Lesser-known orchestras

[LMcD]

The host of yesterday's 'Saturday Classics' (the excellent M. Bavouzet) waxed lyrical about the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra's recording of Sibelius's 5th symphony. On the (admittedly limited evidence) of the last movement, his enthusiasm seems justified. Do other Forum members have examples of orchestras which, in their opinion, deserve to be better known?
I believe that the New Zealand and Iceland Symphony Orchestras have made quite a few recordings.
(As it happens, there's a chance to hear the Poznan Philharmonic on Radio 3 at 7.30 this evening)

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

The Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra sounds pretty impressive in Frank Shipway's Eine Alpensinfonie recording.

Ditto the Milwaukee SO with Delfs.

[pastoralguy]

I think there was a time when 'lower profile' orchestras could not have fielded a strong enough group to be worth recording. In fact, I have an Lp from the 1950's of Beethoven's 4th symphony played by a provincial British Orchestra which has some very shaky wind intonation at the beginning. However, with there being so many fabulous players coming out of music colleges these last twenty odd years, there is no reason why any professional orchestra should not have very fine players amongst its ranks.

I recently heard a broadcast that was extremely well played and convinced me it was an orchestra such as the Berlin Philharmonic. It was actually the BBC Welsh Symphony!

[Serial_Apologist]

Surprising no one has mentioned this one yet, considering one of our regular posters iirc was involved...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JrkFh5ful8

[ardcarp]

The Malaysian Philharmonic played the final mov't from Dvorak's 9th on Private Passions just now. Sounded OK to me...in the car.

[richardfinegold]

I think there was a time when 'lower profile' orchestras could not have fielded a strong enough group to be worth recording. In fact, I have an Lp from the 1950's of Beethoven's 4th symphony played by a provincial British Orchestra which has some very shaky wind intonation at the beginning. However, with there being so many fabulous players coming out of music colleges these last twenty odd years, there is no reason why any professional orchestra should not have very fine players amongst its ranks.

I recently heard a broadcast that was extremely well played and convinced me it was an orchestra such as the Berlin Philharmonic. It was actually the BBC Welsh Symphony!

I thinks pg nailed it. In the States there use to be a lot of snobbism against any Orchestra that wasn’t “The Big Five”. Recordings from Detroit, Minnesota, St. Louis would have reviews that would anticipate our current President: “Not a bad outing but they are a s******* Orchestra” sentiment. Not only were those reviews wrong then, but when I travel around the Country I always try to hear the local Orchestra (Detroit next week, Indianapolis and Savanah on board for March), and
I am always encountering a band that is highly competent and polished. It’s always interesting to return home and hear the CSO and then realize what an elite Orchestra the home team is, but I could live just about anywhere here and be very happy with the resident Orchestra

[kea]

The São Paulo Symphony Orchestra is imo the finest orchestra in the Southern Hemisphere and the equal of any other world-class ensemble. The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra not far behind (but maybe that's provincial bias on my part lol). The Malaysian Philharmonic is obviously approaching world class levels, and whilst the Melbourne and Sydney Symphony Orchestras in Australia are fairly well-known I think the Queensland Symphony & Tasmanian Symphony are on about the same level.

In the Northern Hemisphere, I've always found the Minnesota Orchestra and Pittsburgh Symphony to stand alongside or sometimes exceed the major East Coast/Chicago/Cleveland/California orchestras as America's finest, and the Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra almost as good as the Concertgebouw. I'm not sure if those really count as obscure orchestras though.

[cloughie]

The Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra sounds pretty impressive in Frank Shipway's Eine Alpensinfonie recording.

.

...and in YP Tortelier's Tragedie de Salome.

[MrGongGong]

Surprising no one has mentioned this one yet, considering one of our regular posters iirc was involved...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JrkFh5ful8

One of the best

along with the Scratch
Vienna Vegetable
and Bent Radio

[Maclintick]

In last Sat's "Record Review" on R3 Stephen Johnson waxed ecstatic about a new recording of Mahler 1 from the Düsseldorf Symphony & Adam Fischer, backing up the view that orchestras customarily perceived as second or third rank are often no longer such, and capable of delivering performances which equal or outshine those of more illustrious outfits. As PG says, young players are staggeringly accomplished these days, and the quality of youth orchestras & music college ensembles is concomitantly high.

As RG & Kea imply, the US "Big Five" tag now seems terminally outdated when you consider the quality of Pittsburgh, Minnesota, LA Phil & SF Phil, or that of Seattle, St Louis, Indianapolis, Cincinnati & others snapping at their heels. Orchestras worldwide have improved consistently in the last 30 or 40 years -- whether the same is true of conductors I leave to Forum members to consider...

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Perhaps the general improvements in orchestral playing now means that there's no longer any need for "star" conductors? (But mentioning Dusseldorf - have they produced the standard SJ commented upon with conductors other than Fischer?)

All idle speculation on my part, of course - there are plenty of distinguished maestri from t'olden days who have never appealed to me, and several around today in their 30s and 40s that I am always very eager to hear Live.

[gurnemanz]

The Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra sounds pretty impressive in Frank Shipway's Eine Alpensinfonie recording.

Ditto the Milwaukee SO with Delfs.

I have greatly enjoyed investigating this Villa-Lobos Box from BIS

[jean]

Perhaps the general improvements in orchestral playing now means that there's no longer any need for "star" conductors?

It does seem to be generally recognised that the transformation of the RLPO dates from the appointment of Vasuily Petrenko as its chief conductor

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

It does seem to be generally recognised that the transformation of the RLPO dates from the appointment of Vasuily Petrenko as its chief conductor

Weeeeelllll ... it wasn't exactly rubbish under Pesek, either (and their recordings under Mackerras and Handley show a fine & powerful orchestra). Petrenko may be their Rattle, but they had their Fremaux before him - if you see what I mean.

[jayne lee wilson]

Well, there are so many fine ensembles now....
Heidelberger Sinfoniker for their Haydn and Mendelssohn with Fey, Musikkollegium Winterthur with their Mendelssohn series....I seem to listen to the the Vienna Symphony more often than the Philharmoniker these days....not to mention many wonderful Radio Orchestras.
There's the Antwerp SO and the Royal Flemish PO in Herreweghe's Schubert cycle....

I do feel you often get a fresher livelier interpretation from these more "provincial" partnerships... those French bands in Lille and Bordeaux with their Dutilleux, Venzago's Berne SO and Basle SO....
No to mention BIS in Scandinavia...!

There's a wonderful sense of discovery in all these recordings, of the orchestras as much as the music and interpretations....