Orchestra Timeline
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27th October 1945
The Philharmonia Orchestra, founded by Walter Legge, makes its debut at Kingsway Hall conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham
October 1947
Philharmonia Orchestra appears at the Royal Albert Hall conducted by Richard Strauss
1948
Otto Klemperer, Wilhelm Furtwängler and Herbert von Karajan conduct the Orchestra within one month of each other
Maharajah of Mysore is made the President of the Philharmonia Concert Society
1949
Philharmonia Orchestra appears at the Edinburgh Festival, conducted by Rafael Kubelik
May 1950
Philharmonia Orchestra performs the world première of Strauss’s Four Last Songs
1951
May 3: Philharmonia Orchestra is invited to take part in the inaugural concert of the Royal Festival Hall
September: Philharmonia Orchestra debut of Guido Cantelli
End of the year: Philharmonia Orchestra makes first ever recording of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring
1952
May: Triumphant European Tour with Herbert von Karajan.
September: Toscanini conducts two concerts with the Philharmonia Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall
1954
Wolfgang Sawallisch makes his recording debut with the Philharmonia Orchestra
Summer: Philharmonia Orchestra is invited to be the orchestra in residence at the Lucerne Festival
October: Twenty-four date tour of America
Late 1954: Carlo Maria Giulini’s debut with the Philharmonia Orchestra
1956
The Orchestra performs 25 concerts at the Royal Festival Hall and makes over 300 recordings
Summer 1957
Founder Member of the Philharmonia and Principal Horn, Dennis Brain, dies in a car crash
1959
Dr Otto Klemperer is made the Philharmonia’s Conductor for Life
March: Maria Callas records Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor with the Orchestra
Summer: Lorin Maazel makes his debut with the Orchestra in Lisbon.
Summer 1962
Philharmonia Orchestra makes their debut at the Royal Albert Hall Promenade Concerts
August 1963
Tour of Latin America, the first ever undertaken by a British orchestra
1964
Tuesday 10 March: Letters go out to Philharmonia players from Walter Legge telling them that he intends to suspend the Philharmonia Orchestra
A meeting is convened, at a recording session with Dr Klemperer, where it is unanimously agreed to not allow the Orchestra to be disbanded. Klemperer gives his immediate support.
17 March: The Orchestra elects its own governing body
The name "New Philharmonia Orchestra" is accepted by the Board of Trade
Orchestra sets about setting up a Trust
27 October: Inaugural concert of the New Philharmonia Orchestra under its own auspices. A performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, is conducted by Klemperer, who was now Honorary President of the Orchestra.
1965
Lord Harewood accepts invitation as Artistic Director of the Orchestra
September: Igor Stravinsky conducts a concert of his own works at the Royal Festival Hall
1967
March: Philharmonia Orchestra Martin Musical Scholarship Fund is founded
October: Daniel Barrenboim records all of the Beethoven Piano Concertos with Dr Klemperer
February 1968
Lord Harewood becomes the Chairman of the New Philharmonia Trust
1970
14 May: Klemperer’s 85th Birthday concert at the Royal Festival Hall
July: Sir John Barbirolli dies on the eve of the Philharmonia’s first tour to Japan, which he was to conduct. The tour goes ahead with John Pritchard and Edward Downes directing.
Lorin Maazel is appointed Associate Principal Conductor
1972
January: Klemperer announces his retirement
Gareth Morris resigns as Chairman of the Orchestra and Principal Flute
2 December: Riccardo Muti’s first concert with the Orchestra
Muti is offered the position of Principal Conductor
July 1973
Klemperer dies quietly in his sleep
February 1974
A gala concert of Verdi’s Requiem to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the New Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus
Mstislav Rostropovich makes his debut in the UK with the New Philharmonia
July 1975
Gavin Henderson is appointed General Manager
1976
Simon Rattle makes his début with the New Philharmonia.
Malcolm Tibber starts the Philharmonia Club
1976
May: Muti’s first tour with the New Philharmonia.
