The Oregon Symphony, based in Portland, Oregon, was founded in 1896 as the Portland Symphony Society; it is the sixth oldest orchestra in the United States (and the oldest in the Western United States),[1] and claims to be one of the largest arts organizations in the Pacific Northwest.[2] The Symphony has released nineteen studio albums and one compilation album through the record labels Delos, Koch International Classics, Albany and PentaTone Classics. The first recording, Bravura (1987), was released under the artistic leadership of James DePreist. It received favorable reviews and was the first of three released through Delos.[3][4] The next two recordings were collections of compositions by Sergei Rachmaninoff (The Sea and the Gulls, 1987) and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture; The Tempest; Hamlet, 1989).
In 1992, the orchestra released its first record through Koch,[5] with works by Gian Carlo Menotti, Ronald Lo Presti and Norman Dello Joio. DePreist and the Symphony then issued two special edition albums not available commercially: Romeo and Juliet (1992), featuring Tchaikovsky's Fantasy Overture Romeo and Juliet, and Roman Festivals (1993), a re-issue of the performance of Respighi's Feste Romane from Bravura. On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in 1995, the Symphony released its second album through Koch, with works by Joseph Schwantner and Nicolas Flagello; more than 30 United States radio stations broadcast Schwantner's piece on the holiday to commemorate the civil rights leader.[6] The album reached a peak position of number three on Billboard's Classical Albums chart and remains the Symphony's best-selling album to date.[7][8][9] Later that year, to commemorate its centenary, the Symphony released its first compilation album, Centennial Collection, which contained material from previously released recordings. Erich Wolfgang Korngold: The Sea Hawk; Symphony in F-Sharp followed in 1998.
During DePreist's final five years as music director, the Symphony was able to fund two recording sessions per year due to a $1 million bequest that established the Gretchen Brooks Recording Fund. The first two resulting albums were Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring; The Firebird Suite (2001) and Respighi's Rome (2001), which completed the "Roman Triptych" of Respighi started by Bravura and continued with Roman Festivals.[10] The remaining albums released through Delos included American Contrasts (2003), Shostakovich: Symphony No. 11 "The Year 1905" (2003), Sibelius: Symphony No. 2; Symphony No. 7 (2004), Walton: Suite from Henry V; Cello Concerto; Violin and Piano Sonata; Bernard Rands: Tre Canzoni Senza Parole (2005) and Tragic Lovers (2008). Each of these featured DePreist as conductor, though some were released following his departure from the Oregon Symphony in April 2003.[11] In 2003, the orchestra also released Orchestral Works by Tomas Svoboda, its first album through Albany. The recording of Tomáš Svoboda's Concerto for Marimba and Orchestra, featuring percussionist Niel DePonte, received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance with Orchestra.[12] The orchestra released 17 albums conducted by DePreist.[13]
^Smith, Bill. "The Maestro". Willamette Week. Portland, Oregon: City of Roses Newspapers. Archived from the original on March 31, 2013. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
^Is, Horowitz (October 12, 1991). "Keeping Score". Billboard. Vol. 103, no. 41. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 54. ISSN0006-2510. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
^Waleson, Heidi (January 14, 1995). "Keeping Score". Billboard. Vol. 107, no. 2. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 31. ISSN0006-2510. Retrieved February 14, 2013.
^Smith, Steve (June 16, 2001). "Keeping Score". Billboard. Vol. 113, no. 24. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 37. ISSN0006-2510. Retrieved February 25, 2013.
^Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture; The Tempest; Hamlet (booklet). Oregon Symphony. Delos. 1989.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Romeo and Juliet (booklet). Oregon Symphony. 1992.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) Note: Special edition recording, not available commercially.
^Roman Festivals (booklet). Oregon Symphony. 1993.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) Note: Special edition recording, not available commercially.
^"Forever King". Billboard Magazine. Vol. 107, no. 4. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. January 28, 1995. p. 10. ISSN0006-2510. Archived from the original on May 6, 2024. Retrieved February 14, 2013.
^Svejda, Jim (1995). Joseph Schwantner: New Morning for the World; Nicolas Flagello: The Passion of Martin Luther King (booklet). Oregon Symphony. Koch International Classics.
^Erich Wolfgang Korngold: The Sea Hawk; Symphony in F-Sharp (booklet). Oregon Symphony. Delos. 1998.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring; The Firebird Suite (booklet). Oregon Symphony. Delos. 2001.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Svejda, Jim (2001). Respighi's Rome (booklet). Oregon Symphony. Delos.
^"Respighi's Rome". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on February 17, 2013. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
^American Contrasts (booklet). Oregon Symphony. Delos. 2003.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^"American Contrasts". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on February 17, 2013. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
^"French Twist". Friends of Chamber Music. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
^Orchestral Works by Tomas Svoboda (booklet). Oregon Symphony. Albany Records. 2003.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Shostakovich: Symphony No. 11 "The Year 1905" (booklet). Oregon Symphony. Delos. 2003.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Walton: Suite from Henry V; Cello Concerto; Violin and Piano Sonata; Bernard Rands: Tre Canzoni Senza Parole (booklet). Oregon Symphony. Delos. 2005.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Svejda, Jim (2008). Tragic Lovers (booklet). Oregon Symphony. Delos.
^"Tragic Lovers". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on February 17, 2013. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
^Steven, Kruger (2011). Music for a Time of War (booklet). Oregon Symphony. PentaTone Classics.
^Brownell, Mike D. "Music for a Time of War". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on February 17, 2013. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
^Steven, Kruger (2012). This England (booklet). Oregon Symphony. PentaTone Classics.
^"This England". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on February 17, 2013. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
^Centennial Collection (booklet). Oregon Symphony.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) Note: Special edition recording, not available commercially.