First Swiss national orchestra makes its debut on August 1
Published: Tuesday, Jun 25th 2024, 10:40
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The Swiss National Orchestra is something like the national team of the orchestra scene. Founded in 2016, the orchestra will perform for the first time on the upcoming national holiday, August 1, in Bern.
Over 70 musicians who normally play in top international orchestras have come together to form the Swiss National Orchestra (SNO). The artistic director and president is the Lugano-born pianist Igor Longato. "My idea was to bring these talented musicians together with those who are already active in Switzerland in a single ensemble for selected concerts," he was quoted as saying in a press release issued by the SNO on Wednesday.
The ensemble will make its debut at the Casino Bern on August 1. Soprano Regula Mühlemann and flautist Sébastien Jacot will also be taking part. Mühlemann, from Lucerne, has long since conquered the international stage; Jacot, from Geneva, is principal flautist with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. John Axelrod will be at the conductor's desk. The Swiss-American is chief conductor of the SNO, a position he held with the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra from 2004 to 2009.
The concert program includes compositions with a connection to Switzerland, works by well-known names such as Giacomo Puccini, Gaetano Donizetti and Sergei Rachmaninov, as well as lesser-known composers such as Hans Huber and Siegfried Wagner. The program spans from the musical 19th to the 20th century.
The SNO brings together musicians from all over Switzerland. With its national identity, the orchestra aims to keep Switzerland's musical heritage alive at a local and international level. After the first concert in Bern, the ensemble will go on tour in Europe, Asia and the USA. Admission to the concert on August 1 is free.
©Keystone/SDA
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