BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra is Scotland's national broadcasting orchestra and considered one of the leading orchestras in Europe. It is one of the five full-time BBC orchestras, and the oldest full-time radio orchestra in Scotland. While most of its performances are in studio for the BBC, it has enjoyed success performing throughout the U.K. and internationally.
The BBC SSO was founded as the BBC Scottish Orchestra in 1935 by conductor and composer Ian Whyte while he served as the first head of music in Scotland for the BBC. Originally located in Edinburgh, the orchestra moved in 1938 to its newly built home in Glasgow. Throughout World War II, the orchestra continued broadcasting its live studio performances for the BBC Home and World Services. Following the war, Whyte expanded the size of the orchestra and in 1948 began the orchestra's annual trip to perform in the Edinburgh Festival. However, the majority of its performances remained in studio.
In 1960, Norman Del Mar was named principal conductor. In 1961, Del Mar lead the BBC Scottish Orchestra, along with the Scottish National Orchestra, in the U.K. premiere of Stockhausen's Gruppen für drei orchester. The following year he would lead the orchestra in its first performance at the BBC Proms. The orchestra expanded further under Del Mar, and in 1963 was renamed the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. Following Del Mar's departure in 1965, the BBC SSO had a number of principal conductors, including James Loughran (1965-1971), Christopher Seaman (1971-1977), and Jerzy Maksymiuk (1983-1993). In 2003, Ilan Volkov became the youngest chief conductor of a BBC orchestra; during Volkov's tenure, the orchestra moved to its new home at City Halls in Glasgow. He served as chief conductor until 2009. In 2016, Thomas Dausgaard was named chief conductor with a contract running through 2022.
In the 1990s, while continuing to perform for BBC programming, the BBC SSO began performing more often in public. It went on international tours across Europe, the Americas, India, and China. The orchestra also attended more festivals, including the Cheltenham Festival and the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival.
Alongside its live broadcast performances, the BBC SSO has released a multitude of commercial recordings, with a majority on the Hyperion label. The BBC SSO under Dausgaard released a recording of Sibelius' Kullervo in 2019 on Hyperion.
© Keith Finke /TiVo
Discography
204 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Bennett: Orchestral Works, Vol. 1
John Wilson, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Colin Currie
Classical - Released by Chandos on Nov 1, 2017
Available in24-Bit/96 kHz Stereo -
Bennett: Orchestral Works, Vol. 2
John Wilson, Howard Mcgill, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Classical - Released by Chandos on Jul 1, 2018
Available in24-Bit/96 kHz Stereo -
Stojowski & Wieniawski: Violin Concertos (Hyperion Romantic Violin Concerto 20)
Bartłomiej Nizioł, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Łukasz Borowicz
Classical - Released by Hyperion on Jul 29, 2016
Available in24-Bit/96 kHz Stereo -
Janáček: Mr Brouček Suite, The Eternal Gospel & Other Orchestral Music
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Ilan Volkov
Classical - Released by Hyperion on Sep 1, 2005
Available in24-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Patrick O'Malley: The Horizons
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Constantine, Brett Deubner
Classical - Released by Orchid Classics on Jun 7, 2024
Available in24-Bit/192 kHz Stereo -
Zarzycki & Żeleński: Piano Concertos (Hyperion Romantic Piano Concerto 59)
Jonathan Plowright, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Łukasz Borowicz
Classical - Released by Hyperion on Mar 31, 2013
Available in24-Bit/96 kHz Stereo -
Rimsky-Korsakov: Andante mosso (from Piano Concerto in C-sharp Minor, Op. 30)
Zlata Chochieva, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Karl-Heinz Steffens
Classical - Released by Naive on Sep 6, 2024
Available in24-Bit/192 kHz Stereo -
Beach, Chaminade & Howell: Piano Concertos (Hyperion Romantic Piano Concerto 70)
Danny Driver, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Rebecca Miller
Classical - Released by Hyperion on Mar 3, 2017
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Mythologies & Mad Songs
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Martyn Brabbins, Laurent Ben Slimane
Classical - Released by Orchid Classics on May 17, 2024
Available in24-Bit/96 kHz Stereo -
Pictured Within "Birthday Variations for M.C.B" - Kuusisto: Symphony, Op. 39 (Live)
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Martyn Brabbins, Pekka Kuusisto
Classical - Released by BIS on Dec 1, 2023
Available in24-Bit/48 kHz Stereo -
Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 2 & Other Works (Hyperion Romantic Violin Concerto 21)
Jack Liebeck, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Martyn Brabbins
Classical - Released by Hyperion on Dec 30, 2016
Available in24-Bit/96 kHz Stereo -
Sibelius: Kullervo Symphony, Op. 7
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Thomas Dausgaard
Classical - Released by Hyperion on Jun 28, 2019
Available in24-Bit/96 kHz Stereo -
Bruckner: Symphony No. 7
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Donald Runnicles
Classical - Released by Hyperion on Jan 1, 1992
Available in24-Bit/96 kHz Stereo -
Bronsart & Urspruch: Piano Concertos (Hyperion Romantic Piano Concerto 77)
Emmanuel Despax, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Eugene Tzigane
Classical - Released by Hyperion on Sep 28, 2018
Available in24-Bit/96 kHz Stereo -
Bennett: Concerto for Orchestra: I. Aubade. Vivo
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, John Wilson
Classical - Released by Chandos on Dec 20, 2024
Available in24-Bit/96 kHz Stereo -
Erik Chisholm: Violin Concerto & Dance Suite
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Martyn Brabbins
Classical - Released by Hyperion on Sep 1, 2017
Available in24-Bit/96 kHz Stereo -
Bennett: Sonnets to Orpheus: II. Capriccioso
Jonathan Aasgaard, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, John Wilson
Concertos - Released by Chandos on Jan 31, 2025
Available in24-Bit/96 kHz Stereo -
British Violin Concertos
Clare Howick, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Grant Llewellyn
Classical - Released by Naxos on Dec 1, 2017
Available in24-Bit/96 kHz Stereo -
Tippett: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Martyn Brabbins
Classical - Released by Hyperion on Dec 29, 2017
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Elgar: Enigma Variations; In the South & Other Orchestral Works
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Martyn Brabbins
Classical - Released by Hyperion on Oct 28, 2016
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Ravel: Piano Concertos; Falla: Nights in the Gardens of Spain
Steven Osborne, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Ludovic Morlot
Classical - Released by Hyperion on Jun 2, 2017
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo