As the most populous city in the United States, it makes sense that New York would be a focal point for the musical arts. From its very beginning in 1842, the New York Philharmonic has fulfilled the role of the nation’s top orchestra-although not always its most innovative. Its list of music directors is a veritable Who’s Who of the conducting world, especially since the beginning of the 20th century. These have included such luminaries as Gustav Mahler [1909-11], Arturo Toscanini [1928-36], Leopold Stokowski [1949-50], and perhaps the most iconic of all, Leonard Bernstein [1958-69].
Having begun as the Philharmonic Society of New York the ensemble gave its first concert on December 7, 1842, at a rented hall in lower Manhattan. Numerous attempts to raise money for a permanent home for the Philharmonic were thwarted by events such as the American Civil War and the rise of a competing orchestra-the Symphony Society of New York-begun by Leopold Damrosch, a close friend of composer Franz Liszt and someone who had led the Philharmonic several years earlier [1876-77].
Philanthropist Andrew Carnegie was talked into building such an edifice, and New York’s Music Hall opened on May 5, 1891. The building would soon be renamed Carnegie Hall, and it remained the official home of the New York Philharmonic for the next 71 years.
In 1909, several wealthy New York society matrons were influential in changing the orchestra’s charter from a musician-based cooperative to a corporate-style management structure. Sufficient funds were raised to allow the Philharmonic to expand its season from fewer than twenty concerts per season to more than fifty, and also hire Gustav Mahler as its music director and chief conductor. Although he died unexpectedly after only two years in the position, Mahler’s emphasis on programming the music by the German Romantic masters continued with his successors.
The orchestra was one of the first to make extensive use of the new process of making records of classical music; many of the early recordings were done in Carnegie Hall. The organization began its long relationship with RCA Victor in 1927. During this era, the New York Philharmonic also instituted a series of free outdoor concerts, a policy that continues to this day. Music director Arturo Toscanini was a leader in innovation-he not only convinced management that recordings were an important part of the overall picture, but also arranged for concerts to be broadcast via radio. In 1930, the Philharmonic made its first concert broadcast over CBS, and the legacy of Sunday afternoon programs on radio continued without interruption until 1968.
Leonard Bernstein is credited with raising the exposure of the New York Philharmonic beyond all expectations. Beginning in 1958, his televised broadcasts that included the much-revered Young People’s Concerts were credited with bringing classical music to millions of viewers who had never received much exposure to this genre. He was also exceedingly influential in changing the orchestra’s programming emphasis, performing modern works by living composers and also writing a number of pieces for the ensemble. After Bernstein’s retirement in 1969, he was succeeded by a series of high-profile conductors. These included Pierre Boulez, Zubin Mehta, Kurt Masur, and Lorin Maazel, who took over in 2000 and held the post of music director until 2009. The orchestra has made its home at Avery Fisher Hall [Lincoln Center] since 1962, situated on Manhattan’s Upper West Side-ironically, in the very same neighborhood where Bernstein set his famous musical, West Side Story.
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