It is exactly 100 years to the day since the London Symphony Orchestra made its first recording.
The recording session took place at Hayes Studios in Middlesex on 25 June 1913. Conductor Arthur Nikisch conducted the orchestra in Beethoven’s Egmont Overture, Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 1 and Weber’s Oberon Overture.
This was one of the first British orchestral recordings ever made because up until that point the technology had not been good enough to capture orchestral sound.
Following the London Symphony Orchestra's success more and more orchestral recordings began to be made and the orchestra now has its own label, LSO Live, but this early recording is available to hear on Dutton Epoch Records.
The LSO gave its first concert in 1904, and since then it has become one of the UK's principal orchestras. Its current music director is Valery Gergiev but the post has previously been filled by Sir Edward Elgar, Sir Colin Davis and Claudio Abbado.
Emily Clark
Photo: LSO Archive