Dallas Symphony Orchestra

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Dallas Symphony Orchestra (2008)

The Dallas Symphony Orchestra (DSO) is a symphony orchestra founded in 1900 in Dallas , Texas . It is one of the oldest orchestras in the United States and sees itself as the largest performing arts organization in the southwestern United States . Since 1989, it has been located at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center in the Arts District .

The former orchestra conductors included u. a. Antal Doráti , Walter Hendl and Georg Solti . After Jaap van Zweden took his leave in 2018, Fabio Luisi became music director designate from the 2019/20 season and music director from 2020/21.

classification

The Dallas Symphony Orchestra is the eighth oldest orchestra in the USA: after New York (1842), Saint Louis (1880), Boston (1881), Chicago (1891), Cincinnati (1895), Pittsburgh (1895) and Portland (1896). It was the first orchestra from the southern United States to achieve the status of a "major orchestra". Although it is not counted among the traditional Big Five , it belongs to “Group 1” of the League of American Orchestras and thus to the 24 orchestras with the highest budget . The main venue for the symphony orchestra, the McDermott Concert Hall in the Meyerson Center in Dallas, is one of the best concert halls in the world. In terms of acoustics, the concert hall in the USA ranks behind the Symphony Hall in Boston and Carnegie Hall in New York.

The former chief conductor Jaap van Zweden was for several years, most recently for the 2015/16 season, the best-paid orchestra conductor in the USA.

history

German-American beginnings

The founding of the city's first permanent symphony orchestra in 1900 goes back to the efforts of the German-American Hans Kreissig . Kreissig, who settled down in the Texan metropolis at the end of the 19th century, was already involved in the establishment of the Dallas Symphony Club consisting of 21 violinists in 1890 . In May 1900 this orchestra, which had grown to 40 musicians, gave its inauguration concert in the Turner Hall . Kreissig conducted the ensemble, which was predominantly not made up of professional musicians, and was a piano soloist. In addition to the music of Hans Kreissig, the orchestra played works by Joseph Haydn , Pietro Mascagni , Gioachino Rossini and Richard Wagner . The first few years there were one or two concerts per season.

Kreissig's concertmaster Walter J. Fried , who was also of German descent , was to inherit him in 1905. The orchestra adopted The Beethoven Symphony Orchestra as a new name.

When Carl Venth took office in 1911 , who had made a name for himself as a violinist at the Metropolitan Opera , a number of New York musicians came to Dallas, which was tantamount to a revival. Due to the German influence of the early years, the orchestra increasingly included music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms , Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss in its repertoire. With the outbreak of the First World War and the associated anti-German resentment as well as the occurrence of influenza and meningitis , the orchestra stopped its work in 1914.

After the First World War, Walter J. Fried reorganized the orchestra and led it until his death in 1925. During his second term in office, the orchestra gave up to four concerts a year.

Rosenfield era: from Katwijk to Kletzki

To liven up the orchestra, John Rosenfield of the Dallas Morning News persuaded entrepreneurs to donate to the orchestra in the 1920s. From then on he had a major influence on the selection of conductors (van Katwijk to Kletzki).

Under Paul van Katwijk from Southern Methodist University , the season and the programming of the majority amateur orchestra were initially extended. Due to a lack of demand, the orchestra did not give a concert in 1937.

In 1938 Jacques Singer , a protégé of Leopold Stokowski , became the new chief conductor in Dallas. After the United States entered World War II , Singer and several musicians were drafted into military service, so that the orchestra interrupted its work again during the war.

After the Second World War, Rosenfield campaigned for a realignment and professionalization of the orchestra. The Hungarian Antal Doráti was appointed as the new chief conductor. He and his orchestra offered 15 subscription concerts as well as special concerts, children's concerts, tours and recordings. He had unusual works by Robert Schumann and Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy performed . In addition, he relied on modern pieces, not always to the applause of his conservative guests. The violin virtuoso Yehudi Menuhin accepted an invitation to Dallas and played Bartók's second violin concerto . Other guest artists were u. a. José Iturbi , Leopold Stokowski and Artur Rubinstein . On January 9, 1949, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra realized the American premiere of Bartók's opera Duke Bluebeard's Castle for the NBC series Orchestras of the Nation . The orchestra also commissioned several compositions during this period, such as Paul Hindemith's Sinfonia Serena and Walter Pistons Symphonic Suite .

After Doráti switched to the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra in 1949 , Walter Hendl , whose last position was a permanent conductor with the New York Philharmonic , took over the direction of the orchestra. With the exception of 1955, where he toured the Middle East with the American Symphony Orchestra , he was to preside over the orchestra for eight seasons. In 1952 the pianist Van Cliburn performed with the orchestra.

