Orpheus turns 50 with a 55-disc box set

To mark the 50th anniversary of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra in 2022, Deutsche Grammophon has released a 55-CD box set of the ensemble’s complete recordings for the label.

Orpheus’ discography on Deutsche Grammophon consists of recordings with luminaries such as Martha Argerich, Gidon Kremer, Jan Lisiecki and Gil Shaham, along with a previously unreleased recording of Mendelssohn’s Italian Symphony from 2018. “This collection represents the first fruits of the historic collaboration that is Orpheus,” said violist Dov Scheindlin, the group’s artistic director in a statement. “⁠We embody the democratizing wave that is still cresting in classical music. These recordings helped to demolish the maestro myth, that leadership must be assigned to one firm hand, and brought a spirit of participation and equality to the fore. These recordings document the success of that vision.⁠”

Performing without a conductor, Orpheus’ musicians work together as a collective and rotate leadership roles. Based in New York City, the 34-member ensemble is about to embark on a multi-city tour, including an SCP Chamber Music concert Jan. 22 at Orchestra Hall with guest saxophonist Branford Marsalis. The program features works by Rossini, Ibert, Debussy, Turina and a newly commissioned work by Courtney Bryan that draws on Bizet’s themes from his opera Carmen.

In his review of the box set for the site Musical America, Clive Paget wrote, "It’s hard to believe Orpheus Chamber Orchestra is turning 50 next year. There’s something eternally youthful about its limber sound, and something that still smacks of the teenage renegade about the famously ’conductor-less’ ensemble."