The Southwest German Radio Symphony Orchestra (SWR Baden-Baden and Freiburg Symphony Orchestra) was formed in 1946 and continues to follow the mandate of its founders, which is to devote itself to new music with as much passion as to the traditional symphonic repertoire. In this regard, principal conductors Hans Rosbaud, Ernest Bour, and Michael Gielen, among others, have shaped its profile and signature sound. The ensemble is as well known for its facility in interpreting new scores as it is for historically informed performance practice. Since 1999, Sylvain Cambreling has served as principal conductor,with a focus on works by Mozart, Berlioz, Debussy, and Messiaen and of course on modern music. Additionally, Michael Gielen and Hans Zender served as regular guest conductors up until 2007. From its inception, the Southwest German Radio Symphony Orchestra has been at home on the world’s most eminent stages. At Carnegie Hall in New York, the ensemble gave the first American performance of Bernd Alois Zimmermann’s Requiem for a Young Poet; it has also performed Helmut Lachenmann’s The Little Match Girl at the Salzburg Festival and served as orchestra-in-residence at the first triennial in Ruhr. The orchestra makes regular appearances in Vienna, Paris, Brussels, and Berlin. It has recorded more than 300 works, including a complete Mahler cycle conducted by Gielen. It has introduced unusual concepts for concert programming – for example, a program framing Haydn’s Seven Last Words with Messiaen’s Et expecto resurrectionem mortuorum and texts by Martin Mosebach, a homage to Mozart with the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, or a crossover project with the “Sons of Mannheim.” These underscore the unconventional dramaturgy that distinguishes the SWR Baden-Baden and Freiburg Symphony Orchestra.
LUCERNE FESTIVAL (IMF) debut on August 29, 1973 in works by Brun, Schnyder von Wartensee, Jenny, Eisenmann, and Benary, under the baton of Max Sturzenegger. Previous appearance was on November 21, 2008 in the first concert of Alfred Brendel’s farewell tour, with Hans Zender conducting.