Under Paul Kletzki , the orchestra moved from the Music Hall at Fair Park back to the McFarlin Memorial Auditorium .

Superlatives and opposites

In 1961/62 Sir Georg Solti took over the orchestra as senior conductor; at the same time he became music director of the Royal Opera House in London. Solti, who later headed the Chicago Symphony Orchestra , led the orchestra into new musical spheres. At the same time the problems began.

Donald Johanos , who was already known to the orchestra as a permanent conductor and resident conductor, followed Solti. He was responsible for a 2.5 million US Dallar donation from the Ford Foundation and remained in office until 1970. In the 1960s, the orchestra also received its first recording contract. He was also responsible for the engagement of Paul Freeman , one of the few African-American people in the office of (assistant) conductor in the southwestern United States. During his tenure, dissatisfied older musicians left the orchestra conducting, who Johanos replaced with young colleagues. In 1968 the Dallas Symphony Orchestra became a member of the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians .

In the early 1970s, Anshel Brusilow tried to open the orchestra with the series "Dallasound" of rock and pop music . As a result, however, the costs rose and a younger audience could not be reached. Brusilow eventually left the orchestra: he became a professor at the University of North Texas and wrote for the commercial market.

Max Rudolf , who headed the orchestra at an advanced age from 1973, raised the quality of the orchestra, but resigned from his post in January 1974 due to a disastrous financial situation.

A new management solved the financial problems and Louis Lane led the orchestra to its old size. From 1976 (until Mata's term in office), the Leipzig Gewandhaus Kapellmeister Kurt Masur was appointed first guest conductor.

Gain in importance

The orchestra continued to develop under Eduardo Mata , who took office in 1977. In 1977 the orchestra's vocal ensemble , the Dallas Symphony Chorus , was founded. Mata placed a focus on Latin American composers such as Alberto Ginastera and Carlos Chávez Ramírez as well as Robert Xavier Rodriguez , who was composer in residence from 1982. In 1981/82 the orchestra went on tour abroad to Mexico. The symphony orchestra was present on the east coast of the United States in 1981. It has made guest appearances at Carnegie Hall in New York and the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, as well as in Europe and Singapore. The orchestra also came under contract with RCA and Dorian. From 1982 to 1989 the new concert building ( Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center ) was organized.

Andrew Litton first introduced the orchestra on television; Amazing Music was broadcast in 1995 on the A&E Network . Litton considered various musical styles such as jazz , romantic music and a collaboration with the folk group Peter, Paul and Mary . He has also recorded works by Richard Strauss , Dmitri Shostakovich and George Gershwin .

Jaap van Zweden was appointed music director in the 2007/08 season and officially head of the orchestra in 2008; In 2012 Musical America magazine named him Conductor of the Year. He led u. a. Tickets for low-income citizens and some free concerts. In 2007 Julio Iglesias and the Beach Boys were guests in Dallas. In the pop series, u. a. Wayne Newton and Michael McDonald as well as finalists from the television show American Idol . In 2013 the orchestra performed a. a. in Amsterdam, Vienna and Frankfurt am Main.

Pulitzer Prize winner Julia Wolfe became the first woman in this role to become Composer in Residence in 2018 as part of a new program . From the 2019/20 season, Fabio Luisi was appointed music director and from 2020/21 officially he was van Zweden's successor.

management

The Dallas Symphony Orchestra is directed by the Dallas Symphony Association, Inc. (founded 1967; President & CEO : Kim Noltemy) and the Dallas Symphony Foundation (founded 1977; Principal Officer: Scott Hancock). The business is carried out by an administrative staff.

Texas Historical Commission Historical Marker (2009)
image Name (life data) Country of origin Term of office
Chief conductors or music directors
1 Hans Kreissig

(1856–1929)

German EmpireThe German Imperium German Empire / United States
United StatesUnited States  		1900-1905
2 Walter J. Fried

(1877-1925)

United StatesUnited States United States 1905-1911
3 Carl Venth.jpg Carl Venth

(1860–1938)

German EmpireThe German Imperium German Empire / United States
United StatesUnited States  		1911-1914
Walter J. Fried

(1877-1925)

United StatesUnited States United States 1918-1924
4th Paul van Katwijk

(1885–1974)

NetherlandsNetherlands Netherlands / United States
United StatesUnited States  		1925-1938
5 Jacques Singer

(1910–1980)

