Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra)
The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra is probably the best known of all Viennese
orchestras and generally regarded as one of the finest concert orchestras for
classical music in the world. The musicians of the Vienna Philharmonic are
chosen from the orchestra of the Vienna State Opera. Before applying for a
membership in the Vienna Philharmonic each musician has to prove his
musicianship by performing no less than three years in the Vienna State
Opera.
The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra was established in 1842 by Otto Nicolai as
the Philharmonische Academie, an independent orchestra functioning in a
democratic manner. Nicolai’s departure from the orchestra in 1847 almost
resulted in the discontinuation of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, with the
orchestra remaining largely inactive until 1860. As a result, the decision was
made by members of the orchestra to elect yearly a principal conductor who would
conduct a series of subscription concerts. Subsequent conductors were Karl Anton
Eckert, Hans Richter, Gustav Mahler, Felix Weingartner, Wilhelm Furtwängler and
Clemens Strauss. After 1933 the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra abandoned the
principle of a single conductor and started to work with guest conductors. Some
of these have been the world’s best known conductors including Richard Strauss,
Arturo Toscanini, Hans Knappertsbusch, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Karl Böhm, John
Barbirolli, Herbert von Karajan, Carlo Maria Giulini, Georg Solti, Erich
Kleiber, James Levine, Zubin Mehta, Carlos Kleiber, Leonard Bernstein, Claudio
Abbado, Riccardo Muti, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Pierre Boulez, Lorin Maazel, Mariss
Jansons, and Daniel Barenboim and Simon Rattle. The Vienna Philharmonic
Orchestra has premiered many of the most important and best loved orchestral
works including the 2nd and 3rd Symphonies of Johannes Brahms, and Anton
Bruckner’s Symphony No. 8 during its “Golden Age” with Hans Richter on the
podium.
The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra is known for its characteristic sound. This
is due to the usage of specially chosen instruments and playing styles, which
serve to differentiate the sound of the Vienna Philharmonic from the sound of
other orchestras. Particularly the use of percussion and brass instruments is
quite unique when compared with other famous orchestras. The Vienna Philharmonic
Orchestra, for instance, uses natural goat and not synthetic hides on its
timpani. Another example would be the usage of the Viennese Oboe, an instrument
that is quite different from the generally accepted French-manufactured oboe.
Further differences can be distinguished in the string section; unlike other
orchestras, where each musician plays on his own instrument, in the Vienna
Philharmonic all instruments are owned by the orchestra. Therefore, these
instruments been passed from musician to musician over the centuries and they
are responsible in part for the orchestra’s recognizable string sound. The long
tenure and training process assures that each player is well versed in the
playing style of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra before entering the
stage.
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