Robert Stumpf wrote:

>The RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra was an ad hoc group of musicians that
>made recordings in the late 40s and through the 50s.

Yes, and earlier than that:  I believe one of the first recordings, in
1929, featured George Gershwin playing in one of his own compositions.
These ad hoc studio orchestras went by several names:  the one named above,
the RCA Victor Orchestra, the RCA Symphony Orchestra and still others.
They were assembled many times for a one-shot NBC radio broadcast of a
major work, often led by Robert Shaw together with the RCA Victor Chorale,
as well as for numerous RCA Victor studio recordings.  They performed
occasionally in concert halls (I vaguely remember the Hollywood Bowl).
Stokowski was by no means the only conductor who led them in recordings:
Leonard Bernstein and William Steinberg come to mind.  And also none other
than Igor Stravinsky himself (my father had a 3-12 inch 78rpm album of La
Baiser de la Fee).

John Dalmas
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