Poland 1928Second Polish Republic Poland / United States
United StatesUnited States  		1938-1942
6th Antal Dorati (1962) .jpg Antal Doráti

(1906–1988)

Hungary 1918Hungary Hungary / United States
United StatesUnited States  		1945-1949
7th Walter Hendl Chautauqua.jpg Walter Hendl

(1917-2007)

United StatesUnited States United States 1949-1958
8th Paul Klecki (1965) by Erling Mandelmann.jpg Paul Kletzki

(1900–1973)

Poland 1919Second Polish Republic Poland / Switzerland
SwitzerlandSwitzerland  		1958-1961
9 Sir George Solti 6 Allan Allan Warren.jpg Sir Georg Solti

(1912–1997)

Hungary 1918Hungary Hungary / United Kingdom
United KingdomUnited Kingdom  		1961–1962
10 Donald Johanos (1963) .jpg Donald Johanos

(1928-2007)

United StatesUnited States United States 1962-1970
11 Anshel Brusilow

(1928-2018)

United StatesUnited States United States 1970-1973
12 Max Rudolf

(1902-1995)

German EmpireThe German Imperium German Empire / United States
United StatesUnited States  		1973-1974
13 Louis Lane

(1923-2016)

United StatesUnited States United States 1975-1977
14th Eduardo Mata

(1942–1995)

MexicoMexico Mexico 1977-1993
15th Andrew Litton

(* 1959)

United StatesUnited States United States 1994-2006
16 Violist Jaap van Zweden aan het spelen, inventory number 931-2773.jpg Jaap van Zweden

(* 1960)

NetherlandsNetherlands Netherlands 2008-2018
17th Fabio Luisi 2009.jpg Fabio Luisi

(* 1959)

ItalyItaly Italy from 2019

From 1914 to 1918 and 1937/38 or from 1942 to 1945 operations were stopped due to the war.

Current venues

McDermott Concert Hall, Meyerson Symphony Center (2014)

The orchestra's venues are:

  • Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center , Dallas (Headquarters)
  • Moody Performance Hall, Dallas
  • Dallas Contemporary, Dallas
  • Stonebriar Community Church, Frisco
  • White's Chapel Methodist Church, Southlake
  • Allen ISD Performing Arts Center, Allen
  • Cliff Temple Baptist Church, Dallas
  • Duncanville High School, Duncanville

community

The orchestra has a diverse educational program and is committed to the community:

World premieres (selection)

The orchestra received several commissioned compositions and was responsible for numerous world premieres :

Awards

In 2005, the Hyperion recording of the Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini by Sergei Rachmaninoff by Stephen Hough (piano) and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra under Andrew Litton received the Gramophone Classical Music Award (Editor's Choice). At the Grammy Awards 2013 the recording August 4, 1964 by Steven Stucky (conductor: Jaap van Zweden ) was nominated in the category "Best Contemporary Classical Composition".

literature

  • Theodore Albrecht : Dallas Symphony Orchestra . In: Handbook of Texas Online , uploaded June 12, 2010; changed on November 1, 2015.
  • Alain Pâris: Classical music in the 20th century: instrumentalists, singers, conductors, orchestras, choirs . 2nd expanded, completely revised edition, dtv, Munich 1997, ISBN 3-423-32501-1 , p. 947 f.
  • John William Woldt: Dallas Symphony Orchestra . In: Robert R. Craven (ed.): Symphony Orchestras of the United States . Greenwood Press, New York et al. a. 1986, ISBN 0-313-24072-8 , pp. 386-390.

Web links

Commons : Dallas Symphony Orchestra  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Label

