'On arriving in Philadelphia, Stokowski adjusted his accent several degrees to the east' (Norman Lebrecht, The Maestro Myth, London, 1991, 143), but instilled in the failing orchestra a sense of musicianship and discipline that had been hitherto lacking. His methods at this time might be questioned: his concertmaster, Mischa Mischakoff, later the leader of Toscanini's NBC orchestra, recalled how to get the timbre of the strings to his standard, Stokowski made each violinist play the line. 'He arrived at my chair and said: "Mischakoff, I would like you to play." I played perfectly, of course, and he turned back to the orchestra. I said, "Excuse me Maestro, did you like the way I played the passage?" He said, "Yes, it was fine, Mischakoff." I said, "I'm very glad you liked it, Maestro, because it's the last note you're ever going to hear me play." I packed my fiddle, walked out and left Philadelphia on the very next train.'

Recordings provide evidence that the Philadelphia Orchestra had soon become one of the leading US ensembles, one that produced what was eventually to be called the 'Stokowski Sound.' Rich and sumptuous in timbre, their lines were flowing and unbroken; he allowed fiddlers to bow as they pleased, which he claimed released the passion and fantasy in his men.

There was another side to Stokowski's character that was to become a more familiar trait as his career progressed. In 1916, in an act of clear showmanship, he obtained the rights for the American première of Mahler's so-called Symphony of a Thousand, with the intention of producing it three times in Philadelphia and once in New York. Taking several months to rehearse, he assembled an orchestra of 110 players and a chorus of 950 singers. With the additional eight soloists, this formed one of the largest ensembles known to that date and tickets sold in advance at hundreds of times their face value. The public was not satisfied and a further five performances were given; the New York performance was such a success that the news of it hit even the headlines of the tabloid press.

	March 1916, together with the Philadelphia Orchestra and Chorus for a performance of Mahler's Symphony of a Thousand. [Photo courtesy of Edward Johnson]

With his confirmed genius and feigned genesis, his autocracy over American music looked set. Staying at Philadelphia, première after première took place: over 400 American or world premières were performed during his residency, and amongst the new composers he championed were Mahler, Stravinsky, Schoenberg, Shostakovich, Berg, Richard Strauss and Rachmaninov, who was later to refer to the Philadelphia Orchestra as the greatest in the world.