Editing BBC Symphony Orchestra (section)

==History==

===Background===
[[File:Chilly Gonzales with the BBC Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican.jpg|thumb|right|300px|The BBC Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican in October 2012]]

Almost from its beginning in November 1922, the [[BBC]] had started broadcasting from its "[[2LO]]" transmitter with its own musical ensembles. The first such groups were the "2LO Dance Band", the "2LO Military Band", the "2LO Light Orchestra", and the "2LO Octette", all of which began broadcasting in 1923.<ref>{{cite news|title =Broadcasting|newspaper= The Times|page=8|date =21 July 1923 }}; {{cite news|title =Broadcasting|newspaper= The Times|page=6|date =25 August 1923 }}; {{cite news|title =Broadcasting|newspaper= The Times|page=8|date =1 December 1923 }}</ref> No concert promoter would co-operate with the BBC, regarding it as a dangerous competitor, but the [[British National Opera Company]] allowed broadcasts of its performances from the [[Royal Opera House]].<ref name=k137>Kennedy, p. 137</ref> [[John Reith, 1st Baron Reith|John Reith]], the general manager of the BBC, invited the opera company's musical director, [[Percy Pitt]], to become the BBC's part-time musical adviser from May 1923. Later in the same year, Pitt conducted the BBC's first broadcast symphony concert, which included [[Antonín Dvořák|Dvořák]]'s ''[[Symphony No. 9 (Dvořák)|New World]]'' Symphony and works by [[Camille Saint-Saëns|Saint-Saëns]], [[Edward Elgar|Elgar]] and [[Carl Maria von Weber|Weber]].<ref>{{cite news|title =Symphony Concert by Wireless|newspaper= The Times|page=10|date =2 October 1923 }}</ref>

[[File:Percy-Pitt-1910.jpg|thumb|left|[[Percy Pitt]], the BBC's first director of music]]
Pitt expanded the regular eight-piece studio ensemble to form '''The Wireless Orchestra''' of 18 players, augmented to 37 for important broadcasts.<ref name=k137/> The augmented "Wireless Orchestra" conducted by [[Sir Landon Ronald]] made its first commercial recording in July 1924 by the acoustical process for [[His Master's Voice (British record label)|His Master's Voice]], [[Franz Schubert|Schubert]]'s ''[[Rosamunde (Schubert)|Rosamunde]]'' overture, which was issued in the following October.<ref>Claude Graveley Arnold, ''The Orchestra on Record 1896-1926'', p. 394. At the same time, Dan Godfrey, Jr – who was actually the Wireless Orchestra's first full-time conductor (under Pitt's close supervision) and the son of famed [[Bournemouth Municipal Orchestra]] conductor [[Daniel Eyers Godfrey|Dan Godfrey]] – was making a continuing series of acoustical recordings with the "2LO Military Band" for [[Edison-Bell]]'s "Winner" label.</ref> There was no thought at this stage that the BBC would maintain a full-scale symphonic orchestra of up to 100 players.  With Reith's approval, Pitt engaged various orchestras for a BBC concert series in 1924 at the [[Methodist Central Hall Westminster]].<ref name=k137/> Pitt and [[Landon Ronald]] conducted the [[Royal Albert Hall]] Orchestra; [[Eugene Aynsley Goossens|Eugene Goossens]] conducted the [[London Symphony Orchestra]]; and [[Hamilton Harty]] and Sir Edward Elgar conducted the orchestra of the [[Royal Philharmonic Society]].<ref>{{cite news|title =BBC Symphony Concert|newspaper= The Times|page=8|date =23 February 1924 }} (Pitt); {{cite news|title =BBC Symphony Concert|newspaper= The Times|page=8|date =23 February 1924 }}; {{cite news|title = British Broadcasting Company's Concert|newspaper= The Times|page=8|date =8 March 1924 }} (Ronald); {{cite news|title = Concerts &c|newspaper= The Times|page=10|date =17 March 1924 }} (Goossens); {{cite news|title = Concerts &c|newspaper= The Times|page=10|date =7 April 1924 }} (Harty); and {{cite news|title = Music This Week|newspaper= The Times|page=8|date =28 April 1924 }} (Elgar)</ref>

In 1924, the Wireless Orchestra, by then comprising 22 players, was contracted for six concerts a week. The following year, Pitt, by now working full-time for the BBC, as its director of music, augmented the ensemble to form the "Wireless Symphony Orchestra" for a new series of concerts broadcast from Covent Garden, conducted by [[Bruno Walter]], [[Ernest Ansermet]] and [[Pierre Monteux]];<ref name=k138>Kennedy, p. 138</ref> at this time Reith also allowed Pitt and the Wireless Symphony Orchestra to contract with the [[Columbia Graphophone Company]] to make a substantial series of electrically recorded discs, most of which were recorded in the [[Methodist Central Hall Westminster]] which the BBC had previously used for concerts.  In 1927 the BBC and Covent Garden collaborated in a series of public concerts with an orchestra of 150 players under conductors including [[Richard Strauss]] and [[Siegfried Wagner]]. Although the orchestra was large, it was not good. The BBC attempted to stop its contracted players sending deputies to rehearsals and even to concerts, but was unsuccessful.{{refn|Despite the efforts of [[Henry Wood|Sir Henry Wood]], [[Thomas Beecham|Sir Thomas Beecham]] and others, the "deputy system" remained a traditional part of the London orchestral scene. A player booked for a concert could accept a better-paid engagement and send a substitute in his stead. The treasurer of the Royal Philharmonic Society described the system thus: "A, whom you want, signs to play at your concert. He sends B (whom you don't mind) to the first rehearsal. B, without your knowledge or consent, sends C to the second rehearsal. Not being able to play at the concert, C sends D, whom you would have paid five shillings to stay away."<ref>Levien, John Mewburn, ''quoted'' in Reid, p. 50</ref>|group= n}} In January 1928 ''[[The Musical Times]]'' protested:

