Universally recognised as one of Britain’s finest orchestras, the Bbc Philharmonic is based in Manchester where it performs regularly in the magnificent Bridgewater Hall as well as recording programmes for Radio 3 in the Bbc's Studio 7 Concert Hall. It has built a worldwide reputation for outstanding quality and committed performances over an immensely wide-ranging repertoire.
Gianandrea Noseda became Principal Conductor in September 2002 when Yan Pascal Tortelier, who was Principal Conductor from 1992, became Conductor Laureate. Vassily Sinaisky is Principal Guest Conductor, James MacMillan is Composer/Conductor and Sir Edward Downes is Conductor Emeritus.
The Orchestra's policy of introducing new and adventurous repertoire to its programmes has meant that many of the world’s greatest composers have conducted the Orchestra, among them Berio, Copland, Penderecki, Tippett and Walton. In 1991 Sir Peter Maxwell Davies became the Bbc Philharmonic's first ever Composer/Conductor and was succeeded in 2000 by James MacMillan. The Orchestra has recently recorded two Cds of his music, including The Birds of Rhiannon with the Bbc Singers.
Over the last decade the Bbc Philharmonic has become one of the world's most recorded orchestras and under its exclusive contract with Chandos continues to make ten Cds each year. With Yan Pascal Tortelier the Bbc Philharmonic developed an extensive catalogue of French music, including Fauré, Chausson, Dukas, Roussel, Poulenc, Dutilleux, Messiaen and Lili Boulanger as well as a highly praised Hindemith series. Other conductors have recorded music by Verdi, Gliere and Respighi (Sir Edward Downes), Dohnányi, Korngold and Stokowski arrangements (Matthias Bamert), the Enescu Symphonies (Rozhdestvensky), Grainger (Hickox) and the Balakirev and Szymanowski Symphonies (Sinaisky) and the Orchestra’s recently released recording of all of the Bax Symphonies with Vernon Handley has received great critical acclaim worldwide. In his role as Principal Conductor Gianandrea Noseda has an exclusive contract with Chandos, which has already resulted in recordings of music by Respighi, Prokofiev and Karlowicz.
The Education and Community Department takes its work all over the country and has initiated projects at the Cheltenham and Chester Festivals, the Proms and international work in Oman, Prague and Bahrain. Thousands of people of all ages have attended the Bbc Philharmonic's rehearsals in Studio 7 Manchester, whilst its Professional Access Scheme enables instrumentalists from the Rncm to gain valuable training and performing experience with the Orchestra. Over the last few years the Orchestra has built a special relationship with the Blue Peter children’s television program resulting in the annual Blue Peter Prom.
The recent project of the complete cycle of the Beethoven Symphonies (June 2005) conducted by Gianandrea Noseda has brought the Bbc Philharmonic to the wider international attention : the live performances of Beethoven’s Nine Symphonies broadcasted on Bbc Radio 3 have amassed an incredible 1,4 millions download requests.