Orchestral Touring Highlights
In the late spring Intermusica organised two very successful tours of Switzerland, which could not have been more different in scale. In late May, the 220 members of the Kirov Opera and Chorus, under the direction of Valery Gergiev, gave conerts in Lugano, Montreux, Basel, Bern and Geneva. Programmes included Prokofiev's Alexander Nevsky & Piano Concerto N 1 (soloist Alexander Toradze), Rimsky Korsakov's Sheherazade, Stravinsky's Firebird and a full concert performance of Tchaikovsky's opera Pique Dame. The tour, sponsored by Credit Suisse, was the Kirov's first major tour in Switzerland and received extensive press and media coverage, as well as wonderful reviews of the performances.

By contrast the London Mozart Players toured Switzerland under their Music Director Matthias Bamert in June and performed in nine towns and cities in ten days. As well as performing in Bern and Basel, the Orchestra visited many smaller and picturesque places such as Weinfelden, Bellinzona and St. Gallen, where audiences were no less enthusiastic. In a new departure for the Orchestra, Bamert and composer Rudolf Kelterborn (one of whose works was performed) were involved in a pre-concert forum in each city.

New York is hot and humid in August but still the crowds flock to Lincoln Center for the annual Mostly Mozart festival. This year was no exception and two sell-out concerts were given by the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, who were making their US debut under Intermusica's auspices. A classical programme of Mozart and Chopin was given in Avery Fisher Hall, conducted by Paul Daniel and featuring Emanuel Ax in Chopin's Piano Concerto No 2. The next night the Orchestra's leader directed a smaller ensemble in the Alice Tully Hall in a programme which featured Emma Kirkby.

As summer came to an end San Sebastian and the Quincena Musical Festival played host to a visit from the Philharmonia Orchestra for two concerts under the direction of Gennadi Rozhdestvensky. Given in the glorious Victoria Eugenie theatre in the centre of the old town, two sell-out audiences heard Beethoven, Brahms, Massenet, Debussy and Shostakovich and, in particular, were treated to the complete incidental music for Egmont by Beethoven, narrated by the Spanish actor and TV presenter Rafael Taibo. Everyone endured extreme temperatures which had been as high as forty degrees during the day.

As the season began the department was busy putting finishing touches to various orchestra tours to Prague, Switzerland (again!), Japan and Germany, as well as the London Symphony Chorus' Australian debut at the Sydney Festival in the New Year.

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