{{blockquote|The B.B.C. has been blamed for devoting too much time to the classics, and also for not giving them all that is due to them; it has been held responsible for the inferiority of the apparatus of the listener-in; it has been censured on a variety of trifling points, but never for the one heinous offence it has committed, and goes on committing: for this corporation, with all its assured and conspicuous wealth, has given and is giving us the worst orchestral performances ever heard in London. … This year at Queen's Hall they have assembled an orchestra which sounds as if it were composed in great part of "substitutes".<ref>{{cite journal|title =The B.B.C.|journal = The Musical Times|volume = 69|issue = 1019|page=70|date =1 January 1928|jstor=917033 }}</ref>|}}

In 1927, the BBC took over the responsibility for the [[the Proms|Promenade Concerts]], widely known as "the Proms". At first [[Henry Wood]], the founding conductor, persuaded the corporation to engage his Queen's Hall Orchestra for each Prom season; from 1930 onwards, the BBC provided the orchestra.<ref>Cox, p. 91</ref>

The inadequacy of the BBC's players, and also of the established London orchestras, was shown up by the [[Berlin Philharmonic]], under [[Wilhelm Furtwängler]], in two concerts in 1927. A historian of the [[Queen's Hall]], Robert Elkin, writes, "At this period the standard of orchestral playing in London was distinctly low, and the well-drilled efficiency of the Berliners under their dynamic conductor came as something of a revelation."<ref>Elkin, p. 93</ref> These, and later concerts by the same orchestra, gained plaudits from the public and music critics at the expense of the London orchestras. The chief music critic of ''[[The Times]]'', [[Frank Howes]], later commented, "the British public ... was electrified when it heard the disciplined precision of the Berlin Philharmonic... This apparently was how an orchestra could, and, therefore, ought to sound".<ref>''Quoted'' in Elkin, p. 49</ref> After the Berliners, London heard a succession of major foreign orchestras, including the Amsterdam [[Concertgebouw Orchestra]] under [[Willem Mengelberg]] and the [[New York Philharmonic|Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra of New York]] under [[Arturo Toscanini]].<ref>{{cite journal|last=Patmore|first=David|title = EMI, Sir Thomas Beecham, and the formation of the London Philharmonic Orchestra|journal = ARSC Journal |volume=32 |issue=1|pages =11–27|year =2001|id={{ProQuest|968184}}}} {{subscription required}}</ref>

[[File:INF3-49 Sir John Reith Artist Wooding.jpg|thumb|upright|150px|right|[[John Reith, 1st Baron Reith|John Reith]], Director-General of the BBC]]

Among those determined that London should have a permanent orchestra of similar excellence were Reith and the conductor [[Thomas Beecham|Sir Thomas Beecham]]. The latter aimed at setting up a first-rate ensemble for opera and concert performances and, though no admirer of broadcasting, he was willing to negotiate with the BBC if this gave him what he sought. Reith's concern was that the BBC should have a first-rate radio orchestra. The critic [[Richard Morrison (music critic)|Richard Morrison]] writes: <blockquote>Reith's BBC of the 1920s was ... imbued with an almost religious zeal for "enlightening" the public through the magical medium of the wireless. An orchestra, and particularly one that was unencumbered by commercial constraints and thus free to deliver the highest of highbrow programmes, would fit very well into that idealistic philosophy.<ref>Morrison, p. 72</ref></blockquote> Landon Ronald brought Reith and Beecham together in April 1928; negotiations and preliminary arrangements continued for more than 18 months until it became clear that the corporation and the conductor had irreconcilable priorities for the proposed new ensemble.<ref name=nk>{{cite journal|title = Beecham and the BBC Symphony Orchestra: A Collaboration that Never Happened|last=Kenyon|first=Nicholas|journal = The Musical Times|volume=121|issue=1652|pages =625–628|date = 1 October 1980|jstor = 961148|doi=10.2307/961148}} {{subscription required}}</ref> Beecham withdrew and, as described by [[Nicholas Kenyon]]:

{{blockquote|With the collapse of the Beecham scheme, the way was open for the BBC's music department to design an orchestral scheme truly suited to broadcasting needs – a plan for a 114-piece orchestra that could split into four different smaller groups, which had been devised in the autumn of 1929 by [[Edward Clark (conductor)|Edward Clark]] and [[Julian Herbage]] – and to place that orchestra's fortunes under the direction of the man who was to guide it with the utmost distinction for the next 20 years, the BBC's new director of music, Adrian Boult.<ref name=nk/>|}}

===Foundation===
By the time [[Adrian Boult]] succeeded Pitt as director of music for the BBC, the violinist [[Albert Sammons]] and the violist [[Lionel Tertis]] had scouted for new talent around the country on behalf of the corporation. Twenty-seven players had been offered positions in the new orchestra. Among those who joined were [[Aubrey Brain]], [[Arthur Catterall]], [[Eugene Cruft]], [[Sidonie Goossens]], [[Lauri Kennedy]] and [[Frederick Thurston]]. Although many of the principals were stars recruited from the LSO, [[the Hallé]] and other ensembles such as the [[British Symphony Orchestra]] which Boult had conducted from 1920 to 1923<ref>{{cite news |last=((A Special Correspondent)) |title=Adrian Boult's orchestral outreach in East London: 'a bit of genuine decentralisation' |newspaper=The Observer |date=25 September 1921 |others=Guardian Archive, 16 February 2016 |access-date=4 December 2024 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/from-the-archive-blog/2016/feb/16/from-the-classical-archive-adrian-boult-observer-interview-1921}}</ref> (with Sammons as leader and Cruft as principal bass), a high proportion of the rank and file members were fresh from music colleges.<ref>Morrison, p. 73</ref> Boult wrote, "a brilliant group of young and inexperienced players came to sit behind the well-known old stagers."<ref>Boult, p. 97</ref>

[[File:Boult-guests1.jpg|thumb|left|150px|alt=panel of eight small photographs of men's portraits dating from the decades around 1900|Guest conducting the BBC SO in the 1930s: from top left, clockwise, [[Thomas Beecham|Beecham]], [[Serge Koussevitzky|Koussevitzky]], [[Willem Mengelberg|Mengelberg]], [[Richard Strauss]], [[Arturo Toscanini|Toscanini]], [[Bruno Walter|Walter]], [[Anton Webern|Webern]], [[Felix Weingartner|Weingartner]]]]
A substantial number of the players performed at the 1930 Promenade Concerts under Wood,<ref>"The Promenade Concerts" ''The Observer'', 20 July 1930, p. 12</ref> and the full BBC Symphony Orchestra gave its first concert on 22 October 1930, conducted by Boult at the Queen's Hall. The programme consisted of music by [[Richard Wagner|Wagner]], [[Johannes Brahms|Brahms]], Saint-Saëns and [[Maurice Ravel|Ravel]].<ref name=b99>Boult, p. 99</ref> Of the 21 programmes in the orchestra's first season, Boult conducted nine and Wood five.{{refn|The other concerts were divided between Ansermet, [[Hermann Scherchen]], [[Oskar Fried]], [[Landon Ronald]] and [[Albert Coates (musician)|Albert Coates]]<ref>{{cite journal|title = London Concerts|journal = The Musical Times|volume = 71|issue = 1052|date = 1 October 1930|page=935|jstor =916909 }}</ref>|group= n}}

The reviews of the new orchestra were enthusiastic. ''The Times'' wrote of its "virtuosity" and of Boult's "superb" conducting.<ref>{{cite journal|title = Music|journal = The Musical Times|date = 23 October 1930|page=12 }}</ref> ''The Musical Times'' commented, "The boast of the B.B.C. that it intended to get together a first-class orchestra was not an idle one", spoke of "exhilaration at the playing", and called another concert later in the season "an occasion for national pride".<ref>{{cite journal|title = London Concerts|journal = The Musical Times|volume = 71|issue = 1054|pages =1124–1127|date = 1 December 1930|jstor = 914348 }} {{subscription required}}</ref> ''[[The Observer]]'' called the playing "altogether magnificent".<ref>{{cite journal|title = Music|journal = The Observer|date = 26 October 1930|page=14 }} {{subscription required}}</ref> After the initial concerts Reith was told by his advisers that the orchestra had played better for Boult than anyone else. Reith asked him if he wished to take on the chief conductorship, and if so whether he would resign as director of music or occupy both posts simultaneously. Boult opted for the latter.<ref name=b99/>

During the 1930s, the orchestra became renowned for its high standard of playing and for performing new and unfamiliar music. The pioneering work of Boult and the BBC SO included an early performance of [[Arnold Schoenberg|Schoenberg]]'s ''Variations,'' Op. 31, British premieres, including [[Alban Berg|Berg]]'s ''[[Wozzeck]]'' and ''[[Lyric Suite (Berg)|Three Movements from the Lyric Suite]]'',<ref name=cummings>{{cite journal|last=Cummings|first=David|title = Boult's premières: Problems of Musical Lexicography|journal = The Musical Times|volume=130|issue=1755|date = May 1989|pages =272–275|jstor = 966315 |doi=10.2307/966315}} {{subscription required}}</ref> and world premieres, including Vaughan Williams's [[Symphony No. 4 (Vaughan Williams)|Symphony No. 4 in F minor]].<ref>Boult, pp. 186–87</ref> [[Anton Webern]] conducted eight BBC SO concerts between 1931 and 1936.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Foreman|first=Lewis|title = Webern, the BBC and the Berg Violin Concerto|journal = Tempo|issue=178|date = September 1991|pages =2–11|jstor = 944999 |doi=10.1017/S0040298200013954|s2cid=143061971 }} {{subscription required}}</ref>

During the 1930s the orchestra presented rarely heard large-scale works from the past, including [[Hector Berlioz|Berlioz]]'s ''[[Requiem (Berlioz)|Grande Messe des morts]]'' and ''[[Grande symphonie funèbre et triomphale]]''.<ref>Elkin, p. 50</ref> [[Gustav Mahler|Mahler]]'s [[Symphony No. 8 (Mahler)|Eighth]] and [[Symphony No. 9 (Mahler)|Ninth]] Symphonies, and [[Henry Purcell|Purcell]]'s ''[[King Arthur (opera)|King Arthur]]''.<ref>Elkin, p. 51</ref>

