Orchestra della Svizzera italiana

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The Orchestra della Svizzera italiana (OSI) (“Orchestra of Italian Switzerland”) is a symphony orchestra with an international reputation in Lugano . Vladimir Ashkenazy has been the orchestra's principal guest conductor since September 2013 . Since the 2015/2016 season it has been led by the German conductor Markus Poschner .

history

The orchestra was founded in 1935 as the orchestra of the radio of Italian-speaking Switzerland (RSI). It contributed significantly to the musical development of the region. So it founded the important festivals of Lugano , Locarno and Ascona at the end of the 1940s . In 1991 it was converted into a foundation and has been operating under its current name ever since.

The orchestra was under the direction of conductors such as Ernest Ansermet , Igor Stravinsky , Leopold Stokowski , Sergiu Celibidache and Hermann Scherchen . It performed the works of composers such as Pietro Mascagni , Richard Strauss , Arthur Honegger , Darius Milhaud , Frank Martin , Paul Hindemith and, more recently, Luciano Berio , Hans Werner Henze and Krzysztof Penderecki . The ensemble's first regular conductors were Lepoldo Casella (from 1935 to 1938), Otmar Nussio (from 1938 to 1968) and Marc Andreae (in the following twenty years). It performs on well-known concert stages in Vienna , Amsterdam , Saint Petersburg , Paris , Rome , Milan and Salzburg .

The orchestra consists of a 41-strong permanent line-up (including concertmasters Robert Kowalski and Tamas Major) and is financed by the Canton of Ticino , the Radio and Television of Italian-speaking Switzerland (RSI), the City of Lugano and the Associazione Amici dell'OSI . The annual program includes the RSI - Rete Due concert seasons in Lugano; at the same time, the orchestra regularly takes part in the Ascona Music Weeks, the Lugano Festival and the Progetto Martha Argerich . It appears in the most important national and international concert halls and makes numerous studio recordings for radio broadcasts and record productions. To maintain and strengthen its regional ties, the orchestra gives numerous concerts for the population: from summer concerts in the most remote places in Italian-speaking Switzerland to family concerts; from concerts in schools to multi-level collaboration with the Conservatorio della Svizzera italiana . Guest conductors are Diego Fasolis , Maurice Steger , Howard Griffiths .

At the end of 2016, it became known that RSI and SRG SSR would withdraw from the agreement concluded with OSI in 2012 and give up sponsorship of the orchestra at the end of 2017. The programming of the concerts of the OSI, “the last radio orchestra in Switzerland”, has been in the hands of the RSI - Rete Due radio station since it was founded, which has led to distortions of competition. The orchestra was forced to give its members precautionary notice at the end of 2017. Finally, a newly formulated agreement was reached, which is valid for at least six years and provides for a reduction of 1 million Swiss francs. As of 2018, the Tessiner Kantonalbank ( Banca dello Stato del Cantone Ticino ) will be the new main sponsor to compensate and the canton of Graubünden will increase its contribution.

Chief conductor

Principal Guest Conductor

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Orchestra della Svizzera italiena. In: OSI website
  2. ^ Jenny Berger: The Last Radio Orchestra in Switzerland ( Memento from October 9, 2017 in the Internet Archive ). In: SRG SSR website. October 9, 2017.
  3. ^ A cultural emergency in Ticino. In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung . November 26, 2016.
  4. ^ Orchestra della Svizzera italiana and SRG / RSI: New cooperation agreement signed. ( Memento of the original from October 15, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: SRG SSR website. February 23, 2017 (press release). @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.srgssr.ch
  5. ↑ BancaStato sostiene l'Orchestra della Svizzera italiana (OSI). In: Website of the Tessiner Kantonalbank. April 28, 2017.
  6. ^ A fortune for the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana. In: GRToday. 23rd June 2017.