The Philadelphia Orchestra
Ormandy's 44-year tenure with the
Philadelphia Orchestra, which began in 1936, is the source of much of his lasting reputation and fame. Two years after first being appointed as that Orchestra's associate conductor, under
Leopold Stokowski, he became its music director until his 1980 retirement. (Stokowski continued to conduct some concerts in Philadelphia until 1941, then he returned as a guest conductor in 1960.) As music director, Ormandy conducted from 100 to 180 concerts each year in Philadelphia. Upon his retirement, he was made the Orchestra's conductor laureate.
Ormandy was a quick learner of scores and often conducted from memory and without baton. He demonstrated exceptional musical and personal integrity, exceptional leadership skills, and a formal and reserved podium manner in the style of his idol and friend,
Arturo Toscanini. One orchestra musician complimented him by saying: "He doesn't try to conduct
every note as some conductors do." Under Ormandy's direction the Philadelphia Orchestra continued the lush,
legato style, characterized by string bowing and tone, a style Stokowski originated and for which it was famous. His style was praised for its opulent sound, but also was criticized for supposedly lacking any real individual touch.
Ormandy's orchestral seating plan was a standard one. The violins were not divided and therefore antiphonal effects were not enhanced. The first and second violins and harps were on the left. Woodwinds were in the center, with the horns behind them. The basses, cellos, and violas were on the right, along with the rest of the brass instruments. Percussion was in the center of the back.
Many web sites feature stories about Ormandy's often unintentional humor and occasional lapses in English usage during rehearsals at Philadelphia's Academy of Music.
Ormandy was particularly noted for conducting late
Romantic and early 20th century music. He particularly favored Bruckner, Debussy, Dvořák, Ravel, Richard Strauss, Tchaikovsky, and transcriptions of Bach. His performances of Beethoven, Brahms, Haydn, and Mozart were considered less successful by some critics, especially when he applied the lush, so-called "Philadelphia Sound" to them. He was particularly noted as a champion of
Sergei Rachmaninoff's music, conducting the premiere of his
Symphonic Dances and leading the orchestra in the composer's own recordings of three of his piano concertos in 1939-40. He also directed the American premiere of several symphonies by
Dmitri Shostakovich. He made the first recording of
Deryck Cooke's first performing edition of the complete Mahler Tenth Symphony, which many critics praised. He also performed a great deal of American music and gave many premières of works by
Samuel Barber,
Paul Creston,
David Diamond,
Howard Hanson,
Walter Piston,
Ned Rorem,
William Schuman,
Roger Sessions,
Virgil Thompson, and Richard Yardumian.
The Philadelphia Orchestra under Ormandy's direction frequently performed outside of Philadelphia, in New York and other American cities, and undertook a number of foreign tours. During a
1955 tour of Finland, many of the Orchestra's members visited the elderly composer
Jean Sibelius at his country estate. During a
1973 tour of the People's Republic of China, the Orchestra performed to enthusiastic audiences that had been isolated from Western classical music for many decades.
After Ormandy officially retired as music director of the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1980, he served as a guest conductor of other orchestras and made a few recordings.
Ormandy died in
Philadelphia on
March 12,
1985. His papers, including his marked scores and complete arrangements, fill 501 boxes in the archives of The
University of Pennsylvania Library.
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