15 Facts About New York Philharmonic

1.

New York Philharmonic was founded in 1842 by the American conductor Ureli Corelli Hill, with the aid of the Irish composer William Vincent Wallace.

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2.

Representatives of the New York Philharmonic wished to attract the German-born, American-trained conductor Theodore Thomas, whose own Theodore Thomas Orchestra had competed directly with the New York Philharmonic for over a decade and which had brought him fame and great success.

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3.

At first the New York Philharmonic's suggestion offended Thomas because he was unwilling to disband his own orchestra.

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4.

New York Philharmonic left in 1891 to found the Chicago Symphony, taking thirteen Philharmonic musicians with him.

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5.

In 1909, to ensure the financial stability of the Philharmonic, a group of wealthy New Yorkers led by two women, Mary Seney Sheldon and Minnie Untermyer, formed the Guarantors Committee and changed the orchestra's organization from a musician-operated cooperative to a corporate management structure.

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6.

The New York Philharmonic was the only symphonic orchestra where Mahler worked as music director without any opera responsibilities, freeing him to explore the symphonic literature more deeply.

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7.

Mengelberg and Toscanini both led the New York Philharmonic in recording sessions for the Victor Talking Machine Company and Brunswick Records, initially in a recording studio and eventually in Carnegie Hall as electrical recording was developed.

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8.

Mengelberg's first records for Victor were acousticals made in 1922; Toscanini's recordings with the New York Philharmonic actually began with a single disc for Brunswick in 1926, recorded in a rehearsal hall at Carnegie Hall.

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9.

Mengelberg's most successful recording with the New York Philharmonic was a 1927 performance in Carnegie Hall of Richard Strauss' Ein Heldenleben.

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10.

New York Philharmonic had conducted the Sunday afternoon radio broadcast when CBS listeners around the country heard the announcer break in on Arthur Rubinstein's performance of Brahms's Second Piano Concerto to update them about the attack on Pearl Harbor.

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11.

In 1960, the centennial of the birth of Gustav Mahler, Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic began a historic cycle of recordings of eight of Mahler's nine symphonies for Columbia Records.

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12.

In September 1962, the Philharmonic commissioned Aaron Copland to write a new work, Connotations for Orchestra, for the opening concert of the new Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

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13.

New York Philharmonic's tenure was the longest in Philharmonic history, lasting until 1991.

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14.

In 1980 the New York Philharmonic, always known as a touring orchestra, embarked on a European tour marking the 50th anniversary of Toscanini's trip to Europe.

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15.

New York Philharmonic's tenure concluded in 2002, and he was named music director emeritus of the Philharmonic.

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