Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra - Recordings

Recordings

The RPO has recorded under at least three different names: Eastman Rochester Orchestra, Rochester Pops Orchestra, and the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. Recordings have featured many prominent American composers, including George Gershwin, Samuel Barber, Morton Gould, and Howard Hanson).

The Orchestra's first recordings were from the late 1930s and early 1940s, conducted by Dr. Hanson and José Iturbi. Among these was a 1939 recording of William Grant Still's Afro-American Symphony, conducted by Dr. Hanson. The RPO presented the world premiere of this work in 1931.

José Iturbi and David Zinman appear to have had similar tastes when it came to recording. A 1941 RPO recording features Iturbi and his sister Amparo in Mozart's Concerto for Two Pianos, K. 365. Nearly 40 years later, David Zinman conducted a recording of that same piece, with pianists Rudolf Firkusny and Alan Weiss. Maestros Iturbi and Zinman also both recorded Mendelssohn's Third Symphony (the "Scottish") with the RPO.

A 1957 recording features Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue and Concerto in F, featuring pianist Eugene List. In 2007, the RPO released another Gershwin recording – which includes those two works and Cuban Overture – with conductor Jeff Tyzik and pianist Jon Nakamatsu. That album reached No. 3 on the Billboard classical charts. A partial list of RPO recordings follows.