RARE EARLY PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA PROGRAM — THIRD SEASON — DECEMBER 12 & 13, 1902 — OSSIP GABRILOWITSCH — FRITZ SCHEEL — ACADEMY OF MUSIC

Offered here is an exceptionally attractive original December 12–13, 1902 Philadelphia Orchestra concert program, dating from the orchestra's Third Season and only two years after its founding in 1900.

This is a particularly desirable piece of early American classical-music history, featuring the distinguished pianist Ossip Gabrilowitsch as soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra under founding music director Fritz Scheel.

The featured work was:

Chopin — Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in E Minor, Op. 11

The concerts were presented at Philadelphia's historic Academy of Music, making this an important surviving document from the Philadelphia Orchestra's formative years.

WHY THIS PROGRAM IS SPECIAL

For collectors, this program brings together several important elements of early 20th-century musical history:

• Philadelphia Orchestra — Third Season (1902–1903)
• Fritz Scheel, the orchestra's founding conductor and first music director
• Ossip Gabrilowitsch, internationally renowned pianist and major figure in the history of piano performance
• Frédéric Chopin's Piano Concerto in E Minor
• Academy of Music, Philadelphia
• Original 1902 period printing
• Beautiful Art Nouveau-style floral cover design
• Contemporary Philadelphia advertising, including the Henry F. Miller & Sons Piano Co.

The program is especially appealing to collectors of Philadelphia Orchestra history, early American concert programs, classical piano history, Chopin, Gabrilowitsch, Fritz Scheel, Academy of Music memorabilia, and turn-of-the-century Philadelphia ephemera.

CONDITION

Very Good to Excellent overall for its age.

The program presents exceptionally well for an original 1902 paper item. The distinctive floral cover remains clean and attractive, with strong original printing and excellent legibility.

There is some expected age-related edge and corner wear, including minor handling/edge wear and a small defect/tear visible near the lower left area of the back cover. Please examine all photographs carefully as they are an important part of the condition description.

The program is being sold as an original antique historical concert document, not a reproduction.

A REMARKABLE SURVIVOR FROM THE ORCHESTRA'S EARLY YEARS

Programs from the Philadelphia Orchestra's earliest seasons provide a fascinating record of the orchestra's development and the internationally prominent musicians who appeared with it.

This example is particularly compelling because it comes from 1902 — the orchestra's Third Season — and features Gabrilowitsch under Fritz Scheel, combining an important early Philadelphia Orchestra document with a major name in piano history.

A wonderful opportunity for the serious collector of Philadelphia Orchestra, classical music, piano, Chopin, Gabrilowitsch, or historic Philadelphia memorabilia.

Please review the photographs for the exact item and condition.