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Mission Statement , mydso.com, accessed on September 14 2018th
  2. ↑ Laurie Shulman: The Meyerson Symphony Center: building a dream . University of North Texas Press, Denton 2000, ISBN 1-57441-082-2 , p. 2; see. Robert Finklea: What Sank the Dallas Symphony Orchestra - After 74 years? In: The New York Times , June 9, 1974, p. 1.
  3. ^ A b c d Ronald L. Davis: Classical Music and Opera . Bill C. Malone (Ed.): The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture . Volume 12: Music . University of North Caroline Press, ISBN 978-0-8078-3239-4 , pp. 43-48, here: p. 45.
  4. ^ Search Master Agreements , americanorchestras.org, accessed September 14, 2018.
  5. ↑ See Leo L. Beranek : Concert hall acoustics: Recent findings . In: The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 139 (2016) 4, pp. 1548–1556, doi : 10.1121 / 1.4944787 .
  6. ^ Zachary Woolfe: Rising in Crescendo: Conductors' Pay . In: The New York Times , July 29, 2018, p. AR6.
  7. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l Theodore Albrecht : Dallas Symphony Orchestra . In: Handbook of Texas Online , uploaded June 12, 2010; changed on November 1, 2015.
  8. ^ A b c d e John William Woldt: Dallas Symphony Orchestra . In: Robert R. Craven (ed.): Symphony Orchestras of the United States . Greenwood Press, New York et al. a. 1986, ISBN 0-313-24072-8 , pp. 386-390, here: p. 387.
  9. ↑ The entry in the Handbook of Texas Online speaks of 32 musicians.
  10. ↑ The Turner Hall in Dallas was a building of the Dallas Gymnastics Club Association and was located on the corner of Harwood Street , Young Street and Canton Steet , directly opposite the Dallas Scottish Rite Temple .
  11. ^ Natalie Ornish: Pioneer Jewish Texans . Texas A&M University Press, Dallas 2011, ISBN 978-1-60344-423-1 , p. 237.
  12. ↑ John Rosenfield Collection , legacy.lib.utexas.edu, accessed on 26 September 2018th
  13. ^ John William Woldt: Dallas Symphony Orchestra . In: Robert R. Craven (ed.): Symphony Orchestras of the United States . Greenwood Press, New York et al. a. 1986, ISBN 0-313-24072-8 , pp. 386-390, here: pp. 387f.
  14. ^ A b c d e John William Woldt: Dallas Symphony Orchestra . In: Robert R. Craven (ed.): Symphony Orchestras of the United States . Greenwood Press, New York et al. a. 1986, ISBN 0-313-24072-8 , pp. 386-390, here: p. 388.
  15. ↑ a b c d e f g Robert Finklea: What Sank the Dallas Symphony Orchestra - After 74 years? In: The New York Times , June 9, 1974, p. 1.
  16. ↑ OPERA BY BARTOK HAS DEBUT ON AIR. Dorati Leads Dallas Orchestra in US Bow of 'Bluebeard's Castle' on NBC Network . In: The New York Times , Jan. 9, 1949, p. 65.
  17. ^ John William Woldt: Dallas Symphony Orchestra . In: Robert R. Craven (ed.): Symphony Orchestras of the United States . Greenwood Press, New York et al. a. 1986, ISBN 0-313-24072-8 , pp. 386-390, here: pp. 388f.
  18. ^ A b c d e John William Woldt: Dallas Symphony Orchestra . In: Robert R. Craven (ed.): Symphony Orchestras of the United States . Greenwood Press, New York et al. a. 1986, ISBN 0-313-24072-8 , pp. 386-390, here: p. 389.
  19. ^ Daniel J. Wakin: Donald Johanos, 79, a Conductor of Symphony Orchestras . In: The New York Times , June 6, 2007, p. A21.
  20. ↑ Dallas Symphony Orchestra , icsom.org, accessed September 14, 2018.
  21. ^ John William Woldt: Dallas Symphony Orchestra . In: Robert R. Craven (ed.): Symphony Orchestras of the United States . Greenwood Press, New York et al. a. 1986, ISBN 0-313-24072-8 , pp. 386-390, here: p. 386.
  22. ^ Scott Cantrell: Dallas Symphony names Julia Wolfe first composer-residence in new program . dallasnews.com , September 11, 2018.
  23. ↑ Board Leadership , September 14, 2018.
  24. ↑ Administrative Staff , mydso.com, accessed on September 14 2018th
  25. ^ Alain Pâris: Classical music in the 20th century: instrumentalists, singers, conductors, orchestras, choirs . 2nd expanded, completely revised edition, dtv, Munich 1997, ISBN 3-423-32501-1 , p. 947.
  26. ^ John William Woldt: Dallas Symphony Orchestra . In: Robert R. Craven (ed.): Symphony Orchestras of the United States . Greenwood Press, New York et al. a. 1986, ISBN 0-313-24072-8 , pp. 386-390, here: p. 390.
  27. ↑ Venues , mydso.com, accessed on September 14 2018th
  28. ^ Emily Freeman Brown: A Dictionary for the Modern Conductor . Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham 2015, ISBN 978-0-8108-8400-7 , p. 87.
  29. ↑ Community , mydso.com, accessed on September 14 2018th
  30. ↑ Cf. Alain Pâris: Classical music in the 20th century: instrumentalists, singers, conductors, orchestras, choirs . 2nd expanded, completely revised edition, dtv, Munich 1997, ISBN 3-423-32501-1 , p. 948.
  31. ^ Gramophone Classical Music Awards 2005 , gramophone.co.uk, accessed September 14, 2018.