Ernest Ansermet, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
Established at the end of a devastating war that had enveloped nearly all of Europe except for Switzerland, L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande was named for the French-speaking portion of the small nation. Through the tenacity and devotion of its founder, conductor Ernest Ansermet, it became a regional, then national institution and grew despite problems resulting from the global economic instability between the World Wars. Ansermet's gifts for diplomacy were called into play both in maintaining an important advocacy for the best new music and for facing down disputes between partisans of Geneva, where the orchestra made its home, and Lausanne. Although Lausanne had a respectable orchestra, Geneva (where Ansermet had become a conductor in 1915) could boast only an ensemble that primarily accompanied performances at the opera house and performed only the occasional symphonic program. Once the determination to establish L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande was made, Ansermet began recruiting his players. While some musicians were drawn from the existing Geneva ensemble, the 34-year-old conductor sought his string players from Italy, his horn players from Vienna, and his woodwind players from Paris. With a complement of 62 on stage at Geneva's Victoria Hall, L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande made its debut on November 30, 1918, performing an ambitious program of Handel, Mozart, Benner, Jaques-Dalcroze, and for the program's second half Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade. The following week, Ansermet and the orchestra presented an entire program of music by Debussy, who had died the previous March. Thus was initiated a direction that would mark the orchestra's path throughout its 50 years under its founding maestro. As Ansermet established himself as an outstanding interpreter of Bartók, Britten, Debussy, de Falla, Hindemith, Honegger, Martin, Martinu, Ravel, Roussel, and Stravinsky, so followed his orchestra. Although certain forces strove to move the emphasis away from contemporary music and closer to the Classical/Romantic standards identified with Europe's other major orchestras, Ansermet continued to champion the works of his own time and to shape his players to be strong advocates for that repertoire. To end the bickering that threatened to break apart symphonic life in the French-speaking cities and cantons, Ansermet devised a plan wherein those municipalities that enjoyed live performances by the OSR would support the orchestra through the Associations of Friends of L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, divisions of which were begun in both Geneva and Lausanne. The public was encouraged to join, along with radio and business sponsors. The OSR has performed numerous premieres by Swiss composers and, as the opera orchestra for the Geneva Grand Theatre, has introduced several important stage works, including operas by Martin (Monsieur de Pourceaugnac), Milhaud (La mère coupable), and Liebermann (La Forêt). For the orchestra's Golden Jubilee in 1968, Ansermet once again led Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade. At Ansermet's invitation, Paul Kletzki had been asked to assume responsibility for the orchestra beginning in 1967 and he remained as chief conductor until 1970. At that time, German conductor Wolfgang Sawallisch became artistic director and established himself as a favorite with the public, albeit in a repertoire centered around German/Austrian composers. From 1980 to 1985, Horst Stein continued the ongoing embrace of Central European Classical and Romantic tradition, winning particular approval for his work in the Grand Theatre. Armin Jordan (1985-1997) and Fabio Luisi followed, both balancing repertoires and theater and symphonic interests. Pinchas Steinberg was designated the OSR's artistic director in September 2002. Marek Janowski was signed to conduct the orchestra from 2005 to 2015, though he chose to depart at the end of the 2011-2012 season. In 2010, Neeme Järvi was announced as artistic and musical director, with Kazuki Yamada named as principal guest conductor.
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Ansermet Encores
Ernest Ansermet, Ernest Ansermet, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
Klassiek - Released by Universal Music Australia Pty. Ltd. on 11 jan. 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Elgar: Cello Concerto in E Minor, Op. 85
Johannes Moser, Ernest Ansermet, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Andrew Manze
Klassiek - Released by PENTATONE on 4 sep. 2020
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Claude Debussy: Prélude à l'Après-midi d'un faune, Images & La Boîte à joujoux
Orchestre du Theatre National De L'Opera De Paris, Manuel Rosenthal, Ernest Ansermet, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Ernest Ansermet
Symfonieën - Released by Praga Digitals on 1 dec. 2012
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade, etc.
Ernest Ansermet, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Ernest Ansermet
Klassiek - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 jan. 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Strauss, Liszt, Korngold, Busoni & Schreker: Orchestral Works
Ernest Ansermet, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Kazuki Yamada
Klassiek - Released by PENTATONE on 3 jun. 2014
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Renata Tebaldi. The Early Years
Renata Tebaldi, Coro dell'Accademia Nazionale Di Santa Cecilia, Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale Di Santa Cecilia, Ernest Ansermet, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Alberto Erede
Operafragmenten - Released by Decca Music Group Limited on 19 jun. 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Offenbach: Les Contes d'Hoffmann - Highlights
Plácido Domingo, Dame Joan Sutherland, Gabriel Bacquier, Ernest Ansermet, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Richard Bonynge
Klassiek - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 jan. 1972
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Falla: Nights in the Gardens of Spain; 3-Cornered Hat; La Vida Breve
Alicia de Larrocha, Teresa Berganza, Ernest Ansermet, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Sergiu Comissiona, Ernest Ansermet
Klassiek - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 jan. 1988
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Souvenir of a Golden Era
Marilyn Horne, Ernest Ansermet, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Henry Lewis
Klassiek - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 jan. 1966
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Delibes: Coppélia
Ernest Ansermet, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Richard Bonynge
Klassiek - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 jan. 1970
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sibelius: Finlandia; Luonnotar; Tapiola etc.
Philharmonia Orchestra, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Ernest Ansermet, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Horst Stein, Elisabeth Söderström
Klassiek - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 jan. 1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker; Swan Lake; Sleeping Beauty
Ernest Ansermet, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Ernest Ansermet
Klassiek - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 jan. 1959
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Conductor's Gallery, Vol. 20: Leo Blech, Sergiu Celibidache
Ernest Ansermet, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Leo Blech, Sergiù Celibidache
Klassiek - Released by Universal Music Australia Pty. Ltd. on 25 aug. 2023
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Fauré: Pénélope, Pelléas et Mélisande / Chausson: Symphonie / Dukas: L'apprenti sorcier
Ernest Ansermet, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Ernest Ansermet
Klassiek - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 jan. 2000
The Qobuz Essential Discography16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bizet: Carmen
Regina Resnik, Mario del Monaco, Dame Joan Sutherland, Ernest Ansermet, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Thomas Schippers
Klassiek - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 jan. 1963
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ravel: L'Heure espagnole; L'Enfant et les sortilèges / Debussy: Le Martyre de Saint Sébastien
Ernest Ansermet, Ernest Ansermet, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
Klassiek - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 8 dec. 1992
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Stravinsky: Ballets/Stage Works/Orchestral Works
Ernest Ansermet, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Ernest Ansermet
Klassiek - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 jan. 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Prokofiev: Violin Concertos Nos.1 & 2; Symphony No.5; Romeo & Juliet etc.
Ruggiero Ricci, Ernest Ansermet, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Ernest Ansermet
Klassiek - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 jan. 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Raff: Symphony No. 2 & Four Shakespeare Preludes
Neeme Järvi, Ernest Ansermet, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
Symfonieën - Released by Chandos on 1 feb. 2013
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Verdi: Jérusalem
Marina Mescheriakova, Marcello Giordani, Roberto Scandiuzzi, Choeur du Grand Théâtre de Genève, Ernest Ansermet, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Fabio Luisi
Klassiek - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 jan. 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake / Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet
Ernest Ansermet, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Ernest Ansermet
Klassiek - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 jan. 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo