Invisible orchestra names music director
NewsIn the epic years of French music, the Orchestre Colonne was at the heart of new music in Paris.
Founded in 1873, it gave more premieres over the next half-century than amost any other ensemble one could name.
Edouard Colonne was succeeded by Gabriel Pierné, Paul Paray and Charles Munch, who continued the tradition. From 1958 to 1992, the orchestra was led into near-oblivion by Pierre Dervaux. In the present century, its conductors have been Antonello Allemandi and Laurent Petitgirard and its profile has faded further still.
The Colonne has just announced the Orchestre de Paris’ chorus chief Marc Korovitch (pic) as its incoming music director. He has a mountain to climb.
Wow, I thought the orchestra had vanished forever. The list of premieres and early collaborators is enviable to say the least. Good luck to them, they need excellent, proactive agents and interesting programming to get them back on the map.
Indeed. It would be nice if your last sentence ended this post, or something encouraging at any rate instead of the usual negativity.
Rather sniffy about Colonne, I would say. The orchestra may not be what it used to be, but it provides young musicians with invaluable orchestral experience. It also offers affordable concerts to people that don’t necessarily often attend concerts. Longue vie à Colonne!
What an unfair comment !! Have you ever heard them ? No one pretends that they can rival with the Vienna Philharmonic, but they play at a decent level and propose interesting programs with a lot of French music that can rarely be heard live. They also play in a wonderful venue (Salle Wagram).