Royal Philharmonic Orchestra - Recordings

Recordings

From its earliest days to the end of Beecham's life, the RPO made numerous recordings for Columbia Records, RCA Victor, and EMI under his baton. Among their first stereophonic recordings was the 1955 performance of the symphonic poem Tapiola by Sibelius, recorded by EMI. Some of the more memorable recordings included:

• Beethoven Ruins of Athens, Symphony No. 2, Symphony No. 3, Symphony no. 5, Symphony No. 6, Symphony No. 7, Symphony No. 8
• Berlioz Harold in Italy, King Lear Overture, Le Corsaire Overture, Les Francs-Juges Overture, Les Troyens Overture, Roman Carnival Overture, Symphonie Fantastique, Trojan March, Waverley Overture
• Bernstein Candide, Symphony no. 1-3, West Side Story
• Bizet Symphony "Roma", La Jolie Fille de Perth suite, L'Arlésienne Suites 1 & 2, Patrie Overture, Boccherini Overture in D
• Borodin Polovtsian Dances
• Chabrier España, Joyeuse Marche
• Debussy Cortège & Air de danse, Prélude à l'après midi
• Delibes Le Roi s'amuse
• Delius Brigg Fair, Dance Rhapsody No. 2, Fennimore & Gerda Intermezzo, Florida Suite Daybreak & Dance, Irmelin Prelude, On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring, Sleighride, Song Before Sunrise, Summer Evening, Summer Night on the River
• Dvořák Legend in G minor, Symphony No. 8
• Goldmark Rustic Wedding Symphony
• Gounod Faust ballet music, Le sommeil de Juliette
• Grétry Zémire et Azore ballet music
• Grieg Symphonic dance in A, Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16 (Rene Liebowitz)
• Handel Amaryllis, Love in Bath, Messiah, Solomon, The Faithful Shepherd, The Gods Go A'Begging
• Haydn Symphonies 93–104, The Seasons
• Holst The Planets Suite + St. Paul's Suite
• Illayaraja aka Gnanadesikan, the first Asian composer to score a symphony for the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
• Pachelbel aka Yusuf Calvin W Pachelbel's Canon
• Mahler Symphony no. 1-10
• Massenet Last sleep of the Virgin, Waltz from Cendrillon
• Mendelssohn Fair Melusine Overture, Symphony No 4, Italian
• Mozart Clarinet Concerto, Die Zauberflöte Overture, Flute & Harp Concerto, German Dance K. 605, Haffner March K. 249, Haffner March K. 249, Minuet from Divertimento in D K. 131, Symphony No 41, Thamos Entr'acte, The Seraglio.
• Mussorgsky Khovantschina Dance of the Persian Slaves, Pictures at an Exhibition (Ravel)
• Offenbach Les Contes des Hoffman suite
• Rachmaninoff Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini Op. 43 (Yuri Temirkanov)
• Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade
• Rossini, La Gazza Ladra Overture, Le Cambiale di Matrimonio Overture, Semiramide Overture
• Saint-Saëns Rouet d'Omphale, Samson & Dalila Dance of the Priestesses/ Bacchanale
• Schubert Symphony No 1, Symphony No 2, Symphony No 3, Symphony No 5, Symphony No 6, Symphony No 8
• Sibelius Valse Triste, Symphonies 6 and 7
• Smetana Die Moldau, Bartered Bride Overture & Polka
• Johann Strauss Die Fledermaus, Emperor Waltz
• Richard Strauss Ein Heldenleben
• Franz von Suppé Morning Noon & Night in Vienna, Poet & Peasant Overture
• Tchaikovsky Eugene Onegin - waltz, Symphony No 4, The Nutcracker
• Wagner Die Meistersinger Suite, Flying Dutchman Overture, Götterdämmerung Funeral March and Rhine Journey, Lohengrin Prelude, Parsifal Karfreitagszauber, Die Meistersinger Prelude, Ride of the Valkries
• Verdi La traviata, E-Strano

In 1964, Igor Stravinsky recorded his opera The Rake's Progress with the RPO. From 1964 to 1979 the RPO was engaged by Decca Records to record the Gilbert and Sullivan operas with the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company.

In 1986, the orchestra launched RPO Records, claimed to be 'the world's first record label to be owned by a symphony orchestra.

As well as performing works from the classical repertoire, the RPO has recorded a number of film scores, including those for Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's The Red Shoes and The Tales of Hoffmann.

An extensive collection of budget-priced CDs recorded by the RPO has been released by The International Music Company AG in Germany. These CDs are mainly available on the European market.