# Your favorite orchestra names



## blazcopski (Oct 14, 2020)

*Do you prefer "Symphony Orchestra" or "Philharmonic Orchestra"?

What about various alternative names out there?

I like the simplicity and elegance of plain names like Minnesota Orchestra. I also like the rather romantic name of the old radio band "Symphony of the Air." Orchestra of the 18th Century is a cool, descriptive name.*


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## Ras (Oct 6, 2017)

I like the name of one of John Eliot Gardiner's orchestras: "Orchestra of Revolution and Romance":

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orchestre_Révolutionnaire_et_Romantique


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## NoCoPilot (Nov 9, 2020)

"Academy of Ancient Music." "Atrium Musicae De Madrid."


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

Hanover Band.

BTW: It doesn't mean much anymore, but "philharmonic" and "symphony orchestra" aren't synonymous, at least historically. There were groups labeled like "the Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra of Lower Hoboken". Had to do with the funding or such.


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## Fabulin (Jun 10, 2019)

Columbia Symphony Orchestra is my favourite orchestra name.


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## Judith (Nov 11, 2015)

What about "Academy of St Martin in the Fields" named after the church in Trafalgar Square?


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## MatthewWeflen (Jan 24, 2019)

It's hard for me to disentangle the name from the reputation. BPO, VPO, LSO, CSO all rate very highly for me. Then there are interesting names, like the aforementioned ORR, or something like The English Concert.


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## JAS (Mar 6, 2013)

Merely as a name, I have always liked the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. It just seems like an orchestra with a bad temper, and one that you don't want to get on the bad side of.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

_The Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics Ministry of Culture Symphony Orchestra_ (COMKCCCP) sounded grand and imposing. It looked even better in Russian. Its current incarnation, _The State Symphony Capella of Russia_ (GOASKP), sounds positively foppish in comparison.


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

elgars ghost said:


> _The Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics Ministry of Culture Symphony Orchestra_ (COMKCCCP) sounded grand and imposing. It looked even better in Russian. Its current incarnation, _The State Symphony Capella of Russia_ (GOASKP), sounds positively foppish in comparison.


Indeed, the Russian/Soviet orchestras can have rather intriguing names. Those of us who catalog our collections with Discogs online, often run into numerous problems with Russian/Soviet orchestral names.

One such is the seemingly simple Russian State Symphony Orchestra.

If only it were that simple.

Below is the listing of alternative names (or ANV's) used with this orchestra on various records/CDs listed at Discogs:

'Evgeny Svetlanov' Russian State Symphony Orchestra, A Szovjetunió Állami Szimfonikus Zenekara, Academic State Symphony Orchestra Of Russia, Academic Symphonic State Orchestra Of The U.S.S.R., Academic Symphony Orchestra Of Russia, Academic Symphony Orchestra Of The USSR, Akademisches Staatliches Orchester der UdSSR, Akademisches Symphonie Orchester Der UDSSR, All-Union Symphony Orchestra, Állami Szimfónikus Zenekar, Coro E Orchestra Dell'URSS, Das Grosse Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Der UdSSR, Das Staataliche Sinfonieorchester Der UdSSR, Das Staatl. Sinfonie-Orchester Der UdSSR, Das Staatliche Sinfonie-Orchester Der UdSSR, Das Staatliche Sinfonieorchester Der UdSSR, Das Staatliches Sinfonie-Orchester Der UdSSR, Das Staatliches Sinfonieorchester der UdSSR, Der Staatliches Sinfonieorchester Der UdSSR, Državni Simfonijski Orkestar SSSR-a, Grand Orchestre Symphonique De La Radio D'Etat De L'U.R.S.S., Grand Symphony Orchestra, Grande Orchestra Sinfonica Dell'URSS, Grande Orquestra Sinfônica da Rádio da URSS, Grande Orquestra Sinfônica Da Rádio De Moscou, Großes Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester der UdSSR, Großes Sinfonie-Orchester der UdSSR, Grosses Symphonie-Ohester Des Rundfunks Der UDSSR, Großes Symphonieorchester Des Moskauer Rundfunks, Het USSR Staats Symfonie Orkest, Kammerensemble Des Staatlichen Sinfonieorchesters Der UdSSR, National Philharmonic Orchestra, National Philharmonic Orchestra Of Russia, National Symphonic Orchestra Of The USSR, National Symphony Orchestra Of The USSR, Orchestra Della Radio Di Stato Dell'U.R.S.S., Orchestra Di Stato Dell'Unione Sovietica, Orchestra Di Stato Dell'URSS, Orchestra Di Stato Dell'Unione Sovietica, Orchestra Filarmonica Di Russe, Orchestra Filarmonica Di Stato Dell'URSS, Orchestra Filarmonica Di Stato Dell'URSS E Coro, Orchestra Nazionale Dell' URSS, Orchestra Nazionale Dell'URSS, Orchestra Simfonică de Stat a U.R.S.S., Orchestra simfonică de stat a URSS, Orchestra Simfonica Di Stato Dell'URSS, Orchestra Sinfonia Dell'U.R.S.S., Orchestra Sinfonica Dell'Urss, Orchestra Sinfonica Della Radio Dell'Unione Sovietica, Orchestra Sinfonica Della Radio Russa, Orchestra Sinfonica Di Stato, Orchestra Sinfonica Di Stato Dell'U.R.S.S, Orchestra Sinfonica Di Stato Dell'U.R.S.S., Orchestra Sinfonica Di Stato Dell'URSS, Orchestra Sinfonica Sovietica, Orchestre D'état De L'U.R.S.S., Orchestre D'État De L'URSS, Orchestre D'État De URSS, Orchestre D'URSS, Orchestre d'Etat de l'U.R.S.S., Orchestre National D'URSS, Orchestre National De L'U.R.S.S., Orchestre National De L'URSS, Orchestre National Russe, Orchestre Nationale de l'U.R.S.S., Orchestre Symphonie De L'URSS, Orchestre Symphonique Académique d'Etat d'URSS, Orchestre Symphonique Academique D'URSS, Orchestre Symphonique D'Etat D'URSS, Orchestre Symphonique D'état De L'U.R.S.S., Orchestre Symphonique D'Etat De L'URSS, Orchestre Symphonique D'État De La Fédération De Russie, Orchestre Symphonique D'Etat De Russie, Orchestre Symphonique D'État Russe, Orchestre Symphonique D'U.R.S.S, Orchestre Symphonique D'U.R.S.S., Orchestre Symphonique D'URSS, Orchestre Symphonique De L'Academie D'État D'URSS, Orchestre Symphonique De L'etat De L'U.R.S.S, Orchestre Symphonique De L'etat De L'U.R.S.S., Orchestre Symphonique De L'U.R.S.S, Orchestre Symphonique De L'U.R.S.S., Orchestre Symphonique De L'URSS, Orchestre Symphonique De La Radio De L'U.R.S.S., Orchestre Symphonique de la Radiodiffuson de L'U.R.S.S., Orchestre Symphonique De Russie, Orchestre Symponique D'Etat De La Federation De Russie, Orchestre Symponique D'Etat De Russie, Orquesta De La Radio Del Estado, Orquesta De La U.R.S.S., Orquesta De La USSR, Orquesta Del Estada De La U.R.S.S., Orquesta Del Estado De La U.R.R.S., Orquesta Del Estado De La U.R.S.S., Orquesta Estatal Académica Sinfónica De La URSS, Orquesta Nacional De La URSS, Orquesta Nacional Filarmónica Rusa, Orquesta Nacional Rusa, Orquesta Sinfónica de la URSS, Orquesta Sinfónica De Moscú, Orquesta Sinfónica Del Estado De La U.R.S.S., Orquesta Sinfónica Del Estado de la Unión Soviética, Orquesta Sinfònica del Estado de la URSS, Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional De La URSS, Orquesta Sinphonica Del Estado, Orquestra Sinfônica da URSS, Orquestra Sinfônica Do Estado Da URSS, Orquestra Sinfônica Estatal Da URSS, Państwowa Orkiestra Symfoniczna ZSRR, PSRS Valsts Simfoniskas Orķestris, Radio Large Symphony Orchestra, Radio Symphonie Orkest Met Koor, Radio Symphony Orchestra Of The U.S.S.R., Radio Symphony Orchestra Of The USSR, Russ. 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Ah! Isn't Russian State Symphony Orchestra so ... pleasing?