The excellence of the orchestra attracted leading international conductors. In its second season guest conductors included Richard Strauss, [[Felix Weingartner]] and Bruno Walter,<ref>{{cite news|title = Music|newspaper= The Times|date = 27 August 1931|page=8 }}</ref> followed, in later seasons, by [[Serge Koussevitzky]],<ref>{{cite news|title = Music|newspaper= The Times|date = 10 September 1932|page=8}}</ref> Beecham and Mengelberg.<ref>{{cite news|title = Music|newspaper= The Times|date = 11 August 1936|page=10}}</ref> Arturo Toscanini, widely regarded at the time as the world's leading conductor, conducted the BBC SO in 1935 and later said that it was the finest he had ever directed.<ref>Morrison, p. 74</ref> He returned to conduct the orchestra in 1937, 1938 and 1939,<ref>Boult, p. 102</ref> and declared, "This is the orchestra I would like to take round the world."<ref>Glock, p. 104</ref>

===Second World War and postwar===
On the outbreak of war in September 1939 the BBC put into effect its contingency plans to minimise disruption of broadcasting. The corporation withdrew from responsibility for the Proms, with which Wood went ahead, backed by the Royal Philharmonic Society, with the LSO replacing the BBC SO.<ref>Doctor, pp. 116 and 121</ref> The BBC SO was relocated from London to [[Bristol]]. More than 40 players were released for active service, including the 30 youngest members; the orchestra was reduced to a complement of 70, although it was increased to 90 later in the war.<ref>Kennedy, p. 187</ref> During 1940 and 1941 Bristol suffered devastation from German air-raids, and the BBC decided to move the orchestra again. In September 1941 the BBC SO took up residence in [[Bedford]], where it remained, giving live broadcasts and making recordings until it returned permanently to its London base at the BBC's [[Maida Vale Studios|BBC Maida Vale studios]] in 1945.<ref>Kennedy, pp. 200–202</ref> The BBC resumed its support for the Proms in 1942, with the BBC SO returning temporarily to London during the Proms seasons of 1942–45.<ref>Kennedy, p. 197</ref> For the rest of the year, the orchestra played in the hall of [[Bedford School]], and after the launch of the [[V-1 (flying bomb)|V-1]] raids in 1944 the remaining broadcast concerts of that year's Proms season were performed at the [[Corn Exchange, Bedford|Bedford Corn Exchange]].<ref>Doctor, pp. 127–129</ref>

Boult had striven to maintain the orchestra's standards and prestige during the war; as an instance of its prowess in the 1940s Kennedy cites a [[His Master's Voice (British record label)|His Master's Voice]] recording of Elgar's [[Symphony No. 2 (Elgar)|Second Symphony]] released in January 1945: "a performance that blazed with excitement and passion and is documentary evidence of the excellence of the orchestra in 1944".<ref>Kennedy, pp. 200–201</ref> With Reith long gone from the post of director-general, Boult found that the top management of the BBC was less concerned for the status of its Symphony Orchestra. The new director-general, [[William Haley|Sir William Haley]], was unwilling to approve the funding needed to keep the orchestra competitive with new rivals – [[Walter Legge]]'s [[Philharmonia Orchestra|Philharmonia]] and Beecham's [[Royal Philharmonic Orchestra|Royal Philharmonic]].<ref name=briggs>{{cite journal |last=Briggs|first=Asa|author-link=Asa Briggs|title = The BBC Symphony Orchestra: The First Fifty Years 1930–1980 by Nicholas Kenyon|journal = Music & Letters |volume=66 |issue=3|date = July 1985|pages = 256–259|jstor = 854584 |doi=10.1093/ml/66.3.256}} {{subscription required}}</ref> Some younger players felt that many BBC SO principals were past their best.<ref>Aldous, p. 55</ref> [[Steuart Wilson]], the new Director of Music who had previously been married to Boult's wife Ann, engineered Boult's retirement in 1950,<ref>Kennedy, pp. 215–219</ref><ref>Briggs, p. 674</ref> Wilson had neglected to secure a successor of similar eminence to take over the orchestra. His efforts to recruit [[John Barbirolli|Sir John Barbirolli]] and [[Rafael Kubelík]] were unsuccessful,<ref>Kenyon, pp. 220 (Barbirolli) and 228 (Kubelík)</ref> and he was obliged to offer the post to his third choice, [[Malcolm Sargent|Sir Malcolm Sargent]], on whatever terms Sargent demanded.<ref>Aldous, p. 159</ref>

