Sinfonia scores
A versatile ensemble
In its three incarnations over the decades, the Sinfonia of London has covered a lot of ground with its recordings. Widely regarded in its day as one of the finest orchestras for recording film scores, the SOL blended efficiency with top-class talent.
You’ll find its name on all sorts of films, from Josephine and Men (1955) to Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001). The original SOL features in Hitchcock’s famous Vertigo (1958), while the second iteration of the group had a starring role when it recorded Howard Blake’s The Snowman (1982).
The ensemble has also made an impact on the classical discography: John Barbirolli’s 1960s recording of Elgar’s Introduction and Allegro and Serenade for Strings alongside Vaughan Williams’s Fantasia on a theme by Thomas Tallis remains a classic today; Colin Davis made his first recording with the SOL, a disc of Mozart Symphonies Nos 29 and 39; and Hans Swarowsky, who studied conducting with Richard Strauss, recorded Beethoven’s
Fifth with it. British composer Arthur Bliss also conducted the SOL in the suite from his own ballet Checkmate.