Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra

Last updated
Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra
Symphony orchestra
Brighton Corn Exchange and Dome (IoE Code 480511).jpg
Brighton Dome, home of the orchestra
Former nameSymphonic String Players
Symphonic Players
Founded1925 (1925)
LocationBrighton, England
Concert hallBrighton Dome
Principal conductor Joanna MacGregor
Music directorJoanna MacGregor
Website brightonphil.org.uk

Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra (BPO) is a professional orchestra based in Brighton & Hove, England, performing regularly at Brighton Dome and other venues across the city.

Contents

The BPO was founded in 1925 by Herbert Menges "to give periodical concerts of a high standard in Brighton and Hove". [1] The orchestra moved into Brighton Dome in 1928 and by 1932 had appointed Sir Thomas Beecham as its first President, a position later held by Ralph Vaughan Williams and Benjamin Britten. [2] [3]

The BPO is now led by Music Director Joanna MacGregor CBE and in 2024-2025 celebrates its Centenary season. [4]

History

Early years

In May 1925, Herbert Menges and his mother Kate formed the Symphonic String Players, with the purpose of becoming "a large and powerful String Orchestra, and to give periodical concerts of a high standard in Brighton and Hove". [1] [3] The orchestra initially performed in Hove Town Hall with Molly Paley as the first leader. [5] [6] By 1928, the orchestra had moved to Brighton Dome and had adopted the name Symphonic Players. [5] The Dome, originally riding stables, had been converted into a concert hall in 1867. [7] In 1932 Sir Thomas Beecham was appointed as the orchestra’s first President, although Menges continued as Principal Conductor. [1] Performers during this period included Joseph Szigeti, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Henry Wood, Adrian Boult, Moura Lympany, Myra Hess and Clifford Curzon. [6]

1940s to 1980s

During World War II, the Symphonic Players put on regular concerts, sometimes in conjunction with the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the leadership of Malcolm Sargent. [8] In 1942 they organised a week-long music festival at which many soloists of the era performed, as did the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. [9] In 1945, the orchestra became the fully-professional Southern Philharmonic. [6] [10] "An ambitious scheme for its future development" was proposed and was accepted by Brighton Borough Council, which agreed to provide £1,000 to cover any losses made. The same amount came from the lessees of Brighton Racecourse, and the Arts Council of Great Britain also provided funding. At this time the orchestra travelled to other towns on many occasions, giving concerts at Eastbourne, Hastings, Portsmouth, Southampton, Folkestone and Swindon. [11] Ralph Vaughan Williams took over the position of President in 1947, and the orchestra had guest appearances from Malcolm Sargent, Yehudi Menuhin, Rosalyn Tureck, Norman Del Mar and William Walton. [6] [12] [13]

In 1958 the name Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra was adopted. In 1967 the orchestra appointed Benjamin Britten as President, with concerts including Jacqueline du Pré, Alfred Brendel, André Previn, Brighton Festival Chorus and Mstislav Rostropovich. [10] [6] [14] This was despite "a succession of financial crises" which were averted by funding received from the Arts Council, Brighton Borough Council and Southern Television, the local ITV broadcasting licence holder. [15] The orchestra was also one of several that performed at the inaugural Brighton Festival in 1967. [16]

In 1972, after 47 years as Principal Conductor and having conducted more than 300 concerts, Menges died at the age of 69. [17] His successor was John Carewe, whose first concert as Principal Conductor marked the start of the orchestra’s 50th Anniversary season. [1]

1980 to present

In 1989 Barry Wordsworth was appointed as the orchestra’s Music Director and Principal Conductor. [18] When Brighton Dome closed for refurbishment that same year, the BPO returned temporarily to Hove Town Hall and presented a series of Mozart Piano Concerto concerts in Brighton's Theatre Royal with its then President, John Lill. [6]

Brighton Dome reopened in 2002 and BPO returned to its home venue. In 2012 the BPO gave one of the first performances of Moeran’s Symphony No.2, conducted by Martin Yates (who had recently reconstructed the piece). [19] Later seasons saw premieres of new works by Will Todd, Richard Rodney Bennett, Martin Butler and Howard Goodall, as well as regular collaborations with Brighton Festival Chorus and Brighton Festival Chorus Youth Choir. [1]

