The Gulbenkian Orchestra ( pt, Orquestra Gulbenkian) is a Portuguese

symphony orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

based in

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administrative limits w ...

. The orchestra primarily gives concerts at the ''Grande Auditório'' (Grand Auditorium) of the Gulbenkian Foundation. The orchestra, which was founded in 1962 as a chamber orchestra, currently has 66 permanent musicians.

History

The

Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation ( pt, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian), commonly referred to simply as the Gulbenkian Foundation, is a Portuguese institution dedicated to the promotion of the arts, philanthropy, science, and education. One ...

founded the orchestra in 1962 as the ''Orquestra de Câmara Gulbenkian'' (Gulbenkian Chamber Orchestra), consisting of 12 musicians. The ensemble subsequently expanded in size and took on its current name in 1971. The orchestra made its American debut in November 1997 in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat, seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County and the second largest city within the New Yo ...

. Past principal conductors of the orchestra have included

Claudio Scimone Claudio Scimone (23 December 1934 – 6 September 2018) was an Italian conductor. He was born in Padua, Italy and studied conducting with Dmitri Mitropoulos and Franco Ferrara. He established an international reputation as a conductor, as well ...

Muhai Tang Muhai Tang (; born 1949 in Shanghai) is a Chinese conductor. He is the youngest son of celebrated Chinese film director Tang Xiaodan and brother of painter and poet Tang Muli. Tang initially learned music with his parents, and later studied ...

, and

Lawrence Foster Lawrence Foster (born October 23, 1941) is an American conductor of Romanian ancestry. He is currently the artistic director and chief conductor of the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra and the music director of the Marseille Opera and th ...

. In September 2012, the orchestra announced the appointment of

Paul McCreesh Paul McCreesh (born 24 May 1960) is an English conductor. Paul McCreesh is the founder and artistic director of the Gabrieli Consort & Players. With them he has performed in major concert halls and festivals across the world. He has been the ...

as its next principal conductor and artistic adviser, with an initial contract of 4 years. McCreesh formally assumed the principal conductorship with the 2013–2014 season, and held the post through 2016.

, the orchestra's principal conductor from 1979 to 1986, now has the title of Honorary Conductor with the orchestra. Past principal guest conductors have included Joana Carneiro. In May 2013, the orchestra named

Susanna Mälkki Susanna Ulla Marjukka Mälkki (born 13 March 1969) is a Finnish conductor and cellist. Early life and education Susanna Ulla Marjukka Mälkki was born on 13 March 1969 in Helsinki. She began to learn the violin, piano, and cello in her yout ...

as its next principal guest conductor, with an initial contract of 3 years, effective July 2013. In January 2017, Lorenzo Viotti first guest-conducted the orchestra, and returned in the same season for a second guest-conducting appearance. In October 2017, the orchestra announced the appointment of Viotti as its next music director, effective with the 2018–2019 season, with an initial contract of 3 seasons. Viotti stood down as music director in 2021 and now has the title of principal guest conductor with the orchestra. In November 2022, the orchestra announced the appointment of

Hannu Lintu Hannu Petteri Lintu (born 13 October 1967) is a Finnish conductor. Biography Lintu was born in Rauma. He studied piano and cello at the Turku Conservatory and at the Sibelius Academy. He also studied conducting with Atso Almila, and later with ...

as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2023-2024 season.

Principal conductors

* Lamberto Baldi (1962–1963) * Urs Voegelin (1963–1964) * Renato Ruotolo (1964–1965) * Trajan Popesco (1965–1966) * Adrian Sunshine (1966–1967) * Gianfranco Rivoli (1967–1971) * Werner Andreas Albert (1971–1973) * Michael Tabachnik (1973–1976) * Juan Pablo Izquierdo (1976–1979) * Claudio Scimone (1979–1986) * Muhai Tang (1988–2001) * Lawrence Foster (2002–2013) *

(2013–2016) * Lorenzo Viotti (2018–2021) *

(designate, effective 2023)

Recordings

The orchestra has commercially recorded for several labels, including

Teldec Teldec (Telefunken-Decca Schallplatten GmbH) is a German record label in Hamburg, Germany. Today the label is a property of Warner Music Group. History Teldec was a producer of (first) shellac and (later) vinyl records. The Teldec manufacturing ...

and

Virgin Classics Virgin Classics was a record label founded in 1988 as part of Richard Branson's Virgin Records. The unit, along with EMI Classics, was acquired by Universal Music in 2012 as part of the takeover of the EMI Group, however the terms of the Europea ...

