Biography
The Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, founded in 1993 by Vladimir Delman, has become one of Italy's most important symphonic orchestras. Since then the Orchestra has become a highly flexible and versatile group, performing a repertoire which ranges from Bach to the main composers of nineteenth-century symphonic music and offering new programs combining classical music with more unusual repertoire. The season's program includes each year more than 30 different symphonic concerts, as well as some smaller concert series, as for example “Music & Cinema”, and an important activity dedicated to the young, that includes also the cycle “Crescendo in Musica”.
Riccardo Chailly, Musical Director from 1999 to 2005, was appointed Conductor Laureate in September 2005. The Orchestra can claim Claus Peter Flor, Lü Jia and Helmut Rilling as Principal Guest Conductors.
Rudolf Barshai, who has been very close to the Orchestra for many years, has been appointed Conductor Emeritus from the season 2006-2007, whereas the famous horn player Radovan Vlatkovic has been nominated artist in residence.
In October 1999 the Orchestra inaugurated the Auditorium of Milan, the city's new concert hall and the Orchestra's new musical home, performing the Symphony No. 2 Resurrection by Mahler conducted by Riccardo Chailly. With excellent aesthetic, technological and acoustic characteristics, the Auditorium is among the best concert halls in Italy.
In October 1999 the Orchestra inaugurated the Auditorium of Milan, the city's new concert hall and the Orchestra's new musical home, performing the Symphony No. 2 Resurrection by Mahler conducted by Riccardo Chailly. With excellent aesthetic, technological and acoustic characteristics, the Auditorium is among the best concert halls in Italy.
Another special feature of the Orchestra is the formation in 1998 of the choir, Coro Sinfonico di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, conducted, until his sudden death in February 2006, by Romano Gandolfi. The choir currently consists of 100 vocalists accomplished in handling a vast lyric-symphonic repertoire from baroque to the Twentieth Century.
The Orchestra has been conducted among others by Riccardo Chailly, Georges Prêtre, Riccardo Muti, Valery Gergiev, Rudolf Barshai, Claus Peter Flor, Christopher Hogwood, Yakov Kreizberg, Peter Maag, Kazushi Ono, Eiji Oue, Daniele Gatti, Vladimir Jurowski, Helmut Rilling, Marko Letonja, Ivor Bolton and Roberto Abbado, Herbert Blomstedt, Krzysztof Penderecki, while the important debuts of Leonard Slatkin, Vladimir Fedoseyev and Wayne Marshall are planned for the upcoming season. The Orchestra has played with soloists such as Martha Argerich, Mstislav Rostropovic, Vadim Repin, Hilary Hahn, Lynn Harrell, Viktoria Mullova, Sarah Chang, Midori, Han-Na Chang, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Nelson Freire, Salvatore Accardo, Mario Brunello, Alexander Toradze, Radovan Vlatkovic.
In 2000 the Orchestra, conducted by Ion Marin, visited Japan with the Piccolo Teatro di Milano in a new production of Così fan tutte: the last masterpiece directed by Giorgio Strehler. The Orchestra was invited by the Spoleto Festival to be Orchestra in residence in 2002.
In October 2002 Riccardo Chailly led the first European tour of the Orchestra and in June 2003 the Orchestra, conducted by Oleg Caetani, visited Brazil, Chile and Argentina.
In October 2003 the Orchestra and the Coro, under the direction of Riccardo Chailly, were invited to play in the major concert halls of Japan, while in January 2004 the Orchestra, under the baton of Riccardo Chailly, made its debut at the Festival de Musica de Canarias.
In summer 2004 the Orchestra was invited to be Orchestra in residence at the Festival delle Nazioni at Città di Castello. In January 2005 the conductor Eiji Oue led the Orchestra in a tour to Germany and France. In May 2005 the Orchestra and the Coro, conducted by Riccardo Chailly, visited some of the major European cities such as Zagreb, Ljubljana, Athens, Frankfurt, Vienna and Budapest, followed, at the end of May, by the important debut at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino.
