Your Ten Favorite Classical Ensembles

[LKB]

Expanding from the " Favorite Ensemble " thread, what are the ten classical ensembles you value the most ( if possible, list or link one representative recording for each entry )?

Your choices can include ensembles which are no longer extant, but a recording should still be listed, if possible.

[Biffo]

When I first saw the other thread, and before I read the OP, I thought it would be about chamber music. I did some thinking and realised that my three favourite chamber albums were from three different ensembles viz.

Beethoven - String Quartet No 15 in A minor - Quartetto Italiano
Schubert - String Quartet in D minor, D810, Death and the Maiden - Alban Berg Quartett
Brahms - Clarinet Quintet - Melos Ensemble

I have quite a few albums from each of the three but choosing one ensemble would mean, like Don Giovanni, being unfaithful to the others.


In this new thread the above, italicised, is irrelevant

When I read the OP and saw that it included orchestras as well I found the task impossible - but not in this new thread - will have to do some more thinking

[DavidW]

What is a "classical ensemble"? 

[Brian]

What is a "classical ensemble"?

I would assume (perhaps naïvely) that it means any group of more than one performer, from a piano duo to an English festival choir...?

[San Antone]

These come to mind easily:

Eroica Quartet - Debussy & Ravel string quartets
L'Archbudelli - Brahms sextets
Quatuor Mosaïques - Haydn string quartets
Nash Ensemble - Schubert Trout Quintet
Fretwork - Goldberg Variations
Florestan Trio - Brahms trios
Belcea Quartet - Bartok string quartets
La Venexiana - Monteverdi madrigals
Graindelavoix - Cypriot Vespers
Orlando Consort - their Machaut series on Hyperion

[Mirror Image]

I already mentioned the Wiener Philharmoniker in the other thread, so I won't mention them in this particular list.

Anyway, let's see...(in no particular order):

Berliner Philharmoniker
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
The Nash Ensemble
Borodin Quartet
Takács Quartet
Cuarteto Latinoamericano
Ensemble intercontemporain
Pražák Quartet
Ensemble Villa Musica

[DavidW]

I would assume (perhaps naïvely) that it means any group of more than one performer, from a piano duo to an English festival choir...?

I was over thinking it.  That adjective was unnecessary on a classical music forum, so I thought it had to have some deeper meaning that I was missing...  Nope!

[Brian]

I've only thought of 7 so far. I'll come back when I think of 3 more. 

Pavel Haas Quartet
iconic album: the Janáček + Haas quartets
memorable live concert experience: seeing Schulhoff Qtt 1, Prokofiev Qtt 2, and the Schubert Quintet D. 956 at Wigmore Hall (with Danjulo Ishizaka), 2011

London Philharmonic Orchestra
iconic album: Elgar symphonies conducted by Leonard Slatkin
memorable live concert experience: seeing the Zemlinsky Lyric Symphony with Vladimir Jurowski, 2011

Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
iconic album: Respighi's Birds, Botticelli, and Ancient Airs
have not seen them live

Pražák Quartet
iconic album: Beethoven complete cycle
have not seen them live

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
iconic album: special shoutout to the French horn section, a global powerhouse from Previn's Mahler 4 on EMI to Honeck's Bruckner today
have not seen them live

Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra
iconic album: R. Strauss, Eine Alpensinfonie with Kazimierz Kord
memorable live concert experience: seeing Mahler 3 with Antoni Wit, 2012

Tal & Groethuysen
iconic album: the Schubert complete series
have not seen them live

BONUS
favorite ensemble, as defined not by "favorite group of people who perform together" but "favorite group of instruments":
French horn, clarinet, violin, viola, cello, piano
from the sextets by Dohnányi and Penderecki

[LKB]

I was over thinking it.  That adjective was unnecessary on a classical music forum, so I thought it had to have some deeper meaning that I was missing...  Nope!

