dogma chamber orchestra

Germany's dogma chamber orchestra has been critically acclaimed for its ensemble and its wide variety of repertory. The group plays standing up, without a conductor, and strives to connect directly with audiences. The dogma chamber orchestra was formed in 2004 by Mikhail Gurewitsch, violinist and concertmaster of the Baden-Württemberg Chamber Orchestra "I Sedici." The name dogma was derived from the DOGMA 95 manifesto associated with director Lars von Trier; the document espoused ideals of directness and unpredictability similar to those cultivated by the new chamber orchestra. For the new dogma chamber orchestra, headquartered in Bremen, Gurewitsch chose young, already-professional musicians who shared his goals of innovation. For a time, the group stylized its name to do.gma chamber orchestra. Although it was not the first chamber orchestra to perform without a conductor, dogma's presentations were unusual from the start. Playing standing up, they say, allows them to fuse solo impulses with ensemble spirit, with musicians listening closely to one another. In addition to standing up, the players shed formal classical orchestra clothing, and Gurewitsch not only introduces the music verbally (unusual in itself at classical orchestral concerts) but carries on a dialogue with the audience about it as the opportunity arises. The group made its recording debut in 2011 with an album on the Audio Max label featuring Tchaikovsky's Serenade for strings, Op. 48, and Souvenir de Florence, Op. 70. The dogma chamber orchestra has a large repertory ranging from Baroque to Romantic works, as well as jazz. The group has concertized frequently, most often in northern Germany but also beyond, and its growing catalog of recordings on the Berthold and MDG labels has earned it critical acclaim. The 2014 dogma release, The Shostakovich Album, won Germany's prestigious ECHO Klassik award. The orchestra released a recording of Mozart's Symphony No. 29 in A major, K. 201, and Schubert's Symphony No. 5 in B flat major, D. 485, on MDG in 2018; the recording was made live at the Konzerthaus in Dortmund, affirming another of the group's credos: "We love the richly intensive journey of discovery during rehearsals and recordings, but nothing can replace the immediacy of a concert." In 2021, on MDG, the dogma chamber orchestra inaugurated the Mendelssohn Project, a series of recordings of that composer's early sinfonias for strings. By 2023, that series had reached its fourth volume.
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