The
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (
RPO), based in London, was formed by
Sir Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days the orchestra secured profitable recording contracts and important engagements including the
Glyndebourne Festival Opera and the concerts of the
Royal Philharmonic Society. After Beecham's death in 1961 the orchestra's fortunes declined steeply; it battled for survival until the mid-1960s, when its future was secured after an
Arts Council report recommended that it should receive public subsidy; a further crisis arose in the same era when it seemed that the orchestra's right to call itself "Royal" could be withdrawn.