Mozart, Brahms and Schumann all worked with, and wrote for, chamber orchestras, whose compact size is a huge advantage to composers and audiences alike. Why do we neglect them today?
A wise man once said, “There are two golden rules for an orchestra: start together and finish together. The public doesn’t give a damn what goes on in between.” As a German pianist and conductor who has recently become music director of the Royal Northern Sinfonia in Gateshead, it would seem to make sense for me to look to a legendary British conductor for guidance. But on this occasion Sir Thomas Beecham was wrong. The public knows quality when it hears it – not only in the sense of whether it’s any good or not, but the precise sounds that a specific orchestra makes. That’s all the more pronounced with Royal Northern Sinfonia, because it is a chamber orchestra.
Growing up in Düren, Germany – going mostly to concerts in Aachen, with its symphony orchestra – I didn’t even know what a chamber orchestra was until my early 20s. Now I know how wonderful, how vital it is. And how much of a labour of love it is to ensure its future.
In Mozart’s time, a chamber orchestra was the orchestra. It's what he, Brahms and Schumann all worked with
In an age where new writing is constantly under threat, composers need chamber orchestras to be their champions
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