English Chamber Orchestra

For the orchestra in London, Ontario, see Orchestra London Canada.

English Chamber Orchestra
Orchestra
Founded	1948
Concert hall	Cadogan Hall, Wigmore Hall
Music director	Stephanie Gonley
Website	www.englishchamberorchestra.co.uk

The English Chamber Orchestra (ECO) is a British chamber orchestra based in London. The full orchestra regularly plays concerts at Cadogan Hall, and their ensemble performs at Wigmore Hall. With a limited performance size, the orchestra specializes in 18th-century music and was created to perform Baroque Music. The orchestra regularly tours in the UK and internationally, and holds the distinction of having the most extensive discography of any chamber orchestra and being the most well-traveled orchestra in the world; no other orchestra has played concerts (as of 2013, according to its own publicity) in as many countries as the English Chamber Orchestra.

History

The English Chamber Orchestra has its origins in the Goldsbrough Orchestra, founded in 1948 by Lawrence Leonard and Arnold Goldsbrough. The group took its current name in 1960, when it expanded its repertoire beyond the Baroque period for the first time. Its repertoire remained limited by the group's size, which has stayed fairly consistently at around the size of an orchestra of Mozart's time.

Shortly afterwards, it became closely associated with the Aldeburgh Festival, playing in the premieres of Benjamin Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream (1960), Owen Wingrave (1970), Curlew River and several other of his works. The occasions on which Britten conducted the orchestra included the opening concerts of the Queen Elizabeth Hall and Snape Maltings in 1967. He also made a number of records with the group.

The orchestra did not at this time have a principal conductor, but worked closely with a succession of guest conductors including Raymond Leppard, Colin Davis and Daniel Barenboim. In 1985 Jeffrey Tate was appointed the ensemble's first principal conductor. In 2000, Ralf Gothóni was appointed second principal conductor.

In June 2009, the English Chamber Orchestra named Paul Watkins its new music director, effective with the 2009–2010 season, for an initial contract of three years. The orchestra has also worked regularly with guest conductors Paul Goodwin, Lawrence Power and James Sherlock. In 2023, the orchestra appointed Roberto Forés Veses as Principal Guest Conductor. Having led the orchestra for over 30 years, Stephanie Gonley was recognised as Leader and Principal of the English Chamber Orchestra in 2023.

Tours and performances

The orchestra has performed with and toured the UK and abroad with artists such as Kathleen Battle, Benjamin Britten, Daniel Barenboim, Dame Janet Baker, Colin Davis, Placido Domingo, Jacqueline du Pre, Sumi Jo, Kiri te Kanawa, Yehudi Menuhin, Luciano Pavarotti, Murray Perahia, Itzhak Perlman, Andre Previn, Karl Richter, Mstislav Rostropovich, Georg Solti, Joan Sutherland, Mitsuko Uchida, Maxim Vengerov and Pinchas Zukerman. Recent tours have included Bermuda, USA, Mexico, Finland, France, Turkey, Switzerland, Italy and Germany.

HRH the former Prince of Wales has been the Patron of the ECO since 1977 and the orchestra has performed at royal weddings, birthday celebrations and other events including the first concert ever to be broadcast from Buckingham Palace.

In 2023 members of the orchestra were selected to play at the coronation of Charles III and Camilla.

