… the orchestra of Zurich Opera.
The activities of Philharmonia Zürich are many and artistically diverse. Every season the orchestra performs in around 250 opera and ballet productions in the Zurich Opera House, and it also gives a series of six to eight philharmonic concerts per year. With its own “Philharmonia Records” label, Philharmonia Zürich has for some years also been active in the CD and music streaming market. A series of ten chamber music concerts rounds off the orchestra’s artistic spectrum.
One special feature of Philharmonia Zürich is the original musical ensemble “Orchestra La Scintilla”. Consisting of members of the orchestra, it enriches Zurich’s cultural scene with operas and concerts performed on historical instruments. The result of many years’ collaboration with Nikolaus Harnoncourt, “La Scintilla” currently works with conductors such as William Christie, Ottavio Dantone, Giovanni Antonini and Riccardo Minasi.
At the other end of the musical spectrum is the orchestra’s promotion of contemporary music. “Opera Nova”, another ensemble drawn from the ranks of Philharmonia Zürich, regularly gives series of performances of important works from the present day. Commissioned works and world premieres also feature in these series.
Since the 2012/13 season the fortunes of Philharmonia Zürich have been in the hands of Fabio Luisi, the General Music Director of the Opera House. He attaches particular importance to the development of Philharmonia Zürich as a symphony orchestra. Besides recording activities, its programme also includes international tours taking in the most important concert centres of the cultural world.
Again and again, Philharmonia Zürich proves its pre-eminence across the entire spectrum, from Baroque to contemporary music, as a stylistically confident, totally committed ensemble – in the orchestra pit and on the concert stage alike.
