The Mahler Chamber Orchestra (MCO) was founded in 1997 by former members of the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra and is dedicated to repertoire that ranges from works for larger ensemble through the symphonic literature to classical opera and world premieres. Approximately 40 musicians from 20 nations form the core of this independently financed orchestra, which performs a wide repertory of opera and concert works in the musical capitals of the world. Along with cofounder Claudio Abbado, Daniel Harding has had a lasting influence on the orchestra’s evolution. Since 2008 he has served as chief conductor. The orchestra had its breakthrough to international acclaim as early as 1998 with its interpretation of Don Giovanni at the Aix-en-Provence Festival where in following seasons it also performed in productions of all the other great Mozart operas under the baton of Daniel Harding, as well as of such works as Britten’s The Turn of the Screw, Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, and Janáček’s From the House of the Dead. Since 1998 the MCO has served as orchestra-in-residence in Ferrara, Italy and since 2009 in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia as well. In the latter capacity—in conjunction with the concert halls of Dortmund, Essen, and Cologne—activities include opera evenings and concerts as well as continuing-education programs, supported by the North Rhine-Westphalia Art Foundation and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. In the 2010-11 season, the MCO will make guest appearances in 35 cities and in 12 countries, including its debut at the Athens Festival, at the Baltic Sea Festival in Stockholm, and at the Philharmonie in Luxembourg. In addition to Abbado and Harding, its artistic partners include the conductors Pierre Boulez, Kent Nagano, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and Tugan Sokhiev, as well as such soloists as Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Thomas Quasthoff, Martha Argerich, and Ben Heppner. The MCO’s discography of 14 recordings has been honored with such distinctions as the Grammy Award and the German Record Critics’ Award.
LUCERNE FESTIVAL debut on August 16, 2003 in works by Haydn, Kelterborn, and Schumann, with Daniel Harding conducting.
June 2010