The Pasdeloup Orchestra (also referred to as Orchestre des Concerts Pasdeloup) is the oldest

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: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...

in France.

History

Founded in 1861 by

Jules Pasdeloup Jules Étienne Pasdeloup (; 15 September 1819 – 13 August 1887) was a French conductor. Life Pasdeloup was born in Paris. His father was an assistant conductor at the Opéra Comique; he was educated in music at the Conservatoire de Paris, leav ...

with the name Concerts Populaires, it is the oldest orchestra still in existence in Paris. Aimed at an audience hitherto absent from evening concerts, the orchestra presented cheap Sunday concerts in the vast rotonda of the

Cirque d'hiver The Cirque d'Hiver ("Winter Circus"), located at 110 rue Amelot (at the juncture of the rue des Filles du Calvaire and rue Amelot, Paris 11th arrondissement of Paris, 11ème), has been a prominent venue for circuses, exhibitions of dressage, musica ...

in Paris. The opening concert (27 October 1861), with an orchestra of 80 musicians, consisted of the following programme: * Overture to ''

Oberon Oberon () is a king of the fairy, fairies in Middle Ages, medieval and Renaissance literature. He is best known as a character in William Shakespeare's play ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'', in which he is King of the Fairies and spouse of Titania ...

'' by

Carl Maria von Weber Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber (5 June 1826) was a German composer, conductor, virtuoso pianist, guitarist, and Music criticism, critic in the early Romantic music, Romantic period. Best known for List of operas by Carl Maria von Weber, h ...

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

’s

Pastoral Symphony The Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, also known as the ''Pastoral Symphony'' (German: ''Pastorale''), is a symphony composed by Ludwig van Beethoven and completed in 1808. One of Beethoven's few works containing explicitly programmatic cont ...

Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositions include symphonie ...

Violin Concerto A violin concerto is a concerto for solo violin (occasionally, two or more violins) and instrumental ensemble (customarily orchestra). Such works have been written since the Baroque period, when the solo concerto form was first developed, up thro ...

with Jean Alard * the Emperor's Hymn by

Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( ; ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...

. Rehearsals took place on Tuesday and Thursday at the Conservatoire and on Saturday at the Cirque d'hiver (musicians were paid 15 francs per concert with rehearsals). The first leader was Lancien, of the orchestra of the Paris Opéra. Early concerts included music by

Berlioz Louis-Hector Berlioz (11 December 1803 – 8 March 1869) was a French Romantic music, Romantic composer and conductor. His output includes orchestral works such as the ''Symphonie fantastique'' and ''Harold en Italie, Harold in Italy'' ...

and

Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...

. The enterprise was a great success and the ''Concerts Populaires'' became a genuine institution, playing a lead role in forming a new audience through making known the Austro-German repertoire and also by influencing the creation of French symphonic works. Pasdeloup continued his activity until 1884 and tried in vain to restart in 1886 by mounting a festival devoted to

César Franck César Auguste Jean Guillaume Hubert Franck (; 10 December 1822 – 8 November 1890) was a French Romantic music, Romantic composer, pianist, organist, and music teacher born in present-day Belgium. He was born in Liège (which at the time of h ...

(which was a success). The orchestra started up again in 1919, under the guidance of

Serge Sandberg Serge Sandberg (1879–1981) was a French film producer. Born in Kaunas, then part of the Russian Empire, he emigrated to France in 1900 and initially found work with Pathé. He later went into production for himself, working for Eclair. In 1921 ...

, with the title Orchestre Pasdeloup.

Principal conductors

* Jules Pasdeloup (1861–1887) *

Rhené-Baton René-Emmanuel Baton, known as Rhené-Baton (5 September 1879 – 23 September 1940), was a French conductor and composer. Though born in Courseulles-sur-Mer, Normandy, his family originated in Vitré, Ille-et-Vilaine, Vitré in neighbouring Britt ...

(1919–1933) * Albert Wolff (1925–1928) and (1934–1970) *

Désiré-Émile Inghelbrecht Désiré-Émile Inghelbrecht (17 September 188014 February 1965) was a French composer, conductor and writer. Life and career Inghelbrecht was born in Paris, the son of a violist. He studied at the Paris Conservatoire and made his debut as a ...

(1928–1932) *

Gérard Devos Gérard Devos (19 August 1903, Sint-Andries – 5 January 1972, Tielt) was a Belgium, Belgian football (soccer), football Striker (association football), striker. Career Devos started playing football with Cercle Brugge. He made his debut in a 5 ...

