London Classical Players
| Company type | Orchestra |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1978 |
| Founder | Sir Roger Norrington |
| Defunct | 1997 |
| Fate | Integrated into the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom |
Key people | Sir Roger Norrington (founder), John Holloway (concertmaster 1978–1992) |
| Products | Orchestral performances and recordings using period instruments |
The London Classical Players (LCP) was a UK-based orchestra dedicated to historically informed performance (HIP), utilizing period instruments for their orchestral presentations. Established in 1978 by Sir Roger Norrington, the group’s concertmaster between 1978 and 1992 was baroque violinist John Holloway. The ensemble produced a significant number of recordings under EMI Classics, with many musicians also active in prominent HIP ensembles such as the Academy of Ancient Music, the English Concert, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, and the English Baroque Soloists.
Among their distinguished concert programs were "The Beethoven Experience" in 1987 and "The Berlioz Experience" in 1988. In a notable event in 1996, the LCP sparked controversy by inaugurating the Prague Spring Festival with Bedrich Smetana's Ma Vlast. The orchestra ceased operations formally in 1997, with its functions being integrated into the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.
Selected discography
- Ludwig van Beethoven: Complete Nine Symphonies, Virgin Classics 5619432 (reissue)
- Ludwig van Beethoven: All Five Piano Concertos, Virgin Classics 5622422 (reissue)
- Hector Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique and Overture Les Francs-Juges, Virgin Classics 3632862 (reissue)
- Johannes Brahms: Ein deutsches Requiem, Virgin Veritas 5616052 (reissue)
- Anton Bruckner: Symphony No. 3, Virgin Veritas 4820912 (reissue)
- Georg Friedrich Handel: Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks, Virgin Veritas (reissue)
- Joseph Haydn: Symphonies Nos. 99 through 104, EMI Classics
- Felix Mendelssohn: Symphonies Nos. 3 and 4, Virgin Veritas 3499832 (reissue)
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart:
- Symphonies Nos. 38 to 41, Virgin Veritas 5620102 (reissue)
- Die Zauberflöte, Virgin Veritas 4820732
- Don Giovanni, Virgin Veritas 5622672 (combined reissue with Die Zauberflöte)
- Piano Concertos Nos. 20, 23–25, Virgin Veritas 5623432 (reissue)
- Requiem/Masonic Funeral Music/"Ave verum corpus", Virgin Veritas 5615202
- Henry Purcell: The Fairy Queen, Virgin Veritas 5619552
- Gioacchino Rossini: Collection of Overtures, EMI Classics
- Franz Schubert: Symphonies Nos. 4 through 6 and No. 8, Virgin Veritas 5622272 (reissue)
- Robert Schumann: Symphonies Nos. 3 and 4, Virgin Veritas 3499832 (reissue)
- Bedřich Smetana: Ma Vlast, Virgin Veritas 5453012
- Richard Wagner: Preludes from Rienzi, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, and Parsifal; Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde; Act III Prelude to Lohengrin; plus Siegfried Idyll, Virgin Veritas 4820912 (reissue)
- Carl Maria von Weber: Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2 alongside the Konzertstück, EMI Classics