The orchestra celebrated its 90th concert season in 2014/15, including a performance of Franz Schubert's Marche Militaire , which was performed at the Symphonic String Players' first concert in May 1925. [3] Wordsworth stepped down at the end of the season and became the BPO's first Conductor Laureate. [20]

In 2019, Joanna MacGregor CBE was appointed as the orchestra's fourth Music Director and Principal Conductor. [21] In 2024/25 the orchestra celebrates its Centenary season, with guest appearances from Evelyn Glennie and Jess Gillam and culminating in a gala performance of Messiaen's Turangalîla Symphony. [22]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simon Rattle</span> British conductor (born 1955)

Sir Simon Denis Rattle is a British conductor with German citizenship. He rose to international prominence during the 1980s and 1990s, while music director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (1980–1998). Rattle was principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic from 2002 to 2018, and music director of the London Symphony Orchestra from 2017 to 2023. He has been chief conductor of Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra since September 2023. Among the world's leading conductors, in a 2015 Bachtrack poll, he was ranked by music critics as one of the world's best living conductors.

The Berlin Philharmonic is a German orchestra based in Berlin. It is one of the most popular, acclaimed and well-respected orchestras in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra</span> English orchestra with a remit to serve the South and South West of England

The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an English orchestra, founded in 1893 and originally based in Bournemouth. With a remit to serve the South and South West of England, the BSO is administratively based in the adjacent town of Poole, since 1979. The orchestra is resident at Lighthouse in Poole, with other major concert series given at Portsmouth Guildhall, the Great Hall of Exeter University and Bristol Beacon. Shorter series are also given in Bournemouth and Basingstoke.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Philharmonic Orchestra</span> Permanent symphony orchestra in London

The London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is one of five permanent symphony orchestras based in London. It was founded by the conductors Sir Thomas Beecham and Malcolm Sargent in 1932 as a rival to the existing London Symphony and BBC Symphony Orchestras.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Philharmonic Orchestra</span> British orchestra based in London

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London.

The Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra is a Dutch symphony orchestra based in Rotterdam. Its primary venue is the concert hall De Doelen. The RPhO is considered one of the Netherlands' two principal orchestras of international standing, second to the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam. In addition to symphony concerts, the RPhO performs as the opera orchestra in productions at De Nederlandse Opera, as do other Dutch ensembles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Tilson Thomas</span> American conductor, pianist and composer (born 1944)

Michael Tilson Thomas is an American conductor, pianist and composer. He is Artistic Director Laureate of the New World Symphony, an American orchestral academy in Miami Beach, Florida, Music Director Laureate of the San Francisco Symphony, and Conductor Laureate of the London Symphony Orchestra. He gave his last performance with the San Francisco Symphony in January 2024 while fighting brain cancer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra</span>

The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra located in Buffalo, New York led by Music Director JoAnn Falletta. Its primary performing venue is Kleinhans Music Hall, which is a National Historic Landmark. Each season it presents over 120 classical series, pops, rock, youth, and family concerts. During the summer months, the orchestra performs at parks and outdoor venues across Western New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marin Alsop</span> American conductor

Marin Alsop is an American conductor, the first woman to win the Koussevitzky Prize for conducting and the first conductor to be awarded a MacArthur Fellowship. She is music director laureate of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and chief conductor of the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Ravinia Festival, and the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra. She was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2008 and to the American Philosophical Society in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jiří Bělohlávek</span> Czech conductor (1946–2017)

Jiří Bělohlávek, was a Czech conductor. He was a leading interpreter of Czech classical music, and became chief conductor of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra in 1990, a role he would serve on two occasions during a combined span of seven years. He also served a six-year tenure as the chief conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra from 2006 to 2012. He gained international renown and repute for his performances of the works of Czech composers such as Antonín Dvořák and Bohuslav Martinů, and was credited as "the most profound proponent of Czech orchestral music" by Czech music specialist Professor Michael Beckerman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vladimir Jurowski</span> Russian and British conductor (born 1972)

Vladimir Mikhailovich Jurowski born 4 April 1972) is a Russian conductor resident in Germany. He is the son of conductor Michail Jurowski, and grandson of Soviet film music composer Vladimir Michailovich Jurowski.