(1970–1990)

André Caplet André Caplet (23 November 1878 – 22 April 1925) was a French composer and conductor of classical music. He was a friend of Claude Debussy and completed the orchestration of several of Debussy's compositions as well as arrangements of severa ...

was the deputy chief conductor from 1922 to 1925. Since 1990, the orchestra has not had a permanent principal conductor and has been run by a committee; from 2000 this has been chaired by the violinist Marianne Rivière. Patrice Fontanarosa is the current artistic advisor for the orchestra, while

Jean-Christophe Keck Jean-Christophe Keck is a French musicologist and conductor, born in Briançon, in 1964. He is particularly noted as a specialist in the works of Jacques Offenbach, and is the director of the complete critical edition in progress, named after both, ...

oversees the direction of the Offenbach concerts. Conductor Wolfgang Doerner has regularly lead the orchestra each season since 1987.

Premieres

Georges Bizet Georges Bizet (; 25 October 18383 June 1875) was a French composer of the Romantic music, Romantic era. Best known for his operas in a career cut short by his early death, Bizet achieved few successes before his final work, ''Carmen'', w ...

: Symphony "Roma", 1869 (3 movements only) – ''L'Arlésienne'' Suites No 1 and 2, 1872 – ''Patrie'' overture, 1874 *

Camille Saint-Saëns Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (, , 9October 183516 December 1921) was a French composer, organist, conductor and pianist of the Romantic music, Romantic era. His best-known works include Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (1863), the Piano ...

: ''Le Rouet d'Omphale'', 1872 *

Édouard Lalo Édouard-Victoire-Antoine Lalo (27 January 182322 April 1892) was a French composer, violist, violinist, and academic teacher. His most celebrated piece is the '' Symphonie Espagnole'', a five-movement concerto for violin and orchestra that re ...

: '' Symphonie espagnole'', 1875 – ''Le Roi d'Ys'', overture, 1876 * Henri Duparc : ''Léonore'', 1877 *

Louis Aubert Louis François Marie Aubert (19 February 1877 – 9 January 1968) was a French composer. Biography Born in Paramé, Ille-et-Vilaine, Louis Aubert was a child prodigy. His parents, recognizing their son's musical talent, sent him to Paris to re ...

: ''Habanera'', 1919 *

Maurice Ravel Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 – 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism in music, Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composer ...

: ''Alborada del gracioso'', 1919 – ''

Le tombeau de Couperin ''Le Tombeau de Couperin'' (''The Tomb of Couperin'') is a suite (music), suite for solo piano by Maurice Ravel, composed between 1914 and 1917. The piece is in six movements, based on those of a traditional Baroque music, Baroque suite. Each ...

'', 1929 *

Lili Boulanger Marie-Juliette Boulanger (; 21 August 189315 March 1918), professionally known as Lili Boulanger (), was a French composer and musician who was the first female winner of the Grand Prix de Rome composition prize. Her older sister was the noted ...

: ''D'un matin du printemps'' and ''D'un soir triste'', 1920 *

Darius Milhaud Darius Milhaud (, ; 4 September 1892 – 22 June 1974) was a French composer, conductor, and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as ''The Group of Six''—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His composition ...

: ''Les Choéphores'', concert version, 1927 – ''Concerto for piano No. 1'', 1931 *

Georges Migot Georges Elbert Migot (27 February 1891 – 5 January 1976) was a prolific France, French composer. Though primarily known as a composer, he was also a poet, often integrating his poetry into his compositions, and an accomplished Painting, painter ...

: Symphony No. 1, 1922 – ''La Jungle'', 1932 * Pierre Capdevielle: ''Incantation pour la mort d'un Jeune Spartiate'', 1933 *

Raymond Loucheur Raymond Loucheur (1 January 1899 – 14 September 1979) was a French composer. Life Very early, he left the town of Tourcoing where he was born to study at Le Havre with Henri Woollett who had Arthur Honegger among his students. Then, he entere ...

: Symphony No. 1, 1935 *

Albert Roussel Albert Charles Paul Marie Roussel (; 5 April 1869 – 23 August 1937) was a French composer. He spent seven years as a midshipman, turned to music as an adult, and became one of the most prominent French composers of the interwar period. His ...

: Symphony No. 2, 1922; Symphony No. 4, 1935 *

Marcel Landowski Marcel François Paul Landowski (18 February 1915 – 23 December 1999) was a French composer, biographer and arts administrator. Biography Born at Pont-l'Abbé, Finistère, Brittany, he was the son of French sculptor Paul Landowski and gre ...

