The Philharmonia Chorus exists to perform choral works to the highest international standard with the Philharmonia Orchestra and other orchestras of similar standing. The Chorus is based in London but also performs extensively across the UK and overseas.
Philharmonia Chorus History
The
Philharmonia Chorus was founded by Walter Legge in 1957 to record
Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with the Philharmonia Orchestra under Otto
Klemperer. It quickly established itself as one of Europe’s premier
choirs and has worked with many leading conductors and orchestras, both
in the UK and overseas.
Its extensive repertoire encompasses
the mainstream choral masterpieces and opera, as well as more recent
music. Highlights during the past few years have included
performances of Verdi’s Requiem with both Valery Gergiev and Riccardo
Muti, Rachmaninov’s The Bells with Vladimir Jurowski, Beethoven’s Ninth
Symphony with Sir Charles Mackerras and Lohengrin and Der Freischütz at
the Edinburgh Festival.
Recent or forthcoming performances
include Dvorak’s Requiem and Stabat Mater, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, the
Brahms Requiem (under Lorin Maazel), the Berlioz Te Deum and Leonard
Bernstein’s Kaddish Symphony. Concerts have been given in Istanbul,
King’s College Chapel, Cambridge and St David’s Hall, Cardiff, in
addition to the main London venues. September 2008 saw the Chorus in
Spain to take part in a recording of Frédéric Chaslin’s new opera,
Wuthering Heights, conducted by the composer.
Reviews
“A slick performance of Brahms's
so-called Haydn Variations provided an overture to the German Requiem. Here Maazel's clarity of direction and long-sighted view of the
work drew the best from a rigorously trained Philharmonia Chorus.
Theirs was the might and the power to move:
in the easeful breathing of the opening blessing for those who mourn, and on to
the powerful shifts of tempo and pacing as they sang of withering grass and
fading flowers”.
The Times,July 1st 2008, Hilary Finch
of Brahms' German Requiem at the Royal Festival Hall performed on 28th June for
which the Philharmonia Chorus was trained by Stefan Bevier.
