The Oregon Symphony, based in Portland, Oregon, was founded in 1896 as the Portland Symphony Society; it is the sixth oldest orchestra in the United States (and the oldest in the Western United States), and claims to be one of the largest arts organizations in the Pacific Northwest. The symphony has released nineteen studio albums and one compilation album through the record labels Delos, Koch International Classics, Albany and PentaTone Classics. The first recording, Bravura (1987), was released under the artistic leadership of James DePreist. It received favorable reviews and was the first of three released through Delos. The next two recordings were collections of compositions by Sergei Rachmaninoff (The Sea and the Gulls, 1987) and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture; The Tempest; Hamlet, 1989).
In 1992, the orchestra released its first record through Koch, with works by Gian Carlo Menotti, Ronald Lo Presti and Norman Dello Joio. DePreist and the symphony then issued two special edition albums not available commercially: Romeo and Juliet (1992), featuring Tchaikovsky's Fantasy Overture Romeo and Juliet, and Roman Festivals (1993), a re-issue of the performance of Respighi's Feste Romane from Bravura. On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in 1995, the symphony released its second album through Koch, with works by Joseph Schwantner and Nicolas Flagello; more than 30 United States radio stations broadcast Schwantner's piece on the holiday to commemorate the civil rights leader. The album reached a peak position of number three on Billboard Classical Albums chart and remains the symphony's best-selling album to date. Later that year, to commemorate its centenary, the symphony released its first compilation album, Centennial Collection, which contained material from previously released recordings. Erich Wolfgang Korngold: The Sea Hawk; Symphony in F-Sharp followed in 1998.
During DePreist's final five years as music director, the symphony was able to fund two recording sessions per year due to a $1 million bequest that established the Gretchen Brooks Recording Fund. The first two resulting albums were Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring; The Firebird Suite (2001) and Respighi's Rome (2001), which completed the "Roman Triptych" of Respighi started by Bravura and continued with Roman Festivals. The remaining albums released through Delos included American Contrasts (2003), Shostakovich: Symphony No. 11 "The Year 1905" (2003), Sibelius: Symphony No. 2; Symphony No. 7 (2004), Walton: Suite from Henry V; Cello Concerto; Violin and Piano Sonata; Bernard Rands: Tre Canzoni Senza Parole (2005) and Tragic Lovers (2008). Each of these featured DePreist as conductor, though some were released following his departure from the Oregon Symphony in April 2003. In 2003, the orchestra also released Orchestral Works by Tomas Svoboda, its first album through Albany. The recording of Tomáš Svoboda's Concerto for Marimba and Orchestra, featuring percussionist Niel DePonte, received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance with Orchestra. The orchestra released 17 albums conducted by DePreist.
In 2011, the symphony released Music for a Time of War, which debuted and peaked at number 31 on Billboard Classical Albums chart and received Grammy Award nominations for Best Orchestral Performance and Best Engineered Album, Classical. This England and Spirit of the American Range followed in 2012 and 2015, respectively. These recordings marked the first three of four albums to be produced by the symphony and the Dutch record label PentaTone by the end of the 2014–15 season, all under the artistic leadership of current conductor Carlos Kalmar.
Studio albums + List of studio albums, with featured conductors and works Title Album details Conductor Works Bravura Released: 1987 Label: Delos Format: CD James DePreist The Sea and the Gulls Released: 1987 Label: Delos Format: CD James DePreist Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture; The Tempest; Hamlet Released: 1989 Label: Delos Format: CD James DePreist Menotti: Apocalypse (World Premiere Recording); Dello Joio: Meditations on Ecclesiastes Released: 1992 Label: Koch International Classics Format: CD James DePreist Romeo and Juliet Released: 1992 Format: CD James DePreist Note: Special edition recording, not available commercially. Roman Festivals Released: 1993 Format: CD James DePreist Note: Special edition recording, not available commercially. Joseph Schwantner: New Morning for the World; Nicolas Flagello: The Passion of Martin Luther King Released: January 16, 1995 Label: Koch International Classics Format: CD James DePreist Erich Wolfgang Korngold: The Sea Hawk; Symphony in F-Sharp Released: 1998 Label: Delos Format: CD James DePreist Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring; The Firebird Suite Released: 2001 Label: Delos Format: CD James DePreist Respighi's Rome Released: 2001 Label: Delos Format: CD James DePreist American Contrasts Released: 2003 Label: Delos Format: CD James DePreist Orchestral Works by Tomas Svoboda Released: July 2003 Label: Albany Records Format: CD James DePreist Shostakovich: Symphony No. 11 "The Year 1905" Released: 2003 Label: Delos Format: CD James DePreist Sibelius: Symphony No. 2; Symphony No. 7 Released: 2004 Label: Delos Format: CD James DePreist Walton: Suite from Henry V; Cello Concerto; Violin and Piano Sonata; Bernard Rands: Tre Canzoni Senza Parole Released: 2005 Label: Delos Format: CD James DePreist Tragic Lovers Released: September 30, 2008 Label: Delos Format: CD James DePreist Music for a Time of War Released: October 25, 2011 Label: PentaTone Classics Format: CD Carlos Kalmar This England Released: November 13, 2012 Label: PentaTone Classics Format: CD Carlos Kalmar Spirit of the American Range Released: February 10, 2015 Label: Pentatone Format: CD Carlos Kalmar Aspects of America Released: September 7, 2018 Label: Pentatone Format: CD Carlos Kalmar Sean Shepherd – "Magiya" Sebastian Currier – "Microsymph" Christopher Rouse – "Supplica" Kenji Bunch – Aspects of an Elephant Samuel Barber – Souvenirs, Opus 28 Gospel Christmas Released: November 2, 2018 Label: Pentatone Format: CD Charles Floyd DeMarcus Williams – "King of Kings" Bill Winston – "Sacrifice of Praise" Milton Biggham – "Jesus Is Born" Terry Davis – "And His Name Shall Be Called" Michael McElroy / Joseph Joubert / Buryl Red – "You Oughta Know" Norman Hutchins – "Emmanuel" Gary Hemenway / Charles Floyd – "Jesus Savior, Come as a Child" James Fortune (arr. Ayron Lewis) – "Got Tell It – Wonderful Child" Joseph Pace II – "Zion Rejoice" George Frideric Handel – "Hallelujah" Various – "Christmas Worship Medley" George Frideric Handel – "Joy to the World"
Compilation albums + List of compilation albums, with featured conductors and works Title Album details Conductor Works Centennial Collection Released: 1995 Format: CD James DePreist Note: Special edition recording, not available commercially.
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