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Under Ormandy's direction, the orchestra recorded five hour-long programs for Unitel during three successive summers in the late 1970s. For these featured works in these concerts, Ormandy selected romantic scores with colorful orchestrations that would show off the "Philadelphia Sound."

  • Ormandy's transcription of George Frideric Handel's Organ Concerto in D Major (HWV 335a), Claude Debussy's La Mer, and Igor Stravinsky's Firebird Suite (24 June 1977)

  • Gustav Holst's Planets (25 June 1977)

  • Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade, Michail Glinka's Overture to Russlan and Ludmilla, and Dmitry Kabalevsky's Overture to Colas Breugnon (30 June 1978)

  • Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari's Overture to The Secret of Suzanna, Richard Strauss's Rosenkavalier Suite, and Modest Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition (1 July 1978)

  • Peter Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet Overture-Fantasy and Violin Concerto in D Major (with soloist Itzhak Perlman) (13–14 June 1979)

In 1980, the year following the last Unitel taping, Ormandy retired as music director of the orchestra and was named conductor laureate. In 1981, PBS broadcast the six-part series The Fabulous Philadelphians: From Ormandy to Muti, co-produced with Philadelphia station WHYY-TV. Ormandy continued to appear as a guest conductor during the years preceding his death in 1985 in Philadelphia at the age of 85.

Placards placed on music stands allowed the production crew to set up camera angles and rehearse shot sequences without the presence of the orchestra. A crew member sat in for Ormandy on the podium.

Section author-contributor
Which exhibit?
Coming to the Small Screen
Page: Featured item
Title of collection item
Music Stands with Signs Designating Instruments
Date info
Late 1970s
Image
Photo of Music Stands with Signs Designating Instruments
Author of collection item
Photographer unknown
Exhibit page under-image label (e.g., "fig. 1").
Fig. 1
Single page or opening?
single page
Title of collection item
"Tentative Rehearsal and Shooting Schedule"
Date info
June 1978
Image
Tentative Rehearsal and Shooting Schedule
Exhibit page under-image label (e.g., "fig. 1").
Fig. 2
Single page or opening?
single page
Title of collection item
"Show Running Order—Russian Show"
Date info
June 1978
Image
Show Running Order—Russian Show
Exhibit page under-image label (e.g., "fig. 1").
Fig. 3
Single page or opening?
single page
Title of collection item
Laserdisc of Filmed Unitel Performances
Version/translation/format/more date info
This laserdisc (Philips, 1990) includes performances filmed by Unitel in 1977 (Debussy and Holst) and 1978 (Mussorgsky)
Image
Cover of the Laserdisc of Filmed Unitel Performances
Exhibit page under-image label (e.g., "fig. 1").
Fig. 4
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single page
Title of collection item
DVD of Filmed Unitel Performances
Version/translation/format/more date info
This DVD (EuroArts, 2007) is a reissue of the Holst and Debussy performances filmed by Unitel in 1978.
Image
Cover of the DVD of Filmed Unitel Performances
Exhibit page under-image label (e.g., "fig. 1").
Fig. 5
Single page or opening?
single page
Title of collection item
Eugene Ormandy's Datebook for June 1978
Version/translation/format/more date info
The dates for the 1978 Unitel filming were June 30th and July 1st.
Image
Eugene Ormandy's Datebook for June 1978
Exhibit page under-image label (e.g., "fig. 1").
Fig. 6
Single page or opening?
single page
Title of collection item
"Contact Sheet"
Date info
June 21, 1978
Image
Contact Sheet for filming on June 21, 1978
Exhibit page under-image label (e.g., "fig. 1").
Fig. 7
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single page
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intro
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Unitel Concerts Part 2