MythenEnsembleOrchestral

The MythenEnsembleOrchestral was founded in 2011 by the Swiss conductor Graziella Contratto, taking as its model the Society for Private Musical Performances, which Arnold Schoenberg directed in Vienna from 1918 to 1921. The Society presented not only chamber music but also modern and brand-new scores for large orchestra — music by Mahler, Strauss, and Reger as well as works by Bartók, Stravinsky, and Ravel — arranged in versions for chamber ensemble. The MythenEnsembleOrchestral comprises 18 soloists: a string quintet of two violins, viola, cello and double bass; flute, oboe, bassoon, and trumpet, as well as pairs of clarinets and horns in the wind section; and accordion, piano, percussion, and harp. The members play full-time at the first desks of renowned Swiss symphony orchestras or are soloists who tour internationally performing chamber music. Arrangements of symphonies and orchestral songs by Gustav Mahler, performed in versions for chamber ensemble made by the German composer Klaus Simon, form the centerpiece of their repertoire. Contratto and MythenEnsembleOrchestral have already recorded the First and Fourth Symphonies by Mahler and received several awards for their work. They have also recorded works by Artur Schnabel and Alexander Zemlinsky. The aim of these projects is to expose the contrapuntal structures of large-scale scores and to make each detail audible so that the innermost essence of the music becomes transparent.

July 2022