Eivind Aadland is a Norwegian conductor and violinist. He has been concert master of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra. Since 2020 he has been Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Antonio Symphony</span> American symphony orchestra based in San Antonio, Texas

The San Antonio Symphony was a full-time professional symphony orchestra based in San Antonio, Texas. Its season ran from late September to early June. Sebastian Lang-Lessing, its music director from 2010 to 2020, was the last to serve in that capacity. The orchestra was a resident organization of the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts in San Antonio. In August 2022, the orchestra's musicians reformed as the San Antonio Philharmonic, a name first used in 1914, and announced a ten-concert classical-music series for the 2022–23 season to be given at First Baptist Church of San Antonio, 100 yards from Tobin Center.

James Paul is an American conductor. He is currently the music director of the Oregon Coast Music Festival.

Peter Copley is a British composer, cellist and pianist.

Herbert Menges OBE was an English conductor and composer, who wrote incidental music to all of Shakespeare's plays.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra</span> Orchestra based in Cape Town, South Africa

The Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra (CPO) is an orchestra based in Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gum Nanse</span>

Gum Nanse is a South Korean conductor. In 1977, he was the first Korean to win the prize at the Herbert von Karajan Conductors' Competition in Berlin. He is currently the General and Artistic Director of the Seongnam Philharmonic Orchestra. He is also the founder and Artistic Director of New World Philharmonic Orchestra. He served as the principal of Seoul Arts High School from 2013 to 2019. Gum Nanse Music Center (GMC), a concert hall dedicated to chamber music under his name, was opened in April, 2021 in Busan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brighton Festival Chorus</span> Musical artist

Brighton Festival Chorus is a large choir of over 150 amateur singers based in Brighton, UK. One of the country's leading symphony choruses.., and considered "one of the jewels in the city's musical crown", BFC performs in major concert halls throughout Britain and Europe, particularly in Brighton and London.

The Chicago Philharmonic is an American orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois, governed by the Chicago Philharmonic Society. Founded in 1988 by principals of the Lyric Opera Orchestra of Chicago, it is a musician-governed, non-profit organization consisting of nearly 200 classical music performers from the Chicago area. Since 2013, the Artistic Director and Principal Conductor has been Scott Speck.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Record DS/UK/17666: Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra (BPO); 1925–; English orchestra". catalogue.royalalberthall.com. Royal Albert Hall. 2019. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  2. ↑ "Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra centenary celebrations - Brighton & Hove Arts Council". www.bh-arts.org.uk. 2024-07-22. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  3. 1 2 3 "Our History". Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  4. ↑ "Joanna MacGregor CBE". Royal Academy of Music. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  5. 1 2 Collisson, Hannah (2014-10-25). "Let the music play on with Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra". The Argus . Newsquest Media Group . Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 'Centenary Timeline', Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra Centenary Season 2024/25 [Booklet, 2024], p. 20.
  7. ↑ Carder 1990 , §52.
  8. ↑ Musgrave 1981 , p. 402.
  9. ↑ Musgrave 1981 , p. 404.
  10. 1 2 "Heritage Stories - Entertainment". Brighton Dome. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  11. ↑ Musgrave 1981 , p. 410.
  12. ↑ "Brighton & Hove Bus and Coach Company Limited". history.buses.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  13. ↑ Chapman 1996 , p. 78.
  14. ↑ "CHAN 20248: from Brighton to Brooklyn". www.chandos.net. Mervyn Cooke. 2023. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  15. ↑ Musgrave 1981 , p. 421.
  16. ↑ Musgrave 1981 , p. 461.
  17. ↑ "Brighton & Hove Bus and Coach Company Limited". history.buses.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  18. ↑ Imms, Adrian (2015-03-21). "Orchestra conductor to pass on the baton". The Argus . Newsquest Media Group . Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  19. ↑ "Recordings of the Year 2012 - Music Web International". www.musicweb-international.com. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  20. ↑ "Orchestra conductor to pass on the baton". The Argus. 2015-03-21. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  21. ↑ "BPO announces new Music Director - Brighton & Hove Arts Council". www.bh-arts.org.uk. 2020-09-07. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  22. ↑ "What's On". Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra. Retrieved 2024-08-27.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.