Note -- Oddly enough, The Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics Ministry of Culture Symphony Orchestra does not have a single listing at Discogs!


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

The Re-educated Beijing Philharmonic Bicycle Factory Workers. (That wasn't really a name during the Great Cultural Revolution, but it should have been.


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## SuperTonic (Jun 3, 2010)

It's technically a chamber ensemble, not an orchestra, but I've always liked the name California EAR Unit.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

SONNET CLV said:


> Indeed, the Russian/Soviet orchestras can have rather intriguing names. Those of us who catalog our collections with Discogs online, often run into numerous problems with Russian/Soviet orchestral names.
> 
> Note -- Oddly enough, The Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics Ministry of Culture Symphony Orchestra does not have a single listing at Discogs!


Strange - there were plenty of recordings on Olympia and Melodiya under Gennadi Rozhdestvensky (albeit abbreviated to USSR, rather than the name of the country in full).


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## Fabulin (Jun 10, 2019)

If we are talking Soviet orchestras, I have always liked: 

USSR Radio and TV Large Symphony Orchestra (USSRRTVLSO)

Separate Exemplary Orchestra of USSR Defense Ministry (SEOUSSRDM)

They sound like missile systems


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

I think Beecham naming his orchestra the New Symphony Orchestra is compelling. What happened to the old one? Did they wrap it up tied to concrete and throw it in the East River? Did the previous symphony orchestra have an expiration date? Was his next orchestra the Subsequent Symphony Orchestra? So many unanswered questions.


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## RICK RIEKERT (Oct 9, 2017)

_Apollo's Fire_

Passion. Period.


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## Simplicissimus (Feb 3, 2020)

My favorite orchestra and favorite name for an orchestra:

Das Frankfurter Opern- und Museumsorchester.


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

My vote goes for:
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

I have always found this name for an orchestra to be romantic:

l'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande

Ahhh, the glorious years under Ansermet.....


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Also liked...

The Centi Solo Orchestra Of Paris


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## Open Book (Aug 14, 2018)

Rogerx said:


> My vote goes for:
> Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.


Mine, too. Curiously named after the concert hall in which it plays as if the building came first.


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## Vasks (Dec 9, 2013)

*The Stadium Symphony Orchestra of New York*

It was a pseudonym for the NY Philharmonic when Stokowski recorded Tchaikovsky's Francesca da Rimini & Hamlet. But the name conjures up an orchestra performing at a baseball park.


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## NoCoPilot (Nov 9, 2020)

Open Book said:


> Mine, too. Curiously named after the concert hall in which it plays as if the building came first.


But it is a MAGNIFICENT venue.


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## Orfeo (Nov 14, 2013)

Rogerx said:


> My vote goes for:
> Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.


You got to beat me to it, huh. That's the first orchestra that came to mind.
That said, I'll go with the *Chicago Symphony Orchestra*, _*or *_
*Le Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse*.


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## Open Book (Aug 14, 2018)

NoCoPilot said:


> But it is a MAGNIFICENT venue.


But The Royal Concerthall Orchestra?


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