: ''Rythmes du monde'', 1941; Concerto for piano No. 1, 1942; Symphony No. 1, 1949; ''Les Noces de la Nuit'', 1962 *

Jean Martinon Jean Francisque-Étienne Martinon (also known as Jean Martinon (); 10 January 19101 March 1976) was a French conductor and composer. Biography Martinon was born in Lyon, where he began his education, going on to the Conservatoire de Paris to ...

: Symphony No. 2, 1945 *

Henri Tomasi Henri Frédien Tomasi (; 17 August 1901 – 13 January 1971) was a French classical composer and conductor. He was noted for compositions such as ''In Praise of Folly'', ''Nuclear Era'' and ''The Silence of the Sea''. Early years Henri Tomasi ...

: ''Chant pour le Viêt-Nam'', 1969 *

Henri Sauguet Henri-Pierre Sauguet-Poupard (18 May 1901 – 22 June 1989) was a French composer. Born in Bordeaux, he adopted his mother's maiden name as part of his professional pseudonym. His output includes operas, ballets, four symphonies (1945, 1949, ...

: Symphony No. 4, 1971 *

Jacques Charpentier Jacques Charpentier (18 October 1933 in Paris, France – 15 June 2017 in Lézignan-Corbières, France) was a French composer and organist. He is unrelated to either of two other eminent French musicians with the same surname (Marc-Antoine Charpe ...

: Symphony No. 5, 1977

Discography

* Berlioz: ''

La Damnation de Faust ''La Damnation de Faust'' (English: ''The Damnation of Faust''), Op. 24 is a French musical composition for four solo voices, full seven-part chorus, large children's chorus and orchestra by the French composer Hector Berlioz. He called it a ' ...

'', Op. 24 (slightly abridged) with Marguerite Mireille Berthon, Jose de Trevi,

Charles Panzéra Charles uguste LouisPanzéra (February 16, 1896 in Geneva – June 6, 1976 in Paris) was a Swiss people, Swiss operatic and concert baritone. Overview Panzéra's studies at the Conservatoire de Paris, Paris Conservatory under the tuition of ...

, Louis Morturier, conducted by Piero Coppola * Borodin: ''

In the Steppes of Central Asia IN, In or in may refer to: Dans * India (country code IN) * Indiana, United States (postal code IN) * Ingolstadt, Germany (license plate code IN) * In, Russia, a town in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast Businesses and organizations * Independen ...

'',

Charpentier Charpentier () is the French language, French word for "carpenter", and it is also a French surname; a variant spelling is Carpentier. In English, the equivalent word and name is "Carpenter (surname), Carpenter"; in German, "Zimmermann (disambigua ...

La Vie du Poète (conducted by the composer) * Debussy: ''

La Damoiselle élue ''La Damoiselle élue'' ('' The Blessed Damozel''), L. 62, is a cantata for soprano and contralto soloists, 2-part female chorus, and orchestra, composed by Claude Debussy in 1887–1888 based on a text by Dante Gabriel Rossetti. It premiered in ...

'' with Odette Ricquier, Jeanne Guyla, Piero Coppola; Petite Suite, Désiré-Émile Inghelbrecht * Dukas: '' L'apprenti sorcier'', Désiré-Émile Inghelbrecht * Franck: ''

Symphony A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning c ...

'', Rhené-Baton * Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 26 in D major, K. 537

Magda Tagliaferro Magdalena Maria Yvonne Tagliaferro (19 January 18939 September 1986) was a Brazilian pianist of French parentage. Magdalena Tagliaferro was born in Petrópolis, Brazil. Her father, who had studied piano with Raoul Pugno in Paris, was a voice a ...

, conducted by

Reynaldo Hahn Reynaldo Hahn de Echenagucia (9 August 1874 – 28 January 1947) was a Venezuelan-born French composer, conductor, music critic, and singer. He is best known for his songs – ''mélodies'' – of which he wrote more than 100. Hahn was born ...

* Offenbach: '' Le Financier et le Savetier'', conducted by Jean-Christophe Keck * Richard Strauss: ''Dance of the Seven Veils'', Piero CoppolaDarrell R D. The Gramophone Shop Encyclopedia of Recorded Music. The Gramophone Shop Inc, New York, 1936.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Orchestras in Paris Musical groups established in 1861 1861 establishments in France