Who Are the Top Ten Philharmonic Orchestras? See If Your Favorite on This List

Name the top ten Philharmonic Orchestras in the world. If you ask 100 people, you will get 100 different answers. There are many amazing ensembles out there, large and small, but it is a good bet that any of the 10 that follow would more often than not show up on most lists. The list that follows is in no particular order. On any given night anyone of them can be number 1.

The Cleveland Orchestra

The Cleveland Orchestra is one of the world's foremost philharmonic orchestras. Founded in 1918, they have leaded the way in musical excellence. The Cleveland Orchestra has a long history of performance, recordings, radio work and imaginative programming. Led by conductor George Szell for 24 years, starting in 1946, the orchestra perfected a "European sound." Szell also pushed the Cleveland Orchestra with an ambitious recording and touring schedule which they keep up with today.

Now led by Austrian born conductor Franz Wesler-Most, the Orchestra is a must see yearly at Carnegie Hall in New York and in there yearly residency in Miami. The Cleveland Orchestra continually sells out there concerts in Europe. In 2008, The Cleveland Orchestra will play the Salzburg Festival with stops in Turin and Lucerne. At the Salzburg festival, The Cleveland Orchestra has the enviable position of staging five performances of Dvorak's opera "Rusalka."

Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

Founded in 1842, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra is considered by most to be the benchmark of orchestral sound. The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra is an exclusive musicians club. Each member of the orchestra served at least three years in the Orchestra of The Vienna State Opera before they can even audition for the Vienna Orchestra. A most unusual feature of the orchestra is the fact that it is democratically run; each member has a vote in all matters concerning the Orchestra.

The Vienna Orchestra also does not have a conductor in residence but instead has relied on guest instructors most notably Richard Strauss, Arturo Toscanini and Leonard Bernstein.

Seeing the Vienna Orchestra is a feat in itself. Weekday subscriptions to the orchestra are sold out 10 years in advance with weekend tickets being even harder to come by with a waiting list of 13 years.

Boston Symphony

Since 1881, the Boston symphony has graced the stages of America and Europe and through radio station WGBH in Boston, has been on the airwaves of the world.

What really sets the Boston symphony apart from other orchestras is their involvement in many musical projects. Boston has commissioned and premiered works by composers Bela Bartok, Igor Stravinsky, Peter Lieberson and other notable composers. They helped develop Radio WGBH as an outlet for their performances, setting the model for other orchestras to follow suit. The Boston Symphony also is the only American symphony orchestra with their own chamber ensemble made op of principal orchestra players. The Boston Symphony also has a close working relationship with the world famous Boston Pops Orchestra.

Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

Whether an Opera by Claudio Abbado or Beethoven's 9^th the Berlin Philharmonic is a standard of crisp, sonic musicianship. Founded in 1882 by fifty musicians who broke away from another orchestra, the Berlin Philharmonic has blazed a trail of musical excellence. Guest conductors over the years have included Edvard Grieg, Richard Strauss, Hans Richter, Gustav Mahler and Johannes Brahms.

Since 2002, Sir Simon Rattle has been the conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic. In the year 2007 UNICEF appointed the Berlin Philharmonic to be Goodwill Ambassadors.

Philadelphia Orchestra

The Philadelphia Orchestra yearly reaches, through performance, recording and radio broadcasts, over a million listeners a year. Performances at their summer residency at Saratoga Performing Arts Center in upstate New York and an annual appearance at Carnegie Hall give the lover of this great philharmonic orchestra plenty of opportunity to hear this world class ensemble.

The Philadelphia Orchestra is truly an orchestra of firsts. In 1925 they became the first orchestra to make their own electrical recordings. In 1929 they were the first to perform their own commercially sponsored radio broadcast. In 1948 the Philadelphia orchestra became the first orchestra to appear on national television. In 1997 they became the first major orchestra to perform on a live cybercast and in 1973; they became the first American orchestra to visit the Peoples Republic of China.

The orchestra continues its excellence with a multi-year cycle of Mahler's complete symphonies, a daunting task for any orchestra.

Bavarian Radio Symphony

Despite its name, the Berlin Radio Symphony is well known for its relentless touring. Performances all over the globe are the norm for this innovative philharmonic orchestra. Annual stops at Carnegie Hall and the great concert halls of Japan are a regular part of the Berlin Radio Symphony's itinerary.

This orchestras hallmark right from the start has been a focus on new works. Audiences have been able to see many a composer conducting their own work. Some of the notables include Igor Stravinsky, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Mauricio Kagel and Darius Milhaud.

Over the years, the Bavarian Radio Symphony has expanded to interpretations of older works including Wagner and Beethoven.

New York Philharmonic

The New York Philharmonic is the oldest symphony in the United States. Performing since 1842, the New York Philharmonic has given over 14,000 performances. Currently directed by Loren Maazel, the New York Philharmonic has a history of great conductors. From Theodore Thomas, who left the New York Philharmonic to found the Chicago Symphony to Leonard Bernstein this great philharmonic continues a long tradition of excellence.

Rounding out a top ten list would have to include the London Symphony Orchestra, the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and the Chicago Symphony, all musical powerhouses in their own right.