews. In 1950, the RPO did its first international tour to the United States playing in forty five cities. Although American critics took issue with the fact that Beecham's programming was very conservative and included no contemporary English compositions, the tour was a huge commercial success and the RPO's future was secured.
Top Songs |
| Name | Album | Time | Price | |
1. | Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a: VIII. Wal.. | Tchaikovsky 1: Collection o.. | 6:54 | $0.99 | |
2. | Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a: IV. Russi.. | Tchaikovsky 1: Collection o.. | 1:10 | $0.99 | |
3. | Andante for Flute and Orchestra in C.. | Mozart: Andante for Flute a.. | 6:57 | $0.99 | |
4. | Concerto No. 1 for Piano and Orchest.. | Mendelssohn: Concerto No. 1.. | 8:18 | $0.99 | |
5. | English Patient Theme (From "The.. | World's Greatest Film S.. | 5:16 | $0.99 | |
6. | Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secr.. | World's Greatest Film S.. | 4:32 | $0.99 | |
7. | English Patient Theme (From "The.. | Lord of the Rings and More .. | 5:16 | $0.99 | |
8. | Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secr.. | Lord of the Rings and More .. | 4:32 | $0.99 | |
9. | English Patient Theme (From "the.. | Titanic Film Scores: My Hea.. | 5:16 | $0.99 | |
10. | Swan Lake Suite, Op. 20a | Time to Relax Calming Class.. | 5:48 | $0.99 | |
11. | Swan Lake, Op. 20, Act II: Scene | Best Figure Skating Classic.. | 2:36 | $0.99 | |
12. | L.V. Beethoven; Piano Concerto No.5 .. | Classical Top 100 | 7:55 | $0.99 | |
13. | Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35: .. | Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto.. | 6:47 | $0.99 | |
14. | Peer Gynt Suite No. 2, Op. 55: IV. S.. | Best of Classic | 5:21 | $0.99 | |
15. | Symphony No. 7 in a Major, Op. 92: I.. | Works of Beethoven: Symphon.. | 8:35 | $0.99 | |
16. | Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68 .. | Works of Beethoven: Symphon.. | 5:11 | $0.99 | |
17. | Symphony No. 94 in G Major, Hob. I:9.. | Masterpieces: Haydn | 5:55 | $0.99 | |
18. | Symphony No. 94 in G Major, Hob. I:9.. | Masterpieces: Haydn | 9:02 | $0.99 | |
19. | Divertimento No. 3 in F Major, K. 13.. | 111 Classical Masterpieces,.. | 1:58 | $0.99 | |
20. | Serenade No. 10 in B-Flat Major, K. .. | 111 Amazing Classical: Musi.. | 6:06 | $0.99 | |
21. | Requiem in D Minor, K. 626: Sequence.. | Spellbinding Classics: Clas.. | 3:19 | $0.99 | |
22. | Egmont, Op. 84: Overture | Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 &.. | 9:59 | $0.99 | |
23. | Bartered Bride: Skocna | 100 Kickass Classical Piece.. | 4:48 | $0.99 | |
24. | Lohengrin, WWV 75: Prelude to Act 3 | 100 Kickass Classical Piece.. | 3:41 | $0.99 | |
25. | Requiem Mass in D Minor, K. 626: VII.. | 100 Kickass Classical Piece.. | 3:21 | $0.99 | |