I don’t know how one could actually come up with a list like this and keep a straight face, but I guess it’s akin to the coaches/journalists polls that determine college football/basketball rankings. At least orchestras don’t have to navigate the inanities of the BCS system…
UPDATE: Robert Levine skewers this idiotic ranking with his usual wit and intelligence here.
1.       Concertgebouw-Orkest, Amsterdam
2.       Berliner Philharmoniker
3.       Wiener Philharmoniker
4.       London Symphony Orchestra
5.       Chicago Symphony Orchestra
6.       Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
7.       Cleveland Orchestra
8.       Los Angeles Philharmonic
9.       Budapest Festival Orchestra
10.      Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden
11.      Boston Symphony Orchestra
12.      New York Philharmonic
13.      San Francisco Symphony
14.      Mariinsky Theater Orchestra
15.      Russian National Orchestra
16.      Leningrad Phillharmonic
17.      Gewandhausorchester Leipzig
18.      Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
19.      Saito Kinen Symphony Orchestra
20.      Tschechische Philharmonie
7 replies on “world’s top orchestras?”
Why isn’t your list up there?
No Philadelphia Orchestra?!? Even the BCS rankings are more credible.
By top, perhaps they mean the tallest if you stacked all the full time players up sitting on each others shoulders.
Love the new theme, you always seem to find something tasteful and elegant, kudos.
It is amusing how all blogs dery the list and at the same breath publish it for all to ponder!
Berliner Phil is number one by the way (by far). The Met Orchestra should be in the top 5. Substitute the London Symphony with the Philadelphians. Move the New York Phil up a few places. Then it looks more accurate! 😉
It is amusing – and believe me, I thought about the irony of what I was about to do as I was posting it! For me it comes down to which orchestra I’d like to hear do which repertoire. For example, I love Boston for Ravel, Vienna for Brahms, Berlin for Beethoven, Chicago for Strauss or Bartok, Philadelphia for Rachmaninoff, LA for almost anything 20th or 21st century, etc.
Budapest Festival Orchestra however is already quoting this list everywhere they can… 🙂
Gregory – of course, and Chicago is getting publicity from it by “not giving it any credence” (ha!!)