Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra is, along with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, one of the two most renowned and respected orchestras in the world, and represents the pinnacle of virtuoso ensemble playing. Their sound is characterized by a startling richness of tone, beautiful and polished in every section of the orchestra, but especially the strings. The orchestra's roots go back to the 1840s. Up until that time, most of the performing ensembles in Vienna were comprised of amateur musicians -- only the theater orchestras had the benefit of professionals. The Viennese th...