Anshel Brusilow Conducts The Chamber Symphony of Philadelphia
The Chamber Symphony of Philadelphia was founded in 1965 by Anshel Brusilow, then concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Brusilow, who studied conducting and played under Pierre Monteux, George Szell and Eugene Ormandy, auditioned more than 1,000 musicians for the 36 full-time positions and conducted the ensemble from 1966 until 1968, when it was disbanded for want of adequate philanthropic support in the city for a second orchestra. But over the course of two-and-a-half 34-week seasons it had already performed more than 200 concerts and made six albums for RCA Victor.
Sony Classical is now issuing all these LP recordings by the Chamber Symphony of Philadelphia on CD for the first time. The original LP releases were praised by High Fidelity, which called the Chamber Symphony of Philadelphia “an orchestra of rare quality”. Reviewing its début release, Brahms’s D major Serenade, the US classical music magazine opined: “Brusilow could hardly have chosen a better work to show off the capabilities of his new orchestra – every first-chair woodwind and brass player has his chance to shine (and each does shine, brilliantly).” The Brahms was followed by a series of choice couplings: Tchaikovsky’s “Mozartiana” Suite with Arensky’s Variations on a Theme by Tchaikovsky (“Brusilow is thoroughly at home in this literature, and his players respond beautifully to his direction” – High Fidelity); symphonies by Haydn and Cherubini; a French programme of Ravel, Ibert and Françaix (“Perhaps a reflection of the Monteux influence … this record … carries true stylistic conviction in matters of phrasing, texture, and timbre” – High Fidelity); and Richard Strauss’s Le Bourgeois gentilhomme as well as Hugo Wolf’s Italian Serenade.
The orchestra also premièred and recorded a new sacred choral work by Richard Yardumian, the Philadelphia-based composer championed by Eugene Ormandy. Come, Creator Spirit for mezzo-soprano, chorus (or congregation) and orchestra was the first mass setting by an established American composer in the English vernacular following the Vatican Council’s 1963 decision. The work was lauded for its integrity, spiritual fervor, and power to communicate the essence of devotion in all its nuances from praise to supplication.
Product Description:
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Release Date: November 03, 2023
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UPC: 196587920722
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Catalog Number: 19658792072
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Label: Sony Masterworks
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Number of Discs: 6
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Composer: Anton Arensky, Johannes Brahms, Luigi Cherubini, Jean Francaix, Joseph Haydn, Jacques Ibert, Maurice
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Conductor: Anshel Brusilow
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Orchestra/Ensemble: Chamber Symphony of Philadelphia
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Performer: Chamber Symphony of Philadelphia
Works:
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Serenade No. 1 in D, Op. 11
Composer: Johannes Brahms
Ensemble: Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia
Conductor: Anshel Brusilow
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Come, Creator Spirit
Composer: Richard Yardumian
Ensemble: Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Chamber Symphony of Philadelphia Chorale, Members of the Fordham University Glee Club, Members of the Thomas More College Women's Chorale
Performer: Lili Chookasian (Contralto)
Conductor: Anshel Brusilow
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Suite No. 4 in G, Op. 61 'Mozartiana'
Composer: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Ensemble: Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia
Conductor: Anshel Brusilow
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Variations on a Theme of Tchaikovsky, Op. 35a
Composer: Anton Arensky
Ensemble: Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia
Conductor: Anshel Brusilow
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Andante Cantabile (from String Quartet No. 1 in D, Op. 11)
Composer: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Ensemble: Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia
Conductor: Anshel Brusilow
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Symphony in D
Composer: Luigi Cherubini
Ensemble: Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia
Conductor: Anshel Brusilow
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Symphony No. 60 in C 'Il distratto'
Composer: Franz Joseph Haydn
Ensemble: Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia
Conductor: Anshel Brusilow
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Le Tombeau de Couperin
Composer: Maurice Ravel
Ensemble: Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia
Conductor: Anshel Brusilow
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Serenade
Composer: Jean Françaix
Ensemble: Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia
Conductor: Anshel Brusilow
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Paris, Suite Symphonique pour orchestre
Composer: Jacques Ibert
Ensemble: Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia
Conductor: Anshel Brusilow
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Capriccio
Composer: Jacques Ibert
Ensemble: Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia
Conductor: Anshel Brusilow
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Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme, Op. 60
Composer: Richard Strauss
Ensemble: Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia
Conductor: Anshel Brusilow
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Italian Serenade in G
Composer: Hugo Wolf
Ensemble: Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia
Conductor: Anshel Brusilow