As the most populous city in america, it makes sense that Ny would be a focal point to the musical arts. Looking at the very beginning in 1842, the New York Philharmonic has fulfilled the role from the nation’s top orchestra-although not invariably its most innovative. Its set of music directors is a veritable Who’s Who of the conducting world, especially forever of the 20th century. These have included such luminaries as Gustav Mahler [1909-11], Arturo Toscanini [1928-36], Leopold Stokowski [1949-50], and perhaps the most iconic of all, Leonard Bernstein [1958-69].
Having begun because the Philharmonic Society of New York the ensemble gave its first concert on December 7, 1842, in a rented hall in lower Manhattan. Numerous efforts to raise money for a permanent home to the Philharmonic were thwarted by events like the American Civil War as well as the rise of a competing orchestra-the Symphony Society of latest York-begun by Leopold Damrosch, a close friend of composer Franz Liszt and someone who had led the Philharmonic several years earlier [1876-77].
Philanthropist Andrew Carnegie was talked into building such an edifice, and New York’s Music Hall opened on May 5, 1891. The building would soon be renamed Carnegie Hall, also it remained the official home of the New York Philharmonic for the next 71 years.
In 1909, several wealthy New York society matrons were influential in changing the orchestra’s charter from the musician-based cooperative to a corporate-style management structure. Sufficient funds were raised allowing the Philharmonic to expand its season from lower than twenty concerts per season to greater than fifty, and also hire Gustav Mahler as its music director and chief conductor. Although he died unexpectedly only for two years in the position, Mahler’s increased exposure of programming the music from the German Romantic masters continued along with his successors.
The orchestra was one of the primary to make extensive technique new process of making records of classical music; lots of the early recordings were carried out Carnegie Hall. The organization began its long relationship with RCA Victor in 1927. Within this era, the New York Philharmonic also instituted a series of free outdoor concerts, an insurance plan that continues to today. Music director Arturo Toscanini was a leader in innovation-he not merely convinced management that recordings were an essential part of the overall picture, and also arranged for concerts being broadcast via radio. In 1930, the Philharmonic made its first concert broadcast over CBS, as well as the legacy of Sunday afternoon programs on radio continued whole time until 1968.
Leonard Bernstein is credited with raising the exposure in the New York Philharmonic beyond all expectations. While it began with 1958, his televised broadcasts that included the much-revered Young People’s Concerts were credited with bringing classical music to countless viewers who had never received much exposure to this genre. He seemed to be exceedingly influential in changing the orchestra’s programming emphasis, performing modern functions by living composers and also writing a number of pieces for the ensemble. After Bernstein’s retirement in 1969, he was succeeded with a series of high-profile conductors. These included Pierre Boulez, Zubin Mehta, Kurt Masur, and Lorin Maazel, who took over in 2000 and held the post of music director until 2009. The orchestra has produced its home at Avery Fisher Hall [Lincoln Center] since 1962, situated on Manhattan’s Upper West Side-ironically, inside very same neighborhood where Bernstein set his famous musical, West Side Story.
