Boston Symphony Orchestra

Boston Symphony Orchestra
Thumbnail

ICA Classics enjoys an exclusive partnership with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Boston public broadcaster WGBH for the release of audiovisual material on DVD. This material represents some of the earliest televised concerts with the Boston Symphony and is of exceptional musical interest and historic importance, having been expertly restored using state-of-the-art techniques. Television broadcasting of the Boston Symphony Orchestra from Symphony Hall began in 1949 with an NBC radio and television special and continued on a more regular basis in 1955. During the 1957-58 season, six BSO concerts from Harvard’s Sanders Theatre were broadcast. In 1963, television broadcasts resumed from Symphony Hall, considered among the top three concert halls in the world. A collection of more than 100 of these programs now resides jointly in the Boston Symphony Orchestra archives and at WGBH, and are considered to be among the most comprehensive collections of archived symphony film and video in the country. Until now, with few exceptions, these programs have remained virtually inaccessible to researchers and enthusiasts because of the fragile condition of the original materials.

  • Pierre Monteux (Richard Itter Collection)

    MP3 Album:
    The great French conductor Pierre Monteux  (1875-1964) was naturally considered a specialist of his native country’s music, though he would never allow this to restrict him. This new set of previously unpublished recordings seeks to set the record straight, with a strong representation of German repertoire, notably Brahms’ Symphony No.3 with the Boston Symphony, which he never recorded commercially, in a rare ‘live’ performance from the 1956 Edinburgh Festival. More Brahms featuring two celebrated virtuosos – the Violin Concerto with the French violinist Zino Francescatti, and the Double Concerto where he is joined by his compatriot Pierre Fournier, both ‘live’ recordings from the Royal Festival Hall in 1955. Both are previously unpublished.
  • Klaus Tennstedt / Boston Symphony Orchestra

    Klaus Tennstedt / Boston Symphony Orchestra

    MP4 Video Download:
    This rare audiovisual footage presents Klaus Tennstedt at the height of his very special relationship with the Boston Symphony Orchestra during his prime recording period. Joyous Mozart is combined with evocative Mahler, both performed with the greatest sensitivity and conviction. The ICA Classics Legacy series represents an historic account of performances by some of the world’s greatest artists. This DVD features only the second public release of a full-length symphonic work with the Boston Symphony Orchestra under Klaus Tennstedt and the third DVD available with this mighty conductor. While the material has been restored using the greatest care and state-of-the-art techniques, certain visual artefacts and distortions remain in some instances due to the age of the film. Despite this, it remains of exceptional musical interest and historic value and is released here for the first time on DVD.
  • William Steinberg / Boston Symphony Orchestra

    William Steinberg / Boston Symphony Orchestra

    MP4 Video Download:
    Steinberg was much admired for his sterling musicianship; the breadth of his repertory, which included much contemporary music; the clarity and precision of his technique; his wit and pipe-smoking geniality; and the collegial relationships he established and maintained with his musicians.
  • Klaus Tennstedt / Boston Symphony Orchestra

    Klaus Tennstedt / Boston Symphony Orchestra

    MP4 Video Download:
    Tennstedt duly made his US debut in December 1974, conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra in an all-Brahms programme and then in Bruckner's Symphony No.8. A legend was born and a career was made. One headline the next day ran: "Bruckner – Tennstedt – BSO – Once in a Lifetime."

ICA Classics enjoys an exclusive partnership with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Boston public broadcaster WGBH for the release of audiovisual material on DVD. This material represents some of the earliest televised concerts with the Boston Symphony and is of exceptional musical interest and historic importance, having been expertly restored using state-of-the-art techniques. Television broadcasting of the Boston Symphony Orchestra from Symphony Hall began in 1949 with an NBC radio and television special and continued on a more regular basis in 1955. During the 1957-58 season, six BSO concerts from Harvard’s Sanders Theatre were broadcast. In 1963, television broadcasts resumed from Symphony Hall, considered among the top three concert halls in the world. A collection of more than 100 of these programs now resides jointly in the Boston Symphony Orchestra archives and at WGBH, and are considered to be among the most comprehensive collections of archived symphony film and video in the country. Until now, with few exceptions, these programs have remained virtually inaccessible to researchers and enthusiasts because of the fragile condition of the original materials.