===1950s===
Sargent, an immensely popular figure with the public, was not at all popular with orchestral players, because of what a historian of the Proms has called his "autocratic and ''prima-donna'' attitude towards orchestral players".<ref name=c164/> He offended the BBC SO players by demanding that they all stand up when he came on to the platform – which they firmly declined to do.<ref name=c164/> He rapidly became equally unpopular with the BBC music department, ignoring its agenda and pursuing his own.<ref name=c164>Cox, p. 164</ref> He refused to join the staff of the BBC, and insisted on remaining a freelance, taking numerous external engagements to the detriment of his work with the BBC SO.<ref>Cox, pp. 164–165</ref> A senior BBC manager wrote: <blockquote>Except when a Barbirolli or a [[Paul Kletzki|Kletzki]] has been in charge for a few days, the Orchestra is inferior, as an artistic instrument, to the Hallé or Philharmonia... [Sargent] is indifferent to the morale and welfare of the Orchestra and to the individual temperaments of his players as artists or as human beings.<ref>Johnstone, Maurice, ''quoted'' in Cox, p. 165</ref></blockquote> It did not help that Sargent was universally acknowledged to be at his finest in choral music.<ref>Shore, p. 153</ref> His reputation in big works for chorus and orchestra such as ''[[The Dream of Gerontius]]'', ''[[The Song of Hiawatha (Coleridge-Taylor)|Hiawatha's Wedding Feast]]'' and ''[[Belshazzar's Feast (Walton)|Belshazzar's Feast]]'' was unrivalled, and his large-scale performances of [[George Frideric Handel|Handel]] oratorios were assured packed houses. However, his regular programming of such works did nothing to lift the spirits of the BBC SO: orchestral musicians regarded playing the instrumental accompaniment for large choirs as drudgery.<ref>Shore, pp. 18–19 and 153</ref>

In the 1950s, the BBC SO, in common with the rest of the BBC's musical organisation, suffered from stagnation. In the words of the critic [[Peter Heyworth]], "the Corporation's music department had become a byword for its narrow-mindedness and lassitude".<ref name=ph/> Boult had been followed as director of music by a series of successors between 1944 and 1959 who either lacked his commitment to modern music or were actively hostile to it. Richard Howgill, who held the post from 1952 to 1959, took the view that although Webern "might have been a small composer of some significance, Schoenberg wasn't really a composer at all."<ref name=ph>{{cite journal |last= Heyworth|first= Peter |title = Sir William Glock at 80: A Tribute|journal = Tempo |series=New Series |issue=167|date = December 1988|pages =19–21|jstor = 945211 |doi= 10.1017/S0040298200024517 |s2cid= 145751473 }} {{subscription required}}</ref> In addition to working under a conductor it disliked, the BBC SO found its role as a pioneer of progressive music gone, and its performances of the standard classics criticised as under-rehearsed (particularly during Proms seasons) compared with those given by Legge's Philharmonia and others.<ref name=ph/> Sargent's contract was not renewed in 1957, although he continued as chief conductor of the Proms until his death ten years later. Howgill appointed [[Rudolf Schwarz (conductor)|Rudolf Schwarz]] as chief conductor of the BBC SO. Schwarz failed to restore orchestral standards to pre-war levels, and lacked Sargent's box-office appeal.<ref name=ph/> Under Schwarz, BBC SO concerts other than the Proms drew poor houses – as low as 29 per cent of capacity in the 1959–60 season.<ref name=k292>Kenyon, p. 292</ref> The manager of the [[Royal Festival Hall]], Ernest Bean, spoke of "an inherited aura of mediocrity about BBC concerts which keeps people away".<ref name=k292/> Schwarz's five-year contract was not renewed when it expired.<ref name=rs>{{cite news|title = Rudolf Schwarz|newspaper= The Times|date = 14 February 1994|page=19}} {{subscription required}}</ref>

===1960s to 1980s===
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In 1959, the BBC appointed [[William Glock]] as controller of music for the BBC.  During Glock's tenure, the profile and fortunes of the BBC SO began to rise.  Glock engaged [[Antal Doráti]] as the orchestra's principal conductor.  Heyworth judged that Doráti raised standards of playing and brought new vigour to the programmes in his four years in charge (1962–1966).<ref name=ph/> Doráti was convinced that the orchestra was stultified by concentrating on studio broadcasts, as it did except during the Proms season. He strove to free players from "slavery to the microphone", and Glock promoted a regular series of concerts at the Festival Hall.<ref>Glock, p. 106</ref> The music critic [[Tom Sutcliffe (opera critic)|Tom Sutcliffe]] later wrote that Doráti and his successors, [[Colin Davis]] (1967–71), [[Pierre Boulez]] (1971–75) and [[Gennady Rozhdestvensky]] (1978–81) had been partly successful in improving playing standards, but had not brought the orchestra up to its original level of distinction.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Sutcliffe|first=Tom|title = The golden mien|journal = [[The Guardian]]|date = 22 October 1980|page=12}}</ref>

By 1962, Glock had persuaded the BBC management to increase the orchestra's budget to allow for joint principals in the string sections, to attract top musicians who could play in the BBC SO without having to give up their solo or chamber careers.<ref>Glock, p. 105</ref> The following season, he was able to engage joint principals for the wind section, including [[Jack Brymer]] and [[Terence MacDonagh]], formerly members of Beecham's celebrated "Royal Family" in the RPO.<ref>Kenyon, p. 309</ref> The problem remained that recruiting rank-and-file string players was difficult: although the BBC offered secure employment and a pension, it did not pay as well as its London rivals.<ref>Kenyon. pp. 308–310</ref> After 1964, the BBC SO was the only one of the five London symphony orchestras that was not self-governed,{{refn|The LSO had been self-governing from its foundation in 1904, and the other three followed suit when their founders withdrew (or died): the LPO in 1940, the RPO in 1961 and the (New) Philharmonia in 1964.<ref>Peacock, pp. 8–9</ref>|group= n}} and some musicians felt that the BBC SO's constitution as a body of salaried employees, with no say in the management or repertory of the orchestra, attracted an unadventurous type of player. A former member of the BBC SO said in 1979, <blockquote>I felt I was getting too secure ... [in] the BBC Symphony you can be a poor player, but if you're on time and never moan at the conductor … you'll have no trouble... I think the BBC Symphony lost some good young players because the management got their priorities wrong.<ref>Kettle, Gary, ''quoted'' in Previn, p. 89</ref></blockquote>

