Vienna Philharmonic Recordings

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

There've been very few recordings from this legendary orchestra in the last few years. We have the regular New Year's Day concert, and the Summer Night Concert - 2 regular recordings, but very little else.

This is the orchestra that made so many great recordings with Walter, Furtwangler and Karajan in the 1940s and 50s, and became the envy of other record companies when Decca had an exclusive contract with them from the early '50s until the end of the '60s.
In the '70s and '80, the VPO was shared between Decca and DG, with EMI, Philips, Telarc and CBS having a splattering of recordings (some of which were made by Decca engineers). The DG recordings made in the Musikvereinsaal were generally rather opaque, but those made in concerts in other venues were generally fine.

Has their neglect by recording companies been caused by the orchestra pricing itself out of the market? It's possible. Decca makes very few big new recordings nowadays, and DG uses cheaper-than-Naxos orchestras from Venezuela, rather than the world class ensemble close to its doorstep.

[Alison]

If Chandos is able to record with a London orchestra why can't DG record with the Vienna Philharmonic?

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

If Chandos is able to record with a London orchestra why can't DG record with the Vienna Philharmonic?

London orchestras are cheaper? CHANDOS is an independent company devoted to "Classical" Music?

And how come the VPO doesn't have its own recording "label"? Can't they afford themselves?

[Petrushka]

I said exactly what you are saying, EA, on another thread a few months ago but it garnered little attention. I agree absolutely with all of your observations. This great orchestra is trading merely on its illustrious past and needs to get into the 21st century pretty quickly otherwise it will become a museum piece.

There have been a couple of attempts by the VPO to produce own label recordings but, for whatever reason, both fizzled out. The VPO needs to take a lesson from the Royal Concertgebouw or the LPO in how this should be done. It's a crying shame and a scandal of the classical music world that the Vienna Philharmonic is being reduced to little more, in recording terms, than the Boston Pops Orchestra.

The VPO management need to get their heads out of the sand and make it happen before it's too late.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

And how come the VPO doesn't have its own recording "label"? Can't they afford themselves?

They started one with a selection of Haydn symphonies, but as far as I know, that was it.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

It's a crying shame and a scandal of the classical music world that the Vienna Philharmonic is being reduced to little more, in recording terms, than the Boston Pops Orchestra.

The VPO management need to get their heads out of the sand and make it happen before it's too late.

Absolutely!

I'd give almost anything for Rattle's Dream of Gerontius with the VPO. The off-air Proms recording was shamefully affected by engineering ineptitude.

[Petrushka]

They started one with a selection of Haydn symphonies, but as far as I know, that was it.

There was also a series of VPO own label recordings on Edition Kurier which I don't think were generally available. I got some off the VPO website about 10 years ago and picked up a few more when I was in Vienna in 2008. They were radio recordings from Krauss (the first New Years Concert), Böhm, Karajan, Rattle, Solti and a few more. The Haydn recordings came later. Both of these ventures fizzled out.

[jayne lee wilson]

Don't forget this marvellous thing....

http://www.qobuz.com/gb-en/album/per-nrgard-symphonies-nos-1-8-wiener-philharmoniker-sakari-oramo/0747313157464

...wish they'd do.... more like this...

[cloughie]

Just a thought. Who are the regular conductors of the VPO these days. I may be incorrect but does the VPO does have a policy of not having a permanent Chief Conductor. As recording companies often tend to sign up Conductors rather than specifically their orchestras maybe this is a factor in the current scenario.

[Stanfordian]

I said exactly what you are saying, EA, on another thread a few months ago but it garnered little attention. I agree absolutely with all of your observations. This great orchestra is trading merely on its illustrious past and needs to get into the 21st century pretty quickly otherwise it will become a museum piece.

There have been a couple of attempts by the VPO to produce own label recordings but, for whatever reason, both fizzled out. The VPO needs to take a lesson from the Royal Concertgebouw or the LPO in how this should be done. It's a crying shame and a scandal of the classical music world that the Vienna Philharmonic is being reduced to little more, in recording terms, than the Boston Pops Orchestra.

The VPO management need to get their heads out of the sand and make it happen before it's too late.

Hiya Petrushka,

The VPO are an opera orchestra and they I guess don't normaly make as many recordings.

[gurnemanz]

Hiya Petrushka,

The VPO are an opera orchestra and they I guess don't normaly make as many recordings.

Gewandhaus, Leipzig, is also an opera orchestra and they make plenty of recordings. They also play regularly with the choir in the Thomaskirche.

[Stanfordian]

Gewandhaus, Leipzig, is also an opera orchestra and they make plenty of recordings. They also play regularly with the choir in the Thomaskirche.

Yes I know this and so do the Staatskapelle Dresden, If you read what I said I'm not saying opera orchestras don't make recording but I'm they generally record less.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Just a thought. Who are the regular conductors of the VPO these days. I may be incorrect but does the VPO does have a policy of not having a permanent Chief Conductor. As recording companies often tend to sign up Conductors rather than specifically their orchestras maybe this is a factor in the current scenario.

The VPO are an opera orchestra and they I guess don't normaly make as many recordings.

Both interesting thoughts - but neither of these facts are different from when the orchestra made regular recordings in the years from the '50s to the '90s. What has happened in the last decade that has so suddenly and so starkly curtailed its appearance on new recordings?

[zola]

What has happened in the last decade that has so suddenly and so starkly curtailed its appearance on new recordings?

DG has ceased to be a serious record label ?

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

DG has ceased to be a serious record label ?

Indeed - and, really, ceased to exist as anything other than a label.

Much the same can be said of DECCA, the VPO's former sole recorder - they're businesses above all things now: more profit from remastering/repackaging the back catalogues. Too few sales of older repertoire in new recordings to justify the financial outlay - that's why the BPO have their own prime-price recording label; would Warner really want to put two Beethoven cycles conducted by Rattle on the market?

Curious that the VPO hasn't taken the same route.