When Leopold Stokowski had the Philadelphia Orchestra (1912-1939), they recorded for RCA in the U.S. When Eugene Ormandy had the Philadelphia (1939-1977), they recorded for CBS. When Riccardo Muti (1980-1993) and Wolfgang Sawallisch (1993-2003) had the Philadelphia, they recorded for EMI in England. With Christoph Eschenbach in charge of the Philadelphia (2003-?), who do you think they record for? Not an American label, not an English label, not a German label, and not a French label -- no, Eschenbach and the Philadelphia ...
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When Leopold Stokowski had the Philadelphia Orchestra (1912-1939), they recorded for RCA in the U.S. When Eugene Ormandy had the Philadelphia (1939-1977), they recorded for CBS. When Riccardo Muti (1980-1993) and Wolfgang Sawallisch (1993-2003) had the Philadelphia, they recorded for EMI in England. With Christoph Eschenbach in charge of the Philadelphia (2003-?), who do you think they record for? Not an American label, not an English label, not a German label, and not a French label -- no, Eschenbach and the Philadelphia record for Finnish label Ondine.That's all right. Ondine is a fine label with warm sound and worldwide distribution and Eschenbach and the Philadelphia are much better served than the New York Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony, and the Cleveland Orchestra, all of which at the time were working without recording contracts. Besides, the most important thing, the quality of the music-making, is still first-rate. True, Eschenbach's Philadelphia sounds nothing like Sawallisch or Muti's,...
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