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.© TiVo Read more
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.
© TiVo
-
Rimsky-Korsakov: Shéhérazade - Borodin: Prince Igor, Extracts & Danses polovtsiennes (Stereo Version)
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Ernest Ansermet, Chœur des Jeunes et de Radio Lausanne
Classical - Released by BnF Collection on 1 Jan 1962
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Debussy & Schoenberg: Pelléas & Mélisande
Orchestre De La Suisse Romande, Jonathan Nott
Classical - Released by PentaTone on 12 Nov 2021
Pelléas et Mélisande in a new light. This new OSR recording presents the two most ambitious musical responses to Maurice Maeterlinck’s 1893 epoch-maki ...
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Debussy: La Mer; Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune; Jeux
Orchestre De La Suisse Romande, Ernest Ansermet
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 2002
Hi-Res Audio24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Debussy: La Mer; Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune; Jeux, etc.
Orchestre De La Suisse Romande, Ernest Ansermet
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 2002
The Qobuz Ideal DiscographyHi-Res Audio24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Bruckner: Symphony No. 8 (1890 Version)
Orchestre De La Suisse Romande, Marek Janowski
Classical - Released by PentaTone on 16 Nov 2010
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
De Séverac: Oeuvres pour orchestre
Orchestre De La Suisse Romande, Roberto Benzi
Symphonic Music - Released by RTS Radio Télévision Suisse - Evasion Music on 20 Oct 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Falla: Noches en los Jardines de España, El sombrero de tres picos
Orchestre De La Suisse Romande, Kazuki Yamada, Mari Kodama, Sophie Harmsen
Classical - Released by PentaTone on 5 May 2017
Manuel de Falla’s richly evocative music erupts in a riot of colour in this vibrant new recording from Kazuki Yamada with the Orchestre de la Suisse R ...
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Saint-Saëns, Poulenc & Widor: Works for Organ
Orchestre De La Suisse Romande, Christopher Jacobson, Kazuki Yamada
Classical - Released by PentaTone on 14 Jun 2019
The monumental and colourful sounds of the organ and symphony orchestra blend together perfectly on this splendid recording of Saint-Saëns’ “Organ” Sy ...
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
FRANCK: Symphony in D minor / CHAUSSON: Symphony in B flat major
Orchestre De La Suisse Romande, Marek Janowski
Classical - Released by PentaTone on 1 Jan 2006
Hi-Res AudioThe Franck D minor Symphony can be a treacherous undertaking for almost any orchestra. Its highly repetitive nature sets the trap for what could be a ...
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Bruckner / Symphony No. 7 in E major
Orchestre De La Suisse Romande, Marek Janowski
Classical - Released by PentaTone on 5 Apr 2011
Marek Janowski's recordings of Anton Bruckner's symphonies for PentaTone are among the finest renditions available, and they are also among the best s ...
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Symphonie n°4
Orchestre De La Suisse Romande, Marek Janowski
Classical - Released by PentaTone on 21 Oct 2013
Hi-Res Audio24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 9
Orchestre De La Suisse Romande, Marek Janowski
Classical - Released by PentaTone on 1 Jan 2007
Marek Janowski's 2007 recording of Anton Bruckner's unfinished Symphony No. 9 in D minor with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande is quite possibly the ...
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Roussel, Debussy, Poulenc
Orchestre De La Suisse Romande, Kazuki Yamada
Classical - Released by PentaTone on 2 Sep 2016
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Delibes: Coppélia
Orchestre De La Suisse Romande, Richard Bonynge
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 1970
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Stravinsky: Les Noces & Symphonie de psaumes (Stereo Version)
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Ernest Ansermet, Jacques Horneffer
Classical - Released by BnF Collection on 1 Jan 1962
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Debussy: Images pour orchestre - Stravinsky: Symphonie d'instruments à vent - Ravel: Pavane pour une infante défunte (Stereo Version)
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Ernest Ansermet
Classical - Released by BnF Collection on 1 Jan 1962
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
L'Arlésienne (Suites), Masques et Bergamasques, Ballet de Faust
Orchestre De La Suisse Romande
Classical - Released by PentaTone on 19 Nov 2013
Hi-Res Audio24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Russian Dances (Tchaikovsky, Glazunov, Stravinsky...)
Orchestre De La Suisse Romande
Classical - Released by PentaTone on 4 Mar 2016
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Strauss, Debussy & Ligeti: Orchestral Works
Orchestre De La Suisse Romande, Jonathan Nott
Classical - Released by PentaTone on 21 Sep 2018
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Fauré: Pénélope, Pelléas et Mélisande / Chausson: Symphonie / Dukas: L'apprenti sorcier
Orchestre De La Suisse Romande, Ernest Ansermet
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 2000
The Qobuz Ideal Discography16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ravel: L'Enfant et les sortilèges; Ma mère l'oye
Orchestre De La Suisse Romande, Ernest Ansermet
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo