The La Scala Philharmonic Orchestra Association brings together musicians from the Orchestra of the Teatro alla Scala in Milan who carry out an independent activity, creating a season of concerts according to agreements sanctioned by an agreement with the Teatro alla Scala. The Philharmonic also organizes the Symphonic Season of the theater and numerous tours: from 1982 to 2012 the Philharmonic was the protagonist of over 1200 off-site concerts.

Conductors and soloists

In addition to the founder Claudio Abbado, Carlo Maria Giulini and Riccardo Muti, musical director from 1982 to 2005, the conductors who have given a significant contribution to the orchestra's activity include the Masters Daniel Barenboim, Leonard Bernstein, Frans Brüggen, Semyon Bychkov, Riccardo Chailly, James Conlon, Peter Eötvös, Valery Gergiev, Daniel Harding, John Eliot Gardiner, Fabio Luisi, Lorin Maazel, Zubin Mehta, Gianandrea Noseda, Seiji Ozawa, Gennadij Rozdestvenskij, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Franz Wuri Temirkano –Möst. The orchestra also hosts the most promising conductors of the new generation, such as Gustavo Dudamel, Philippe Jordan, Robin Ticciati, Diego Matheuz and Andrea Battistoni.

On 3 December 2012 Maestro Barenboim conducts the inaugural concert of the 2012/2013 season at La Scala, which marks the return to La Scala of Cecilia Bartoli.

Among the soloists who have performed with the Philharmonic are the pianists Maurizio Pollini, Radu Lupu, Murray Perahia, Lang Lang, Arcadi Volodos, Leif Ove Andnes and Piotr Anderszewski and Jan Lisiecki, the violinists Salvatore Accardo, Leonidas Kavakos, Gidon Kremer, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Vadim Repin, Gil Shaham, Christian Tetzlaff, Maxim Vengerov and Frank Peter Zimmermann, the cellists Mstislav Rostropovič, Misha Maisky, Yo Yo Ma and Mario Brunello, the violist Yuri Bashmet. Among the voices we remember Lucia Valentini Terrani, Elina Garanca, Edita Gruberova, Christa Ludwig, Frederica von Stade, Waltraud Meier, Anna Netrebko, Bryn Terfel, Violeta Urmana, Marjana Lipovšek.

Contemporary music

The Philharmonic promotes contemporary music and has commissioned new compositions from Giorgio Battistelli, Carlo Boccadoro, Azio Corghi, Luis de Pablo, Pascal Dusapin, Peter Eötvös, Ivan Fedele, Matteo Franceschini, Luca Francesconi, Salvatore Sciarrino, Giovanni Sollima and Fabio Vacchi.

Recordings and engravings

The Filarmonica della Scala has made a record production made for Sony, Decca Records and EMI. Of particular importance are the Beethoven Symphonies, conducted by Carlo Maria Giulini, the Cantatas by Rossini, with Riccardo Chailly and the complete Beethoven symphonic conducted by Maestro Muti, with whom he also created a series of 4 DVDs, Music in the places of art, containing concerts. Mediaset made possible the television broadcasting of all the concerts of the Philharmonic Season up to 2005.

The Philharmonic at the cinema

On January 26, 2012, the Filarmonica della Scala inaugurated the project to broadcast some live concerts in high definition from the Teatro alla Scala to cinemas.

Honorary members

Valery Gergiev, Lorin Maazel, Georges Prêtre and Wolfgang Sawallisch are honorary members.

History

Founded by Claudio Abbado, the orchestra debuted under his direction on January 25, 1982 with Mahler's Symphony No. 3.

In the early years the Philharmonic was directed by the conductors Georges Prêtre, Lorin Maazel, Wolfgang Sawallisch and Carlo Maria Giulini, who led it in the first tours abroad. From 1987 to 2005 Riccardo Muti (who had been Musical Director of the theater since 1986) became its Principal Director, offering an important contribution to his artistic growth. In 1996 and 1999 he conducted at the Festwochen in Vienna and gave concerts at the Salzburg and Lucerne festivals and in the main capitals of Europe and Asia. Furthermore, with Riccardo Muti, the Philharmonic was the protagonist of concerts for the Ravenna Festival in some symbolic places of contemporary history: Sarajevo (1997), Beirut (1998), Jerusalem (1999), Moscow (2000), Istanbul (2001), New York (2002).

Concerts abroad

The first concert abroad was conducted by Claudio Abbado in Lugano in 1983.

In recent years we remember in particular the activity of 2007, in which the concerts in Lugano with Daniel Barenboim, in Munich with Daniele Gatti and the debut in the United States and Canada with Riccardo Chailly, with concerts in Chicago, Toronto, Washington, Philadelphia stand out. and New York.

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