Orchestra Academy: Rachmaninow

Concert Geneva 28 March / Zurich 31 March

The combined orchestra of the Haute Ecole de Musique and ZHdK 2023 (photo: Andreas Zihler)

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Author Daniela Huser

It's that time of year again: the orchestras of the Haute école de musique de Genève and the ZHdK are joining forces in the Orchestra Academy to form a large orchestra. The great Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff is the inspiration for the concerts in Geneva and Zurich: under the direction of John Axelrod, the programme includes his Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43 and Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27.

Concert information

The standard of performance achieved by students of orchestral instruments today and the power of music when experienced together can be heard at the Orchestra Academy, which has brought together the orchestras of the Zurich University of the Arts and a Swiss partner institution every other year since 1998.

John Axelrod (born in Houston, Texas in 1966) was discovered by Leonard Bernstein at the age of 16. Before starting his conducting training at the St. Petersburg Conservatory under Ilya Mussin in 1995, he had completed a music degree at Harvard, studied jazz piano and improvisation at the Berklee School of Music, worked as a talent scout at a record label and as director of a ‘Wine and Food’ centre. In 1996, he founded OrchestraX in Houston and launched his international career in 1997. Since then, he has conducted numerous orchestras as a guest conductor worldwide.

Excerpts from johnaxelrod.com

  • John Axelrod (c Istvan Kohan)
  • Sergej Rachmaninow (PD)

Previous Orchestra Academies

2023 
Richard Wagner (1813–1883): The Ring 
Markus Stenz, conductor  

2019 
Erkki-Sven Tüür: De Profundis  
Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 6 «Tragische» 
Olari Elts, conductor  

2017 
Reinhold Gliere: Symphony No. 3 in B minor, op. 42 "Ilya Muromets"
Yuri Simonov, conductor  

2014 
Igor Strawinsky: Petruschka 
Edgar Varese: Ameriques 
Pierre-André Valade, conductor 

2012 
Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 9 
Jesús López Cobos, conductor  

2010 
Anton Bruckner: Symphony No. 8, C minor
Jesús López Cobos, conductor  

2009 
Richard Strauss: Don Quixote, op. 35 
Paul Dukas: La Peri 
Maurice Ravel: La Valse 
Roberto Benzi, conductor  

2007 
Othmar Schoeck: Suite aus der Oper Penthesilea, op. 27 (bearb. A. Delfs) 
Sergej Prokofjew: Symphony No. 5, B major, op. 100 
Andreas Delfs, conductor  

2005 
Claude Debussy: Le Martyre de Saint Sebastien (Auszuge) 
Olivier Messiaen: Turangalila Symphony 
Stefan Asbury, conductor  

2003 
Wolfgang Rihm: Vers une Symphonie fleuve IV 
Igor Strawinsky: Le Sacre du Printemps
Stefan Asbury, conductor 

2000 
The Firebird, Suite (1919 version) 
Richard Strauss: An Alpine Symphony, op. 64 
Heinz Wallberg, conductor 

1998 
Hector Berlioz: Chasse royale et Orage (from the Trojans) 
Frank Martin: Concerto for 7 wind instruments, timpani, percussion and string orchestra
Peter I. Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 in E minor, op. 64
Emmanuel Krivine, conductor 

The combined orchestra of the Haute Ecole de Musique and ZHdK 2023 (photo: Andreas Zihler)