Orchester Philharmonique Royal de Liège
The Orchester Philharmonique Royal de Liège ( OPRL ) (Dutch Koninklijk Filharmonisch Orkest van Luik ; German Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Liège ) is a Belgian symphony orchestra in Liège . The orchestra is the only professional symphony orchestra in the French-speaking part of Belgium.
history
The orchestra was founded in 1960 by Fernand Quinet , then director of the Liège Music Conservatory. It was initially called Orchester de Liège. Under its long-time chief conductor Pierre Bartholomée , it was renamed the Orchester Philharmonique de Liège in 1983. It has had its current name, Orchester Philharmonique Royal de Liège, since 2010.
The orchestra receives support from the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, the City of Liège and the Province of Liège. The concerts take place in the Liège Philharmonic Hall, built in 1887, but also nationally and at major festivals in Europe as well as in Japan and the USA. A Japan tour and a guest performance at the renowned George Enesco Festival in Bucharest are on the program for 2019.
repertoire
The main concerns of the orchestra include the spread of the Belgian-French repertoire, but also the exploration of a new repertoire and world premieres. The ensemble has released more than 100 CDs to date. Current CD productions include a recording with the Sirba Orchestra! (DGG / Universal France), the continuation of the complete recording of the symphonic works by Ottorino Respighi (BIS), the symphonic works by Camille Saint-Saëns (BIS), Ernest Bloch and Edward Elgar (Dolce Vita), Eugène Ysaÿe (Fuga Libera), César Franck (Fuga Libera, Musique en Wallonie), Gabriel Dupont (Fuga Libera), clarinet concerts with Jean-Luc Votano (Fuga Libera) and concertante works by Philippe Boesmans (Cypres).
For almost twenty years, the management has endeavored to reach new audiences with a wide variety of concepts, such as the Music Factory, the family concerts (Les Samedis en famille), Happy Hour! Concerts and OPRL +. The same goal is pursued with the series of early music (with guest ensembles), world music, the five-star piano series and organ concerts. Since 2016 there has been a close partnership with the television broadcaster Mezzo TV (for Europe, Asia, Canada).
Chief conductor
- 1960–1964: Fernand Quinet
- 1964–1967: Manuel Rosenthal
- 1967–1977: Paul Strauss
- 1977–1999: Pierre Bartholomée
- 2001-2006: Louis Langrée
- 2006–2009: Pascal Rophé
- 2009–2010: François-Xavier Roth
- 2011–2019: Christian Arming
- since 2019: Gergely Madaras