The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra has enjoyed broader acclaim than the scale of its Pennsylvania home might imply, thanks to an illustrious roster of 20th-century maestros who guided the ensemble at pivotal stages. During the 2010s the group released an extensive sequence of recordings devoted to core symphonic literature.

Established in 1896 by the Pittsburgh Art Society, the orchestra engaged Irish-born operetta composer Victor Herbert as music director two years later. That appointment ran against the prevailing preference for German leaders yet quickly built a broad following. In 1904 the ensemble veered sharply by naming Germany’s Emil Paur conductor, resulting in programs dominated by Brahms and fellow symphonists. Tensions with local players, compounded by the financial fallout from the Panic of 1907, led to the orchestra’s dissolution in 1910. It was revived in 1927, deliberately defying a Pennsylvania statute that prohibited public music on the Sabbath and thereby securing widespread attention. The ensemble embraced radio early, beginning broadcasts in 1936 that reached much of the eastern United States. The following year Otto Klemperer took the podium, one in a succession of internationally prominent conductors who elevated the orchestra’s standards. Subsequent leaders included Fritz Reiner (1938-1948), Vladimir Bakaleinikov (1948-1952), William Steinberg (1952-1976), André Previn (1976-1984), Lorin Maazel (1984-1996, who had earlier resided in Pittsburgh and studied with Bakaleinikov), Mariss Jansons (1996-2004), a distinctive triumvirate of Marek Janowski, Andrew Davis, and Yan Pascal Tortelier (2004-2008), and, from 2008 onward, Manfred Honeck. A concurrent pops series was led by renowned ragtime pianist Marvin Hamlisch from 1995 until his death in 2014; in 2019 Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds appeared as guest artist. Early performances took place at Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Music Hall, Syria Mosque (a venue inspired by a shrine rather than an actual mosque), and Penn Theatre; in 1971 the orchestra acquired its dedicated Heinz Hall, later enlarged on several occasions. Steinberg and Previn oversaw the accumulation of an extensive recorded legacy. Honeck renewed this activity with a 2010s series of symphonic works issued on the Exton and Reference Recordings labels. In 2018 the orchestra released a performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, Op. 55, coupled with Richard Strauss’s Horn Concerto No. 1, Op. 11, Honeck’s approach shaped by the historically informed performance movement. Under Honeck the ensemble received a Grammy nomination for its 2019 album Bruckner: Symphony No. 9.