Perhaps, but l figured a little redundancy was better than any confusion. Sooner or later, someone would have asked something like, " Hey, I love Queen and their music is sometimes performed by orchestras, can they be on my list? " 

[LKB]

My ten:

Wiener Philharmoniker
https://www.google.com/search?q=vpo+Williams&client=ms-android-tmus-us-revc&prmd=nmiv&sxsrf=ALiCzsaz4l6D_dF9c9Gymv367B8nBNiEZw:1657651775331&source=lnms&tbm=vid&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiA-eqJgvT4AhXSK0QIHVisD7MQ_AUoBHoECAIQBA&biw=384&bih=722&dpr=1.88#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:a8e6be29,vid:vsMWVW4xtwI,st:0

Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
https://www.google.com/search?q=royal+concertgebouw+orchestra&client=ms-android-tmus-us-revc&biw=384&bih=722&tbm=vid&sxsrf=ALiCzsY_Ncwlpi4SMI1TcZDpKLDR-cIpQg%3A1657651778013&ei=QsLNYoEqiLzQ8Q-f5pm4CA&oq=royal+Concertgebouw&gs_lcp=ChBtb2JpbGUtZ3dzLXZpZGVvEAEYADIKCAAQgAQQhwIQFDIKCAAQgAQQhwIQFDIFCAAQgAQyBQgAEIAEMgUIABCABDIFCAAQgAQyBQgAEIAEMgUIABCABDoECCMQJzoFCCEQoAE6BwgjEOoCECc6CwgAEIAEELEDEIMBOggIABCxAxCDAVC1ClinXGCva2gBcAB4AYABmgGIAfgMkgEEMi4xMpgBAKABAaoBEG1vYmlsZS1nd3MtdmlkZW-wAQ_AAQE&sclient=mobile-gws-video#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:6043dd87,vid:fe1pB9KqHRg,st:0

Berliner Philharmoniker
https://www.google.com/search?q=berlin+philharmonic&client=ms-android-tmus-us-revc&biw=384&bih=722&tbm=vid&sxsrf=ALiCzsY_X_d9DaHnrFfVIONknQmDGI3x6Q%3A1657652000698&ei=IMPNYvWMKsKT0PEP6vagoAw&oq=Berlin+&gs_lcp=ChBtb2JpbGUtZ3dzLXZpZGVvEAEYADIECAAQQzIECAAQQzIICAAQgAQQsQMyCAgAEIAEELEDMgUIABCABDIICAAQgAQQsQMyCAgAEIAEELEDMgUIABCABDoECCMQJzoGCAAQHhAHOgoIABCABBCHAhAUOgsIABCABBCxAxCDAToHCCMQ6gIQJ1CRCVjfJ2CjMmgBcAB4AIABpAGIAesLkgEDNS45mAEAoAEBqgEQbW9iaWxlLWd3cy12aWRlb7ABD8ABAQ&sclient=mobile-gws-video#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:9ORsinmqm0M,vid:9ORsinmqm0M,st:9

Academy of St Martin in the Fields
https://www.google.com/search?q=Academy+of+St+Martin+in+the+Fields+rossini&client=ms-android-tmus-us-revc&biw=384&bih=722&tbm=vid&sxsrf=ALiCzsY7RMKKykKWAt3Be0B6bVSQcqRaWw%3A1657652333485&ei=bcTNYrifHaqYkPIPku68oAs&oq=Academy+of+St+Martin+in+the+Fields+rossini&gs_lcp=ChBtb2JpbGUtZ3dzLXZpZGVvEAMyBQghEKABMgUIIRCgATIFCCEQoAEyBQghEKABOgQIIxAnOgUIABCABDoGCAAQHhAHOgYIABAeEBY6BQgAEIYDUMMJWKk8YN4_aAFwAHgAgAGtAYgBhQqSAQMxLjmYAQCgAQGqARBtb2JpbGUtZ3dzLXZpZGVvwAEB&sclient=mobile-gws-video#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:88679a17,vid:lN7T_qMT2k0,st:0

