“The Philharmonia is certainly a treat to hear these days” The Guardian

Conductor Christoph von Dohnányi leads the Philharmonia Orchestra’s eagerly anticipated return to Hong Kong after a 15-year absence.

Founded in 1945 to enrich life in war-weary London, the Philharmonia quickly rose to international prominence under conductors Wilhelm Furtwängler and Herbert von Karajan, and through the decade-long leadership of Otto Klemperer. Over the decades, the Orchestra continually brings its excellent music-making to the most important concert halls in Europe, America and Asia, while captivating listeners with its unrivalled discography of more than 1,000 recordings.

Widely acknowledged for consolidating the Cleveland Orchestra's place among America's finest orchestras during his 18-year tenure as its Music Director, Christoph von Dohnányi also maintains a successful partnership with the Philharmonia, beginning in 1994 as Principal Guest Conductor, from 1997 as Principal Conductor, and since 2008 as Honorary Conductor for Life.

To mark the bicentenary of Robert Schumann’s birth in 2010, Maestro Dohnányi and the Philharmonia will celebrate the genius Schumann and his compatriot Brahms, as well as Viennese composers Mozart and Schubert. On the first night, star violinist Benjamin Schmid and charismatic violist Maxim Rysanov will join Dohnányi and the Orchestra in Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante.

Mar 18 
Beethoven    Overture from The Creatures of Prometheus, Op 43
Mozart          Sinfonia Concertante in E flat, K364
  Benjamin Schmid (Violin)
  Maxim Rysanov (Viola)
Schubert       Symphony No 9 in C major, D944, The Great

Mar 19 
Mendelssohn  The Hebrides Overture, Op 26
Brahms         Symphony No 3 in F, Op 90
Schumann     Symphony No 2 in C, Op 61

Conductor: Christoph von Dohnányi
Violin: Benjamin Schmid 
Viola: Maxim Rysanov

Great European Traditions: Conductor Christoph von Dohnányi and the Philharmonia Orchestra
by Anne-Marie Minhall

What lies at the heart of the Philharmonia? Managing Director David Whelton says it's the quality of people within it which is extraordinary: "I think you would characterise those players as being wonderful musicians working as an ensemble. Even though they're very distinguished soloists in their own right, when they come to play within the Philharmonia, they adopt a very homogeneous approach. The Philharmonia is a group of people that actually really like playing with each other and that also shows, so when people have a particularly virtuoso solo, you can see the rest of the orchestra really listening, really tuning in and getting inspired by that – I think it’s those characteristics which give the special concert experience."

Since being created, there have been many great conductors who've taken to the podium to work with the Philharmonia, like Otto Klemperer, Herbert von Karajan and Mstislav Rostropovich.

The current Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor is Esa-Pekka Salonen, a long time friend of the Philharmonia, having been Principal Guest Conductor for nine years until 1994. He took up his new post in 2008 leaving the Los Angeles Philharmonic after 17 years to do so. The timing was right, he was ready for a new challenge: "The biggest draw for me is the orchestra itself, the players, the musicians who really are wonderful and I've known many of them for years and years and I've always had good experiences with the Philharmonia – many really wonderful concerts."

Last year Lorin Maazel celebrated 50 years since he first conducted the Philharmonia – what are his thoughts about the sound of the orchestra? "There is a warmth and a responsiveness and a tonal quality which is softer, rounder than many orchestras – a delicacy of music-making. Then of course, their repertoire; it is the most recorded orchestra in the world, I don't think you could put anything on the stand that they haven't seen before or played. I suspect that's almost true of first performances, they seem to already know what's going to be expected of them before they've played a note! So, you have experience and an approach to music-making which is specific to the Philharmonia."

One pianist who decided to turn his hand, or should that be hands, to conducting learned a lot from the ensemble. It was one of the first orchestras Vladimir Ashkenazy ever worked with and it turned out to be the start of a long-lasting partnership – he's now Conductor Laureate. He believes he's grown with the orchestra through the years: "There's a special sheen I think with the Philharmonia, especially the string sounds, the woodwinds are fantastic too, and from the very beginning they were very special in this sense; they have a very civilised, warm sound."

Another enduring relationship began back in 1994 when Christoph von Dohnányi became Principal Guest Conductor and, three years later, was named as Principal Conductor before being bestowed with the title of Honorary Conductor two years ago. When he took up the first full-time role in 1997 he says it was a very different way of life than he had had with his previous orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra in the US: "[It was] an orchestra which was very interesting for me to meet because Cleveland of course is a very autocratic orchestra. The Music Director has to decide everything; this Philharmonia Orchestra is self-governed, they decide whom they're going to hire. They will ask for my opinion but it's a totally different structure. It's a wonderful comparison to have!"

David Whelton knows that the German maestro certainly brings something very special to the orchestra: "Christoph comes from that central European tradition which has been at the heart of the orchestra's life since it began working with great German conductors – he links absolutely back to Karajan; here's somebody that knew Karajan well, attended his rehearsals and all the other great central European conductors that followed. I think he brings from all of that an absolute integrity of music-making coupled with a tremendous acuteness of colour and texture within the orchestra. That means when you hear a Dohnányi performance with the Philharmonia Orchestra it's at a pretty extraordinary technical level which allows the orchestra the freedom to make really, really special music."

So, make a date for 2010 to experience this great orchestra yourself. You'll be the judge, but, I think these will be concerts to remember for a lifetime. Enjoy!

Anne-Marie Minhall is a journalist and a presenter on Classic FM, a UK-wide radio station.

DIGITAL FUTURES

For an orchestra which celebrates its 65th birthday next year (the first public performance took place on October 27, 1945), the Philharmonia is at the cutting edge of technology; in fact, it prides itself on being something of a champion in discovering new and diverse ways of sharing classical music with as wide an audience as possible.

In 2005, with Finnish conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen at the helm inside the Royal Festival Hall, the Philharmonia staged the first fully interactive webcast and the first podcast by a UK orchestra with people from six continents watching online. The event earned the orchestra a nomination in the prestigious Digital Music Awards, the first classical music organisation to be shortlisted. The orchestra is also justifiably proud of The Sound Exchange – a groundbreaking online educational and interactive resource which allows you to go behind the scenes and discover more about what makes the Philharmonia tick.