. *

Giuseppe Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...

–

Otello ''Otello'' () is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on Shakespeare's play '' Othello''. It was Verdi's penultimate opera, first performed at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan, on 5 February 1887. ...

. Nikolai Schukoff, Melody Moore,

Lester Lynch Lester Lynch is an American operatic baritone. Early life and career Lynch learned to sing in a church choir, and attended Baldwin-Wallace College, the New England Conservatory of Music, and Juilliard. Notable performances Lynch has performed as a ...

, Kevin Short,

, Gulbenkian Orchestra. PENTATONE PTC 5186562 (2017) * Gordon Getty – Usher House. Etienne Dupuis, Phillip Ens, Lisa Delan,

Christian Elsner Christian Elsner (born 11 August 1965) is a German tenor in opera and concert, and an academic voice teacher at the Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe. He focused first on lied and oratorio, then entered the opera stage in roles such as Handel's Tab ...

Benedict Cumberbatch Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch (born 19 July 1976) is an English actor. Known for his work on screen and stage, he has received various accolades, including a British Academy Television Award, a Primetime Emmy Award and a Laurence Oli ...

, Gulbenkian Orchestra. PENTATONE PTC 5186451 (2013) *

Max Bruch Max Bruch (6 January 1838 – 2 October 1920) was a German Romantic composer, violinist, teacher, and conductor who wrote more than 200 works, including three violin concertos, the first of which has become a prominent staple of the standard ...

– Korngold Violin Concertos & Chausson Poème.

Arabella Steinbacher Arabella Miho Steinbacher (born 14 November 1981) is a German classical violinist. Biography Steinbacher was born in Munich to a Japanese mother and a German father. When she was three, her mother read that a German violin teacher had recentl ...

, Gulbenkian Orchestra. PENTATONE PTC 5186503 (2013) *

Sergei Rachmaninov Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one o ...

Edvard Grieg Edvard Hagerup Grieg ( , ; 15 June 18434 September 1907) was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is widely considered one of the foremost Romantic era composers, and his music is part of the standard classical repertoire worldwide. His use of ...

– Piano Concertos.

Sa Chen Sa Chen (; born 21 November 1979) is a Chinese pianist. She won first prize in the 1994 China International Piano Competition, fourth place in the XIV International Chopin Piano Competition in 2000, fourth place in the Leeds International Pia ...

, Gulbenkian Orchestra. PENTATONE PTC 5186444 (2011) *

Zoltán Kodály Zoltán Kodály (; hu, Kodály Zoltán, ; 16 December 1882 – 6 March 1967) was a Hungarian composer, ethnomusicologist, pedagogue, linguist, and philosopher. He is well known internationally as the creator of the Kodály method of music edu ...

Béla Bartók Béla Viktor János Bartók (; ; 25 March 1881 – 26 September 1945) was a Hungarian composer, pianist, and ethnomusicologist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century; he and Franz Liszt are regarded as Hu ...

György Ligeti György Sándor Ligeti (; ; 28 May 1923 – 12 June 2006) was a Hungarian-Austrian composer of contemporary classical music. He has been described as "one of the most important avant-garde composers in the latter half of the twentieth century ...

– Orchestral Works.

, Mihaela Costea, Esther Georgie, Cyril Dupuy, Jonathan Luxton, Kenneth Best, Gulbenkian Orchestra. *

Antonio Salieri Antonio Salieri (18 August 17507 May 1825) was an Italian classical composer, conductor, and teacher. He was born in Legnago, south of Verona, in the Republic of Venice, and spent his adult life and career as a subject of the Habsburg monarchy ...

– Requiem in C minor,

Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...

– Meeresstille und Glückliche Fahrt,

Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wo ...

– Intende voci.

, Coro Gulbenkian, Gulbenkian Orchestra. PENTATONE PTC 5186359 (2010). *

Frédéric Chopin Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; 1 March 181017 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period, who wrote primarily for solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown as a leadin ...

– The 2 Piano Concertos.

, Gulbenkian Orchestra. PENTATONE PTC 5186341 (2008)

References

External links

Official orchestra website
Musical groups established in 1962 Portuguese orchestras Culture in Lisbon 1962 establishments in Portugal Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation {{Orchestra-stub