Alban Berg String Quartet
https://www.google.com/search?q=Alban+Berg+String+Quartet&client=ms-android-tmus-us-revc&biw=384&bih=722&tbm=vid&sxsrf=ALiCzsY7RMKKykKWAt3Be0B6bVSQcqRaWw%3A1657652333485&ei=bcTNYrifHaqYkPIPku68oAs&oq=Alban+Berg+String+Quartet&gs_lcp=ChBtb2JpbGUtZ3dzLXZpZGVvEAMyBQgAEIAEMgUIABCABDIGCAAQHhAWMgYIABAeEBYyBggAEB4QFjIGCAAQHhAWMgYIABAeEBYyBggAEB4QFjoHCCMQ6gIQJ1DMG1jMG2DNI2gCcAB4AIABjAGIAYwBkgEDMC4xmAEAoAEBqgEQbW9iaWxlLWd3cy12aWRlb7ABD8ABAQ&sclient=mobile-gws-video#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:64397fb9,vid:ZMDlqG7_TSc,st:0

The Borodin String Quartet
https://www.google.com/search?q=Borodin+String+Quartet&client=ms-android-tmus-us-revc&biw=384&bih=722&tbm=vid&sxsrf=ALiCzsZ83XzpBmFGfjvLrOuisHvUyAjsAg%3A1657652678974&ei=xsXNYvuLO-7XkPIPkO-vkAs&oq=Borodin+String+Quartet&gs_lcp=ChBtb2JpbGUtZ3dzLXZpZGVvEAMyBAgAEEMyBAgAEEMyCggAEIAEEIcCEBQyBAgAEEMyBQgAEIAEMgUIABCABDIFCAAQgAQyBQgAEIAEOgYIABAeEAg6BAgjECc6BggAEB4QFjoHCCMQ6gIQJ1CmC1iMHWCaKWgBcAB4AYABtgGIAaYMkgEENC4xMJgBAKABAaoBEG1vYmlsZS1nd3MtdmlkZW-wAQ_AAQE&sclient=mobile-gws-video#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:e2f5cc7b,vid:2YAzUC6LzNk,st:0

Philip Jones Brass Ensemble
https://youtu.be/QUUpTViikig

Choir of King's College, Cambridge
https://youtu.be/pnmx7A0PiCI

The Monteverdi Choir
https://youtu.be/r56b4pS0jHo

The King's Singers
https://www.google.com/search?q=The+King%27s+Singers+Josquin+&client=ms-android-tmus-us-revc&biw=384&bih=722&tbm=vid&sxsrf=ALiCzsbxckFd7goTGvl-ONWFJgJnei6hQg%3A1657653661441&ei=ncnNYtiaGtvVkPIPi-y7oAs&oq=The+King%27s+Singers+Josquin+&gs_lcp=ChBtb2JpbGUtZ3dzLXZpZGVvEAMyBggAEB4QFjIFCCEQoAEyBQghEKsCOgQIIxAnOgUIABCABDoECAAQQzoFCAAQhgM6CAghEB4QFhAdOgcIIRAKEKABUPwIWLY6YKFHaAFwAHgAgAGdAYgB1AmSAQMxLjmYAQCgAQGqARBtb2JpbGUtZ3dzLXZpZGVvwAEB&sclient=mobile-gws-video#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:3b586c9c,vid:p6w4OZ8zwuw,st:0

[DavidW]

Florestan Trio
Pacifica Quartet
Trio 1790
The Sixteen
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Freiburger Barockorchester
Les Arts Florissants
La Petite Bande
Staatskapelle Dresden
Leipziger Streichquartett

[San Antone]

Florestan Trio
Pacifica Quartet
Trio 1790
The Sixteen
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Freiburger Barockorchester
Les Arts Florissants
La Petite Bande
Staatskapelle Dresden
Leipziger Streichquartett

The ones bolded were strong contenders for my list.  Ten slots are not enough.   

[DavidW]

And here are some sample recordings, but there of course many, many others for these ensembles.

[DavidW]

The ones bolded were strong contenders for my list.  Ten slots are not enough.   

That was my thinking on half your list... and the other half I need to check out!