Editing BBC Symphony Orchestra (section)

===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).