Glock was well known as a proponent of music of the [[Second Viennese School]] and their successors; earlier in his career he had been dismissed as music critic of ''The Observer'' for such views as "no great composer has ever cared how 'pleasant' his music sounds".<ref>Kenyon, p. 289</ref> Under his administration, the BBC SO gave world premieres of works by composers including [[Roberto Gerhard]], [[Peter Maxwell Davies]] and [[Michael Tippett]], and UK premieres of works by, among others, [[Luciano Berio]], Boulez and [[Edgard Varèse]].<ref>Cox, pp. 283–293 and [https://www.bbc.co.uk/orchestras/symphonyorchestra/about/history/60s.shtml "History of the Orchestra – 1960s"], BBC Symphony Orchestra. Retrieved 30 July 2012</ref> The policy of commissioning works, and giving UK premieres of new compositions was continued under Glock's successors. World or UK premieres in the 1970s included works by [[Elliott Carter]], [[György Ligeti]], [[Witold Lutosławski]], [[Olivier Messiaen]], [[Luigi Nono (composer)|Luigi Nono]], [[Arvo Pärt]] and [[Karlheinz Stockhausen]].<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/orchestras/symphonyorchestra/about/history/70s.shtml "History of the Orchestra – 1970s"], BBC Symphony Orchestra. Retrieved 30 July 2012</ref> BBC commissions premiered by the BBC SO in the 1980s included [[Alfred Schnittke]]'s Second Symphony, [[Harrison Birtwistle]]'s ''[[Earth Dances]]'', and [[John Tavener]]'s ''[[The Protecting Veil]]''.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/orchestras/symphonyorchestra/about/history/80s.shtml "History of the Orchestra – 1980s"], BBC Symphony Orchestra. Retrieved 30 July 2012</ref>

Although Glock restored the orchestra's reputation as Britain's leading modern music ensemble, the balance of programming affected the players' capacity in the mainstream repertoire. The principal horn, [[Alan Civil]], recalled:

: "We did about eighty percent modern and twenty percent classical. The awful tragedy, for the orchestra, was that eventually we were not able to play the standard classics. We could sight-read the most fearsome contemporary piece, but a Brahms symphony – embarrassing!"<ref>Civil, Alan, ''quoted'' in Previn, p. 180</ref> 

The bassoon player William Waterhouse who joined the BBC SO from the LSO found the BBC's repertory refreshing, but the music making less impressive: "

: There were no potboilers, but also, I'm afraid, no world-ranking soloists either."<ref>Morrison, p. 161</ref>

[[John Pritchard (conductor)|John Pritchard]] was principal conductor from 1982 to 1989. In ''The Times'', Paul Griffiths wrote:

: "Sir John's seven-year period with the orchestra has been marked by growing orchestral confidence and many memorable performances."<ref>{{cite news |last=Griffiths|first=Paul| title = Au revoir, but not goodbye|newspaper= The Times | date = 18 September 1989|url =http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:UKNB:LTIB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0F910346F324EA07&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=102CDD40F14C6BDA }}</ref> Principal guest conductors in the 1970s and 1980s included [[Charles Mackerras|Sir Charles Mackerras]] (1977–1979), Michael Gielen (1978–1981), [[Günter Wand]], [[Mark Elder]] (1982–1985) and [[Péter Eötvös]] (1985–1988).

===1990s and 21st century===
Pritchard's successor was [[Andrew Davis (conductor)|Andrew Davis]], beginning in 1989.  He held the post until 2000, the longest-serving chief conductor since Boult.<ref name=finch>{{cite news |last= Finch|first= Hilary| title = A Proms last knight to remember|newspaper= The Times | date = 11 July 2000|url =http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:UKNB:LTIB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0F929C0310A50A21&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=102CDD40F14C6BDA }}</ref> He was at the helm for what John Allison in ''The Times'' called "the valuable Barbican weekends that each January investigate another major but not fully understood 20th-century composer."<ref name=allison>{{cite news |last= Allison|first= John| title = Last knight of the Proms|newspaper= The Times | date = 11 January 2000|url =http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:UKNB:LTIB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0F929AE1DE5B1836&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=102CDD40F14C6BDA }}</ref> Noting that modern music was central to the work of Davis and the orchestra, Allison added that under Davis the orchestra took part in "once-in-a-lifetime projects such as [[Anthony Payne]]'s completion of Elgar's [[Symphony No. 3 (Elgar/Payne)|Third Symphony]]."<ref name=allison/> Upon Davis' departure, the orchestra appointed him its first conductor laureate.<ref name=finch/>

