La Monnaie Symphony Orchestra
In 1772, the Austrian composer and conductor Ignace Vitzthumb officially founded the La Monnaie Orchestra. The ensemble, always closely involved in the opera house’s productions, developed over the years as it worked with great composers such as Wagner, Rimsky-Korsakov, Leoncavallo, d’Indy, Messager, and Berg. It took part in the first performances of a number of operas, including Massenet’s Hérodiade, Chabrier’s Gwendolyne, Chausson’s Le Roi Arthus, and Prokofiev’s The Gambler.
In the course of the 20th century, the orchestra was regularly conducted by world-famous conductors such as Pierre Monteux, André Cluytens, Josef Krips, Richard Kraus, Giuseppe Patane, Hermann Scherchen, Wolfgang Sawallisch and, more recently, Sir John Pritchard, Christoph von Dohnányi, Kent Nagano, and Marcello Viotti.
Under Gerard Mortier, the La Monnaie Symphony Orchestra was thoroughly revitalised in 1981 and Sylvain Cambreling (1981-1991) was appointed Music Director. He was succeeded by Sir Antonio Pappano (1992-2002) and Kazushi Ono (2002-2008).
Equally at home in the symphonic and operatic repertoires, the orchestra performs for the most part in Brussels at La Monnaie, in the Henry Le Boeuf Hall at Bozar, and in Flagey, as well as on tour in Europe, the United States, and Japan.
Contemporary music figures prominently in the orchestra’s repertoire and it has collaborated with many composers, including Frank Martin, Bruno Maderna, Philippe Boesmans, Pascal Dusapin, Salvatore Sciarrino, Wolfgang Rhim, and Benoît Mernier.
The orchestra’s dynamism and versatility have made a huge contribution to La Monnaie’s artistic identity. Their impact has grown as broadcasts of opera productions on television and radio, as well as Internet streaming, have increasingly brought the orchestra to the attention of music-lovers all over the world. Its prestige is reflected in an extensive and ever-growing discography.
Alain Altinoglu has been Music Director of the La Monnaie Symphony Orchestra since January 2016.
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