For the upcoming season the Orchestra has announced one important tour: in November 2006, leads the Orchestra, under the baton of Marko Letonja and with the participation of the great Italian pianist Benedetto Lupo, on a grand national tour to the most important Italian cities.
In 2002 the Orchestra Sinfonica e Coro Sinfonico di Milano Giuseppe Verdi Foundation was established, joined by Banca Popolare di Milano, RAS, the Region of Lombardia, the City of Milan, the Chamber of Commerce of Milan, the Province of Milan and Pirelli RE, to guarantee the tradition which has been characterizing the Orchestra since the foundation in 1993: the important presence of a multitude of members who support the Orchestra and confer that special identity on our musical institution.
In addition to rich symphonic season in its theatre in Milan, the Orchestra was asked often in prestigious halls in Italy and abroad. In 2002, the Orchestra was resident orchestra at the Festival dei due Mondi in Spoleto and played in France, Spain, Portugal and Switzerland in its first European tour. In June 2003 under the conduction of Oleg Caetani the Orchestra performed in Chile, Argentina and Brazil. In October it played in the best concert halls in a Japanese tour conducted by Riccardo Chailly with the participation of Martha Argerich and la Verdi Choir directed by Roman Gandolfi. In January 2004 the Orchestra conducted by Riccardo Chailly has debuted at the Canary Islands Festival. In 2004 the Orchestra was engaged as resident orchestra at the Festival delle Nazioni di città di Castello. In January 2005 the Orchestra, led by Eiji Oue and with the participation of violinist Hilary Hahn, made a tour in Germany and France, while in May of that year, led by Riccardo Chailly, was a guest in some of the more European cities including Frankfurt, Vienna and Budapest. From Lastly, the important debut 68th edition of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in May 2005.
In the autumn 2006, the Orchestra Verdi made for the first time in Italian history, a tour under the guidance of Maestro Marko Letonja and with the participation of pianist Benedetto Lupo, throughout the national territory, touching eleven cities in about 20 days.
24th April 2008 the Orchestra and Chorus of la Verdi performed in Sala Nervi (Vatican) for Pope Benedetto XVI and the President of the Republic Giorgio Napolitano in a concert offered by the President on the occasion of the III anniversary of Benedetto XVI's the Pontificate.
In the autumn 2006, the Orchestra Verdi made for the first time in Italian history, a tour under the guidance of Maestro Marko Letonja and with the participation of pianist Benedetto Lupo, throughout the national territory, touching eleven cities in about 20 days.
24th April 2008 the Orchestra and Chorus of la Verdi performed in Sala Nervi (Vatican) for Pope Benedetto XVI and the President of the Republic Giorgio Napolitano in a concert offered by the President on the occasion of the III anniversary of Benedetto XVI's the Pontificate.
The Orchestra has started a collaboration with Decca. Its first recording, Verdi Heroines, has won the Gramophone Award, the Classic FM People's Choice and the Choc de l'Année. The following recording, Verdi - Messa Solenne, with the participation of the Chorus conducted by Romano Gandolfi, was nominated for the 2001 Gramophone Awards. In 2002 the Orchestra recorded Rossini Arias, a recital with Juan Diego Flórez, Sacred Songs with Placido Domingo, Rossini Discoveries, conducted by Riccardo Chailly and a second recital by Flórez, Una furtiva lagrima. The latest recordings include a CD of Sacred Songs with Placido Domingo for Deutsche Grammophone, two further CD with rarities of Italian composers, Verdi Discoveries with the participation of Jean-Yves Thibaudet and Puccini Discoveries, directed by Riccardo Chailly.
In April 2005 a CD with orchestral transcriptions by Luciano Berio, conducted by Riccardo Chailly, was published by Decca; in the autumn 2006 the Complete Symphonies by Shostakovich, conducted by Oleg Caetani, will be published by Arts, and, for the label Brilliant Classics, the Shostakovich Chamber Symphonies, conducted by Rudolf Barshai.