[[File:Leonard Slatkin 2004.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Leonard Slatkin]]]]
[[Leonard Slatkin]] succeeded Davis as chief conductor, from 2000 to 2004.  His relationship with the players was reported to be uneasy, and his choice of repertoire received criticism.<ref>{{cite journal | title = Last night of the maestro who hit a wrong note | journal=The Sunday Times | date = 12 September 2004 |url =http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:UKNB:LSTB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=1051F01BC131FFE0&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=102CDD40F14C6BDA }}</ref>  In February 2005, [[Jiří Bělohlávek]] was named the orchestra's next chief conductor, effective with the 2006 Proms season.  He was principal guest conductor of the orchestra from 1995 to 2000, and was the first past principal guest conductor of the orchestra to be named its chief conductor.<ref name=grumpy>{{cite journal |last=Higgins |first=Charlotte | title = 'Grumpy? What's that?' – Jiri Belohlavek, the BBCSO's new chief conductor, isn't going to be daunted by the orchestra's bolshie reputation | journal = The Guardian | date = 2 February 2005 |url =http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:UKNB:GRDC&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=108087EDC93FCD03&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=102CDD40F14C6BDA }}</ref> The classical repertory was regarded as one of Bělohlávek's strengths, but he had no reputation for conducting new works, which remained a core part of the orchestra's remit. He welcomed the fact that the orchestra's new principal guest conductor was David Robertson, a new-music expert and a protégé of Boulez.<ref name=grumpy/> The orchestra was seen by some as "a bolshie lot" and "grumpy", but its relations with Bělohlávek were harmonious.<ref name=grumpy/> Under Bělohlávek the orchestra won glowing reviews: ''The Times'' referred to its "superb musicians",<ref>{{cite news |last= Brown|first= Geoff| title = BBCSO/ Belohlávek|newspaper= The Times | date = 12 January 2009|url =http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:UKNB:LTIB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=125ADD0010EF1D10&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=102CDD40F14C6BDA }}</ref> [[Michael Kennedy (music critic)|Michael Kennedy]] in ''[[The Sunday Telegraph]]'' referred to a "rich and opulent [score] magnificently played by the BBC Symphony Orchestra" under Bělohlávek,<ref>{{cite journal |last=Kennedy|first=Michael| title = CDs Out This Week| journal = The Sunday Telegraph | date = 2 March 2008|url = http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:UKNB:DSTC&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=11F33D038D868640&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=102CDD40F14C6BDA}}</ref> and another ''Telegraph'' critic praised the BBC SO's "virtuoso form".<ref>{{cite journal |last=Norris|first=Geoffrey| title = Mahler's most wonderful music delivered by assured, visionary hands| journal = The Daily Telegraph | date = 5 December 2005|url = http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:UKNB:DSTC&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=10E57CFB61A06600&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=102CDD40F14C6BDA }}</ref>

In addition to Bělohlávek and Robertson, other principal guest conductors of the orchestra from this period included [[Alexander Lazarev (conductor)|Alexander Lazarev]] (1992–1995) and Jukka-Pekka Saraste (2002–2005).  Robertson's tenure as principal guest conductor concluded in 2012.<ref>Catherine Bott, BBC Radio 3, Broadcast of Prom 25, 1 August 2012.</ref>  In October 2011, [[Sakari Oramo]] made his first guest conducting appearance with the BBC SO,<ref>{{cite news | author=Andrew Clements | title=BBCSO/Oramo – review | url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/oct/31/bbcso-oramo-review | work=The Guardian | date=31 October 2011 | access-date=17 July 2017}}</ref> his first guest-conducting engagement with any London orchestra.  On the basis of this concert, in February 2012, Oramo was named the orchestra's 13th Chief Conductor, with an initial contract of 3 years, effective with the First Night of the 2013 Proms season.<ref>{{cite press release | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/orchestras/symphonyorchestra/about/news/conductor_announcement.shtml | title=BBC Symphony Orchestra announces new Chief Conductor | publisher=BBC | date=23 February 2012 | access-date=17 July 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | author=Tom Service | title=Conductor Sakari Oramo: the Finn's First Night at the Proms | url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/jul/10/conductor-sakari-oramo-first-night-proms | work=The Guardian | date=10 July 2015 | access-date=17 July 2017}}</ref> In September 2015, the BBC SO announced the extension of his contract to the 2019–2020 season.<ref>{{cite press release | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2015/bbc-so-chief-conductor | title=Chief Conductor Sakari Oramo to remain at helm of BBC Symphony Orchestra until 2020 | publisher=BBC | date=25 September 2015 | access-date=17 July 2017}}</ref> In May 2018, the BBCSO indicated a further extension of Oramo's contract through 2022.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://twitter.com/BBCSO/status/996399256109010944 | title=We're thrilled to announce that our Chief Conductor Sakari Oramo has extended his contract with us until 2022 | publisher=BBC Symphony Orchestra | date=18 May 2018 | access-date=27 January 2019}}</ref>{{Primary source inline|date=May 2019}}  In October 2020, the BBC SO announced a further extension of Oramo's contract as chief conductor through September 2023, the scheduled conclusion of the 2023 Proms season.<ref>{{cite press release | url=https://www.harrisonparrott.com/news/2020-10-22/sakari-oramo-extends-contract-as-chief-conductor-of-the-bbc | title=Sakari Oramo extends contract as Chief Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra | publisher=HarrisonParrott | date=22 October 2020 | access-date=30 October 2020}}</ref>  In April 2022, the BBC SO announced an additional extension of Oramo's contract as chief conductor through the close of the 2025–2026 season.<ref>{{cite press release | url=https://www.harrisonparrott.com/news/2022-04-14/sakari-oramo-extends-his-contract-as-chief-conductor-of-the-bbc | title=Sakari Oramo extends his contract as Chief Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra | publisher=HarrisonParrott | date=14 April 2022 | accessdate=18 April 2022}}</ref>  In September 2024, the BBC SO announced a further extension of Oramo's contract as chief conductor to 2030.<ref>{{cite press release | url=https://www.harrisonparrott.com/news/2024-09-11/sakari-oramo-extends-contract-as-chief-conductor-of-bbc-symphony | title=Sakari Oramo extends contract as Chief Conductor of BBC Symphony Orchestra | publisher=Harrison Parrott | date=11 September 2024 | accessdate=2024-09-13}}</ref>  Oramo is currently the longest-serving chief conductor of the orchestra since Adrian Boult.