Maazel appointed Principal Guest Conductor
Regional Residencies set up in Nottingham and Chatham
1977
January: Vladimir Ashkenazy’s first appearance as conductor
The Orchestra reacquires the name Philharmonia Orchestra
October: Yevgeny Svetlanov makes his Philharmonia debut
1979
January: Muti is offered the position of Music Director
22 March: Walter Legge dies and Muti agrees to dedicate the whole of the forthcoming Tchaikovsky cycle at the RFH to his memory
May: HRH The Prince of Wales becomes the Orchestra’s Patron
June: Christopher Bishop takes over as Managing Director
1980
January: Beethoven Cycle at Wembley is conducted by Kurt Sanderling
Music of Today Series is founded
1981
Carl Pini resigns as Leader of the Orchestra and Christopher Warren-Green is appointed
February: Bernard Haitink conducts the Philharmonia for the first time
July: The Philharmonia plays at the wedding of their Patron, HRH the Prince of Wales
October: Ashkenazy is made Principal Guest Conductor
1982
March: Mrs Hazel Westbury founds the Friends of the Philharmonia
29 March: Philharmonia gives a gala concert to celebrate the 80th Birthday of Sir William Walton
The Orchestra visits the Lucerne Festival for the first time in fourteen years with the young violinist, Nigel Kennedy
1983
13 February Giuseppe Sinopoli makes his Philharmonia debut
Position of Principal Conductor is offered to Sinopoli on 5 March 1983
Sir Adrian Boult dies
Sir William Walton dies
September: Esa-Pekka Salonen takes over at short notice from an indisposed Michael Tilson-Thomas to make his London and Philharmonia début with a performance of Mahler’s Third Symphony
1984
HRH The Prince of Wales invites the Orchestra to put together a concert to celebrate the tercentenary of Bach and Handel at Buckingham Palace
September 1986
Sinopoli undertakes his first American tour. The Orchestra performs 13 concerts in 18 days
1987
The Philharmonia and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestras are invited to open the Suntory Hall in Tokyo
1988
January: Placido Domingo conducts the Orchestra on a tour to Spain and the Canary Isles. This was the first time that he had taken an orchestra on tour.
February: Christopher Bishop resigns and is succeeded by David Whelton as Managing Director
1989
February: Vincent Meyer sponsors a series of concerts at the RFH, conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen, of the works of Lutoslawski
Ligeti Festival at the RFH with Esa-Pekka Salonen, sponsored by Vincent Meyer
The Philharmonia undertakes 250 recording sessions in one year with the advent of CD recording
1990
An agreement is made with the Châtelet Theatre in Paris for the Orchestra to become resident in 1993
The Orchestra performs a complete Mahler cycle in Japan with Sinopoli
1991
February: James Macmillan is invited to become Visiting Composer and put together a series of early-evening concerts, Music of Today
July: The Orchestra performs for "Pavarotti in the Park"
1992
June: Christoph von Dohnányi conducts the Orchestra for the first time in 20 years
December: Claus Peter Flor is made joint Principal Guest Conductor
1993
The Philharmonia is highly commended by the Hoffman Review
September 1994
Salonen and Flor’s conctracts as Joint Principal Guest Conductors come to an end
Christoph von Dohnányi accepts the position of Principal Guest Conductor
1995
The Philharmonia’s residency at the Bedford Corn Exchange begins
Royal Philharmonic Society Award for Outstanding Orchestra of 1994/95
The Orchestra is invited to become Resident Orchestra of the Royal Festival Hall
1997
The Philharmonia becomes Resident Orchestra at De Montfort Hall, Leicester
2000
Orchestra performs a gala concert at Durbar Court in the Foreign Office to celebrate the 21st Anniversary of the Prince of Wales’s Patronage
The Philharmonia and Esa-Pekka Salonen collaborate on a major project entitled "Related Rocks" featuring the work of Magnus Lindberg
Vladimir Ashkenazy is appointed Conductor Laureate of the Philharmonia Orchestra
2002
The Orchestra celebrates the Walton Centenary with a series of concerts around the country
2003
Vladimir Ashkenazy and the Philharmonia Orchestra lead a major Festival at the Royal Festival Hall commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the death of Prokofiev.
Sir Charles Mackerras is appointed Principal Guest Conductor
Bristol Residency begins with collaboration between Colston Hall, St George's Bristol and Watershed
2004
Residency begins at Concertgebouw, Brugge
2005
The Philharmonia becomes the first ever classical music organisation to be short listed for a BT Digital Music Award.
April: the Orchestra presents both the first ever fully interactive webcast and the first podcast by a UK orchestra from London's Royal Festival Hall with 1000 people from six continents watching and participating, live & online.
October: The Orchestra celebrates its 60th Anniversary and the 10th Anniversary of its much admired UK and International Residency Programme.
2006
April: Orchestra members vote unanimously in support of a historic agreement to record its live concerts for both audio and video and make them available as downloads, through mobile phones, podcasts, webcasts, and on DVD and CD-ROM.
