Pro Arte Orchestra
| Company type | Limited company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1955 |
| Founder | Eugene Cruft (chairman) |
| Defunct | 1970 |
| Headquarters | London , United Kingdom |
Key people | Eugene Cruft (chairman), Archie Camden, Antony English, Sir Malcolm Sargent (conductor) |
| Products | Orchestral performances and studio recordings |
The Pro Arte Orchestra was a British symphony orchestra formed in 1955.
Background
Founded as a limited company, the Pro Arte Orchestra was chaired by the double-bass musician Eugene Cruft, with board members such as Archie Camden and Antony English. The ensemble initially specialized in presenting "the finest of the lighter classics in orchestral music".[1] Its debut performance took place on 21 October 1955 at the Royal Festival Hall, featuring compositions by Rossini, Schubert, Lalo, Strauss, and Chabrier, under the baton of Sir Malcolm Sargent.[1] The orchestra primarily engaged in studio recordings, particularly for the Pye-Nixa label. From 1956 to 1962, it completed recordings of eight full Gilbert and Sullivan operas along with several overtures conducted by Malcolm Sargent for EMI.
Among the early musicians were Cecil Aronowitz, Francisco Gabarró, Richard Adeney, Peter Graeme, Gervase de Peyer, Raymond Cohen, and Alan Civil.[1] The orchestra’s final advertised performance in London occurred in 1970.[2]
Discography
- Albinoni, Marcello, Cimarosa: Oboe Concertos (soloist: Evelyn Rothwell)
- Arnell: The Great Detective – ballet suite
- Bach: Concerto for Four Harpsichords; Clavier Concertos Nos. 1 and 5 (featuring Mindru Katz)
- Beethoven: Violin Concerto (soloist: Igor Oistrakh)
- Coates: Cinderella; London Bridge; The Enchanted Garden; By The Sleepy Lagoon; Footlights
- Elgar: Pomp and Circumstance Marches Nos. 1 and 4 (conducted by George Weldon)
- Gay: The Beggar's Opera
- Handel: Music for the Royal Fireworks; Concerto a due cori in F Major (No. 2)
- Hely-Hutchinson: Carol Symphony (1966)
- Herrmann: Wuthering Heights
- Janáček: Sinfonietta and opera preludes
- Piccinni: La Cecchina, ossia La buona figliuola
- Rawsthorne: Madame Chrysanthème – Ballet Suite; Street Corner Overture
- Sullivan-Mackerras: Pineapple Poll
- Sullivan: Iolanthe, The Gondoliers, The Mikado, The Pirates of Penzance, H.M.S. Pinafore, Patience, Ruddigore, The Yeomen of the Guard; overtures including Cox & Box, The Sorcerer, and Princess Ida.