Orchestre Philharmonique De Strasbourg

The Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg has a long history reflecting its home city’s location near the border between France and Germany. Designated as one of France’s national orchestras, it has an international reputation and has toured widely.
The Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg was founded in 1855 with Josef Hasselmans as its first conductor. During periods of German control over Strasbourg, it has been known as the Straßburger Philharmoniker. The orchestra has had a long succession of renowned music directors from Germany, France, and beyond, including Hans Pfitzner (1907-1915 and 1918-1919), a young Otto Klemperer (1915-1918), Paul Paray (1929-1940), Theodor Guschlbauer (1983-1997), Marko Letonja (2012-2021), and, as of 2021, the Aziz Shokhakimov. In addition to giving concerts, the group shares with the Orchestre Symphonique de Mulhouse the duties of permanent orchestra of the Opéra national du Rhin. With 110 musicians, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg offers an annual season of performances at the city’s Palais de la musique et des congrès “Pierre Pflimlin.” In 1994, the orchestra recorded the album Bal au Second Empire for the FNAC Music label.
That year, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg received designation as one of France’s national orchestras. That brought international as well as national recognition, and since the turn of the century, the group has toured widely, appearing in major European halls such as the Philharmonie de Paris, the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, and the Musikverein in Vienna, as well as traveling as far afield as Brazil, Japan, and South Korea, mounting a major tour in the latter in 2017 and immediately being invited for a return visit. The orchestra has played host to several major composers-in-residence, including Kaija Saariaho (an album of whose works the group recorded in 2015 under Letonja), Jean-Louis Agobet, and John Corigliano. The Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg has recorded for a variety of labels, including PentaTone, Ondine, and, as of the early 2020s, Warner Classics, where in 2022, it issued an album of works by Leoš Janáček that included the Glagolitic Mass. ~ James Manheim