Page 976 - Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Coverage Book 2023-24

Mahler: Symphony 2 Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra/Daniele Gatti

• Buy from Amazon

Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

The 190-year-old Vienna Phil’s USP is its refusal to appoint a permanent principal

conductor – which means that its players rule the roost. It’s also an orchestra previously
mired by accusations of extreme conservatism: its first female member was not admitted

until 1997.

Today, however, the gender balance within is happier, and the orchestra plays with the
same polish and sheen that has been the bedrock of its reputation over the years. On the

surface, the VPO sounds different from most orchestras simply because it uses a higher-
pitch tuning and different instruments.

The latter include its clarinets (German Öhler system), a special ‘Wiener’ oboe and the
‘Vienna’ horn. But these aside, the VPO is still a crack orchestra, admired across the world.

The orchestra performs its world-famous Johann Strauss-themed Vienna New Year’s Day
Concerts each year, broadcast to millions across the world.

• When was Vienna's Musikverein built?

Recommended recording:

Mozart: The Marriage of Figaro Hilde Gueden (Susanna), Cesare Siepi (Figaro), Lisa della
Casa (Countess Almaviva), Alfred Poell (Count Almaviva), Suzanne Danco (Cherubino),

Vienna Philharmonic/Erich Kleiber Decca 4663692

• Buy on Amazon