In August 2012, the BBC SO announced the appointment of [[Semyon Bychkov (conductor)|Semyon Bychkov]] to a newly created conducting post with the orchestra, the Günter Wand Conducting Chair.<ref>{{cite news | author=Charlotte Smith | title=BBC Symphony Orchestra creates new position for Semyon Bychkov | url=https://www.gramophone.co.uk/classical-music-news/bbc-symphony-orchestra-creates-new-position-for-semyon-bychkov | work=Gramophone | date=8 August 2012 | access-date=17 July 2017}}</ref> In January 2019, the BBC SO announced the appointment of [[Dalia Stasevska]] as its next principal guest conductor, the first woman ever to be named to the post and the second female conductor ever to be given a titled post with a BBC orchestra.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/jan/25/dalia-stasevska-joins-bbc-symphony-orchestra-as-principal-guest-conductor | title=Dalia Stasevska joins BBC Symphony Orchestra as principal guest conductor | work=The Guardian | author=Imogen Tilden | date=25 January 2019 | access-date=27 January 2019}}</ref>  In January 2025, the BBC SO announced the most recent extension of Stasevska's contract as principal guest conductor, through September 2027.<ref>{{cite press release | url=https://www.harrisonparrott.com/news/2025-01-17/dalia-stasevska-extends-her-contract-as-principal-guest-conductor | title=Dalia Stasevska extends her contract as Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra | publisher=HarrisonParrott | date=17 January 2025 | accessdate=2025-01-22}}</ref>

===Function in the 21st century===
[[File:BBCSO rehearsing for the last night of the Proms.jpg|thumb|right|BBC SO rehearsing for the [[Last Night of the Proms]] in September 2011]]
The BBC SO is the associate orchestra of the [[Barbican Centre]] in London, where it gives an annual season of concerts. These seasons include series of concerts devoted to individual modern composers, who have included [[John Cage]], [[James MacMillan]], [[Elliott Carter]], [[Sofia Gubaidulina]], [[Michael Tippett]], [[George Benjamin (composer)|George Benjamin]], [[Roberto Carnevale]] and [[Thomas Adès]].<ref name=biog/><ref name=prof>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080105062557/http://www.bbc.co.uk/orchestras/symphonyorchestra/about_us/history.shtml "A profile of the BBC Symphony Orchestra"], BBC Symphony Orchestra. Retrieved 1 August 2012</ref>

The orchestra remains the principal orchestra of the Proms, giving about a dozen concerts each season, including the first and last nights.<ref name=prof/> Most of its concerts are broadcast on [[BBC Radio 3]], streamed online and available as podcasts for a month after broadcast, and a number are televised: the orchestra's website claims that this gives the BBC "the highest broadcast profile of any UK orchestra".<ref name=biog/> The orchestra continues to make studio recordings for Radio 3 at the Maida Vale studios; some recording sessions are free for the public to attend.<ref name=biog/>

In common with other orchestras, the BBC SO engages in educational work. According to the orchestra's website: "Among ongoing projects are the BBC SO Family Music Intro scheme, introducing families to live classical music, BBC SO Student Zone and the highly successful BBC SO Family Orchestra, alongside work in local schools. Total Immersion composer events also provide rich material for education work."<ref name=biog>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/orchestras/pdf/bbc_so_biog_2012.pdf "Biography"], BBC Symphony Orchestra. Retrieved 1 August 2012</ref>

In 2000, the orchestra appointed its first associate composer, [[Mark-Anthony Turnage]]. [[John Adams (composer)|John Adams]] became the BBC Symphony Orchestra's artist in association in June 2003. The composer and conductor [[Oliver Knussen]] took up the post of artist-in-association in July 2009.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090208021242/http://www.bbc.co.uk/orchestras/symphonyorchestra/news/oliver_knussen.shtml "Oliver Knussen becomes BBC Symphony Orchestra's new Artist in Association"], BBC Symphonnewy Orchestra. Retrieved 1 August 2012</ref> The orchestra's commitment to new music continues. In 2013, the music journalist [[Tom Service]] wrote, "I've heard the BBC Symphony give concerts that I don't think any other orchestra in the world could do as brilliantly … That supreme virtuosity in new music makes them unique among London's big orchestras."<ref>Service, Tom. [https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/jul/10/conductor-sakari-oramo-first-night-proms "Conductor Sakari Oramo: the Finn's First Night at the Proms"], ''The Guardian'', 10 July 2013</ref>