Page 966 - Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Coverage Book 2023-24

Montreal Symphony Orchestra / Orchestre symphonique de

Montréal

Another orchestra with an illustrious past, the OSM is perhaps most closely associated
with one era and conductor: the tenure of the French conductor Charles Dutoit, for a

quarter of a century from 1977 to 2002. This period coincided with the growth of the CD
and of audiophile recordings, and Dutoit and the OSM were at the vanguard.

The orchestra enjoyed a 20-year recording contract with Decca/London, and produced a
string of much-admired recordings (as well as embarking on legendary tours of North

America, Europe, Asia, and South America). It may come as no surprise that the OSM and
Dutoit were perhaps at their strongest in French music: their recordings of orchestral
works by Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel, in particular, can be seen as definitive. They

are heard at their best in the music of Stravinsky, too.

• The Debussy work that tore up the orchestral rulebook
• Ravel's Daphnis et Chloé: a sensuous masterpiece and its best recordings

The OSM took home two Grammy Awards during the Dutoit era. First, in 1996, was a
award for its recording of Hector Berlioz' opera Les Troyens. Then, four years later,

orchestra and conductor were among the awards again for their recordings of piano
concertos by Prokofiev and Bartók, performed by the matchless Martha Argerich.

Recommended recording:

Ravel: Ma mère l'oye, Pavane, etc OSM/Dutoit

• Buy from Amazon
Philadelphia Orchestra

Like Cleveland under Szell and Chicago under Solti, the Philadelphia Orchestra is another
top-drawer unit whose rise to success can be attributed at least in part to one great

conductor. In this case, it's the great Eugene Ormandy (interestingly, like Szell, Solti and
many other great conductors, of Hungarian parentage).

Under Ormandy's extraordinary 44-year tenure from 1936 to 1980, the Philadelphians

earned a reputation for an incredible smoothness of tone. Theirs was a plush, well-
upholstered sound that's heard to great effect in landmark recording achievements such as

their Tchaikovsky symphony cycle, for many the best such cycle on offer. In particular, the
luscious string tone coming out of 'Philly' was often singled out for praise.

The orchestra is currently enjoying another purple patch under the directorship of
Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Formerly, and now again, one of the best orchestras in the world.