Sony Classical Celebrates NY Philharmonic's 175th Season With CD Release, 4/7

Sony Classical will celebrate the New York Philharmonic's 175th anniversary season with New York Philharmonic - 175th Anniversary Edition, a 65-CD compilation of the Orchestra's recordings from 1917 to 1995, to be released on April 7, 2017.

New York Philharmonic - 175th Anniversary Edition was produced by Sony Classical and curated by James H. North and Michael H. Gray with Philharmonic Archivist / Historian Barbara Haws. Thirty-five of the recordings have been remastered from the original discs and tapes for this edition, of which 20 are being released on CD for the first time and 15 are appearing for the first time on Sony-authorized CDs in the U.S. Deems Taylor's Through the Looking Glass, conducted by André Kostelanetz and recorded in 1975, is being released for the first time in any format. The compilation centers on symphonic works led by Philharmonic Music Directors - John Barbirolli, Leonard Bernstein, Pierre Boulez, Kurt Masur, Zubin Mehta, Willem Mengelberg, Dimitri Mitropoulos, Artur Rodzi?ski, Leopold Stokowski, Josef Stransky, Arturo Toscanini, and Bruno Walter - and will also feature performances led by distinguished guests, including Thomas Beecham, Luciano Berio, André Kostelanetz, Charles Munch, and Igor Stravinsky.

Twenty-five of the discs feature Laureate Conductor Leonard Bernstein (Music Director, 1958-69) leading works by composers including Barber, Beethoven, Copland, Gershwin, Harris, Ives, Mahler, Nielsen, Ravel, and Stravinsky, as well as his own works.

The announcement coincides with the 100th anniversary of the Philharmonic's first-ever recording, released January 20, 1917, which is included in the compilation and features Josef Stransky leading the Orchestra in Ambroise Thomas's Raymond Overture. Other highlights include:

• Willem Mengelberg conducting Richard Strauss's Ein Heldenleben, which the composer dedicated to Mengelberg
• Arturo Toscanini's interpretation of Beethoven's Fifth and Seventh Symphonies
• Artur Rodzi?ski leading Act IV of Wagner's Die Walküre
• Mahler's Fourth and Fifth Symphonies led by Bruno Walter, Mahler's acolyte and successor as New York Philharmonic Music Director
• Dimitri Mitropoulos in the first-ever complete recording of Berg's Wozzeck
• Leopold Stokowski's rendition of Messiaen's L'Ascension
• Pierre Boulez's Grammy Award-winning recording of Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra
• André Kostelanetz's performances of Gershwin's Piano Concerto in F with Oscar Levant as soloist
• Zubin Mehta leading the Verdi Requiem
• Kurt Masur leading Dvo?ák's Cello Concerto with Yo-Yo Ma as soloist

Click here for a complete list of the set's contents. Click here for an image of the box set.

Also included is a 160-page hardcover book with an introduction by Philharmonic Archivist / Historian Barbara Haws titled "The New York Philharmonic: A Musician's Orchestra for 175 Years." The 65-CD box set with hardcover book is available for pre-order here.

Since 1917 the New York Philharmonic has made more than 2,000 recordings, with more than 500 currently available. Since 1961 the Philharmonic's recordings have been awarded 22 Grammy Awards, and in 2003 it made history as the first symphony orchestra ever to make a solo appearance on the Grammy awards, one of the most-watched television events worldwide. In 2004 the Philharmonic was the first major American orchestra to offer downloadable concerts, recorded live. Following on this innovation, in 2009 the Orchestra announced the first-ever subscription download series: Alan Gilbert: The Inaugural Season, available exclusively on iTunes, produced and distributed by the New York Philharmonic, and comprising more than 50 works performed during the 2009-10 season. The Philharmonic's self-produced digital recording series continues with Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic: 2016-17 Season.

Sony Music Masterworks comprises Masterworks, Sony Classical, OKeh, Portrait, Masterworks Broadway, and Flying Buddha imprints. For email updates and information please visit sonymusicmasterworks.com.