Philharmonia Orchestra

The Philharmonia Orchestra (or simply Philharmonia) is a symphony orchestra based in London, founded in 1945 by Walter Legge. Since 1995 it has performed at the Royal Festival Hall. In Britain it is also the resident orchestra at De Montfort Hall in Leicester and at Bedford Corn Exchange.

The orchestra was founded in 1945 by Walter Legge and, although it gave occasional live concerts, it was devoted mainly to serving as the orchestra for EMI recordings, where Legge was an executive. Thomas Beecham gave his debut concert in 1946, but he was removed from his post as conductor for a long period when he tried to take control of the orchestra and change its name (Beecham then founded his own Royal Philharmonic Orchestra).

In its early years, many leading conductors made recordings with the ensemble, among them Arturo Toscanini and Wilhelm Furtwängler. However, it was Herbert von Karajan (who was not permitted to work in Germany or Austria for a time because of his Nazi past) who was closely associated with the Philharmonia in its early years. Karajan transformed the orchestra into one of the finest ensembles in the world, and made numerous recordings, including all of Beethoven's symphonies.

In 1954 Karajan left to conduct the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Needing to find a new conductor for the orchestra, Legge turned to Otto Klemperer, whose career was languishing. This proved to be a sound decision, and Klemperer's name became indelibly linked with the orchestra during an 'Indian Summer' of great recordings. In 1959 he was named conductor for life. With him, the orchestra reached a unique peak, both in its concerts and in the recording studio, establishing itself as a virtuoso orchestra with a distinctive sound that allows its conductors to achieve performances as close as possible to their vision of the works and to the composer's intentions.