The Tonhalle Orchester Zurich, which was founded in 1868, is the oldest Swiss symphony orchestra. When Zurich’s Tonhalle opened in 1895, the ensemble gained a concert hall that ranks as one of the best in the world. In the first half of the 20th century, Volkmar Andreae essentially shaped the orchestra; he led the ensemble for over 40 years, from 1906 to 1949. After him came Erich Schmid (1949–57), Hans Rosbaud (1957–62), Rudolf Kempe (1965–72), Gerd Albrecht (1975–80), Christoph Eschenbach (1982–86), and Hiroshi Wakasugi (1987–91); in 1995 David Zinman began his tenure, which has long been recognized as marking a new era. Not to be forgotten are numerous renowned guest conductors, including such prestigious maestros as Wilhelm Furtwängler, Bruno Walter, Karl Böhm, Otto Klemperer, Rafael Kubelík, and Carl Schuricht; more recently, Frans Brüggen, Charles Dutoit, Bernard Haitink, Marek Janowski, Mariss Jansons, and Gennady Rozhdestvensky have also regularly conducted the orchestra. The Tonhalle Orchester is today comprised of some 100 musicians who give approximately 100 concerts each season, featuring 50 different programs. Complementing the spectrum of their artistic activity are tours throughout the world and extensive recording projects. David Zinman has led the ensemble in recordings of the complete symphonies of Beethoven, Schumann, and Mahler and of orchestral works by Richard Strauss, among others; their Beethoven cycle won the German Record Critics’ Prize in 1999, with sales reaching to seven figures. Following a complete recording of the symphonies of Johannes Brahms in spring 2010, a Schubert cycle is planned for the 2010-11 season.
One previous LUCERNE FESTIVAL appearance: on September 14, 2003, David Zinman conducted works by Luciano Berio, Antonín Dvořák, and Richard Strauss.
July 2010