Select recordings

Concertos

• Bach Brandenburg Concertos 1 - 6 under Benjamin Britten, Decca (1969)
• Bach The Brandenburg Concertos under Johannes Somary, Vanguard (2008)
• Bach Violin Concertos with Anne-Sophie Mutter and Salvatore Accardo, EMI (1983)
• Bach Violin Concertos with Itzhak Perlman and Pinchas Zukerman under Daniel Barenboim, EMI (1986)
• Bach Violin Concertos and Triple Concerto with Arthur Grumiaux under Raymond Leppard, Philips (1964)
• Beethoven Violin Concerto with Frank Peter Zimmermann under Jeffrey Tate, EMI (1988)
• Handel Twelve Grand Concertos under Raymond Leppard, Philips (1968)
• Haydn Cello Concerto with Mstislav Rostropovich under Benjamin Britten, Decca (1964)
• Haydn Cello Concerto and Boccherini Cello Concerto with Jacqueline Du Pré under Daniel Barenboim, EMI (1967)
• Haydn Cello Concertos with Yo-Yo Ma, Sony Classical (1986).
• Haydn, C. P. E. Bach, Boccherini Cello Concertos with Matt Haimovitz under Andrew Davis, Deutsche Grammophon (1990)
• Haydn, Boccherini Cell Concertos with Lluís Claret under George Malcolm, Harmonica Mundi (1992)
• Mendelssohn, Bruch Violin Concertos with Nigel Kennedy under Jeffrey Tate, EMI (1988).
• Mozart Piano Concerto No. 19 & 24 with Maurizio Pollini as pianist and conductor (1982)
• Mozart complete Piano Concertos with Murray Perahia as pianist and conductor (Sony , compilation 2012). Recipient of Gramophone Award.
• Mozart complete Piano Concertos with Daniel Barenboim as pianist and director (Warner Classics, compilation 2016).
• Mozart Piano Concertos with Mitsuko Uchida under Jeffrey Tate, Philips (Decca, compilation 2006).
• Mozart Violin Concertos No. 3 & 5 with Joshua Bell under Peter Maag (1992)
• Mozart Sinfonia Concertante with Isaac Stern and Pinchas Zukerman under Daniel Barenboim, Columbia Masterworks (1972).
• Mozart and Myslivecek Flute Concertos. Ana de la Vega. PENTATONE PTC 5186723 (2018).
• Mozart Concertone For 2 Violins, Oboe & Violoncello under Sir Colin Davis, London Records (1961)
• Mozart Flute Concertos with Karlheinz Zöller under Bernhard Klee, Deutsche Grammophon (1974)
• Mozart Clarinet Concerto with Richard Stoltzman under Alexander Schneider, RCA (1981)
• Mozart Horn Concertos 1-4 with Barry Tuckwell as horn player and conductor, Decca (1984)
• Telemann, Vivaldi, & other Trumpet Concertos with various soloists under Simon Preston, Deutsche Grammophone (1992)
• Trumpet Concertos by Baroque Composers with Wynton Marsalis under Raymond Lappard, Sony (1988)
• Vivaldi Four Seasons with Nigel Kennedy as violinist and conductor, EMI (1997)
• Vivaldi Four Seasons with Pinchas Zukerman as violinist and conductor (1987, 1988, 1996)

Symphonies

• Beethoven 9 Symphonies under Michael Tilson Thomas, Sony Classical (compilation, 2020)
• Haydn Symphonies 22, 39, 47 (1968), 48 & 70 (1971), 26, 34, 77 (1972) under Raymond Leppard, Philips
• Haydn Symphonies 94, 101 (1981), 94, 100 (1995), 101, 104 (1994) under Jean-François Paillard, RCA
• Haydn Symphonies 93, 96, 98 - 104 under Jefrrey Tate, EMI (1986, 1992, 1997, 1999)
• Haydn Symphonies 44, 45, 48, 49 under Daniel Barenboim, Deutsche Grammophon (1979, compilation, 2012)
• Mozart Symphonies 25, 29, 38 & 40 under Benjamin Britten, Decca (1978) recipient of Gramophone Award
• Mozart Symphonies 25 - 41 under Jeffrey Tate, EMI (1990)
• Mozart Symphonies 39, 40, 41 under Jean-François Paillard, RCA (1994)
• Mozart Symphonies 29, 30, 31, 34, 38 & 39 under Daniel Barenboim, EMI (2007)

Opera, Cantatas, Songs and Arias

• The Beautiful Voice (works by Gounod, Lehár, Pucinni, Rachmoninoff, Strauss) with Renée Fleming as soloist under Jeffrey Tate, Decca (1998)
• Bel Canto (works by Bellini, Puccini, Rossini and Verdi) with Sumi Jo under Giuliano Carella, Erato (1997)
• Handel Cantatas with Janet Baker under Raymond Leppard, Philips (1973)
• Handel Semele with Kathleen Battle, Marilyn Horne, Samuel Ramey, John Aler, Sylvia McNair, Michael Chance and Ambrosian Opera Chorus under John Nelson, Deutsche Grammophon (1993)
• Donizetti L'Elisir D'Amore with Joan Sutherland, Luciano Pavarotti, Dominic Cossa, Spiro Malas, Maria Casula under Richard Bonynge, London Records (1971)
• Gluck Arias with Janet Baker under Raymond Leppard, Philips (1975)
• Canteloube Chants D'Auvergne with Kiri Te Kanawa under Jeffrey Tate, Decca (1983, 1984)
• Mozart, Handel Arias with Lucia Popp under Georg Fischer, HMV (1967)
• Mozart Arias with Kiri Te Kanawa under Jeffrey Tate, Philips (1987, 1988)
• Mozart Opera & Concert Arias with Barbara Hendricks under Jeffrey Tate, EMI (1984)
• Mozart Don Giovanni with Joan Sutherland, Pilar Lorengar, Marilyn Horne, Gabriel Bacquier, Werner Krenn, Donald Gramm, and Ambrosian Opera Chorus under Richard Bonynge, London Records (1971)
• Mozart Le Nozze Di Figaro with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and other soloists under Daniel Barenboim, EMI (1977)
• Rossini Il Signor Bruschino with Kathleen Battle, Samuel Ramey, Frank Lopardo, Claudio Desderi under Ion Marin, Deutsche Grammophone (1993)

External links

• English Chamber Orchestra homepage