Basel Symphony Orchestra
The Basel Symphony Orchestra is one of Switzerland's most important orchestras. Deeply rooted in northwestern Switzerland, it also enjoys a supra-regional and international reputation. Its chief conductor since 2009 has been the renowned American conductor and pianist Dennis Russell Davies.
The Basel Symphony Orchestra is the city's first "fully permanent orchestra," as described in its founding statutes. Founded in 1876, the Basel Symphony Orchestra is only slightly younger than the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich (1868) and has a longer tradition than Switzerland's third major symphony orchestra, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (1918). In 1997, the Basel Symphony Orchestra merged with the Basel Radio Symphony Orchestra. At the same time, the approximately one hundred-member ensemble adopted its current name: Basel Symphony Orchestra.
The 2012/13 season will also go down in the history of the Basel Symphony Orchestra. For the first time, the orchestra is independently managing the subscription series previously organized in conjunction with the Allgemeine Musikgesellschaft (AMG). This independence represents a significant step for the orchestra towards a promising artistic and business profile.
Among the conductors who have been closely associated with the Basel Symphony Orchestra, or who still are, are names such as Mario Venzago, Valery Gergiev, and Pierre Boulez, as well as Nello Santi, Otto Klemperer, Horst Stein, Armin Jordan, Walter Weller, Gary Bertini, Antal Dorati, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Gustav Mahler, Felix Weingartner, and Johannes Brahms. The Basel Symphony Orchestra has premiered a number of important 20th-century works, including those by Béla Bartók, Arthur Honegger, and Bohuslav Martinů.
CD recordings document the orchestra's output. The first recording of all of Weingartner's symphonies under Marko Letonja garnered international acclaim. The recordings of all Schumann symphonies, as well as Anton Bruckner's Symphonies Nos. 4 and 7, conducted by Mario Venzago, have garnered international acclaim. Current projects include complete recordings of the symphonic works of Franz Schubert and Arthur Honegger under the direction of chief conductor Dennis Russell Davies.
In addition to symphony concerts, the Basel Symphony Orchestra presents literary chamber concerts, family concerts, lunchtime and cocktail concerts, and, new this season, late-night concerts for a younger audience. The orchestra also performs in most opera and ballet productions at Theater Basel, undertakes guest appearances, and tours both nationally and internationally. An extensive tour to China took the orchestra to China in 2010, and this autumn, the Basel Symphony Orchestra, together with Dennis Russell Davies, will travel to Moscow and St. Petersburg.
The Basel Symphony Orchestra performs in the Stadt-Casino Basel, a concert hall built in 1876, boasting exceptional acoustics and ranking among the best in the world.
The Basel Symphony Orchestra is the city's first "fully permanent orchestra," as described in its founding statutes. Founded in 1876, the Basel Symphony Orchestra is only slightly younger than the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich (1868) and has a longer tradition than Switzerland's third major symphony orchestra, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (1918). In 1997, the Basel Symphony Orchestra merged with the Basel Radio Symphony Orchestra. At the same time, the approximately one hundred-member ensemble adopted its current name: Basel Symphony Orchestra.
The 2012/13 season will also go down in the history of the Basel Symphony Orchestra. For the first time, the orchestra is independently managing the subscription series previously organized in conjunction with the Allgemeine Musikgesellschaft (AMG). This independence represents a significant step for the orchestra towards a promising artistic and business profile.
Among the conductors who have been closely associated with the Basel Symphony Orchestra, or who still are, are names such as Mario Venzago, Valery Gergiev, and Pierre Boulez, as well as Nello Santi, Otto Klemperer, Horst Stein, Armin Jordan, Walter Weller, Gary Bertini, Antal Dorati, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Gustav Mahler, Felix Weingartner, and Johannes Brahms. The Basel Symphony Orchestra has premiered a number of important 20th-century works, including those by Béla Bartók, Arthur Honegger, and Bohuslav Martinů.
CD recordings document the orchestra's output. The first recording of all of Weingartner's symphonies under Marko Letonja garnered international acclaim. The recordings of all Schumann symphonies, as well as Anton Bruckner's Symphonies Nos. 4 and 7, conducted by Mario Venzago, have garnered international acclaim. Current projects include complete recordings of the symphonic works of Franz Schubert and Arthur Honegger under the direction of chief conductor Dennis Russell Davies.
In addition to symphony concerts, the Basel Symphony Orchestra presents literary chamber concerts, family concerts, lunchtime and cocktail concerts, and, new this season, late-night concerts for a younger audience. The orchestra also performs in most opera and ballet productions at Theater Basel, undertakes guest appearances, and tours both nationally and internationally. An extensive tour to China took the orchestra to China in 2010, and this autumn, the Basel Symphony Orchestra, together with Dennis Russell Davies, will travel to Moscow and St. Petersburg.
The Basel Symphony Orchestra performs in the Stadt-Casino Basel, a concert hall built in 1876, boasting exceptional acoustics and ranking among the best in the world.
