Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra

The Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra Is One Of The World's Oldest Orchestral Institutions. It Performs Some 110 Concerts A Year And Is Based At The 1 500-Seat Grieg Hall In Bergen Norway. History Established In 1765 Under The Name Det Musicalske Selskab The Musical Society It Later Changed Its Name To Musikselskabet Harmonien And It Is Often Referred To As "Harmonien" The Harmony By Bergen's Citizens. After World War I There Was Strong Interest In The Major Norwegian Cities Of Bergen And Kristiania Which Later Changed Its Name To Oslo In Having Larger Orchestras And In 1919 The Orchestra In Bergen Was Reorganized To Employed 40 Professional Full-Time Musicians. As Of 2006 The Orchestra Has 98 Musicians. The Orchestra Has Had A Long Tradition Of Playing Contemporary Music. Ludwig Van Beethoven's Second Symphony Was Performed In Bergen In The Year It Was Published 1804 - Even Before It Was Performed In Berlin. Bergen-Born Composer Edvard Grieg Had Close Ties With The Orchestra And Was Artistic Director From 1880 To 1882. He Also Bequeathed A Portion Of His Estate To A Fund Which Continues To Provide Financial Support For The Orchestra. Other Composers Have Served As Principal Conductor Of The Orchestra Including Arvid Fladmoe Johan Halvorsen Iver Holter Richard Henneberg Olav Kielland And Per Winge. Composer Harald Sæverud Was Frequently Invited To Conduct His Own Works And The Orchestra Continues To Commission And Perform New Compositions On A Regular Basis. Other Composers Who Have Conducted Their Own Works With The Orchestra Include Aaron Copland Karl Nielsen Jean Sibelius Witold Lutosławski Lukas Foss And Krzysztof Penderecki. In 1953 The Festspillene I Bergen Was Started And Leopold Stokowski Was Contracted To Conduct The Orchestra. Other Conductors At The Bergen Festival Have Included Eugene Ormandy And Sir Thomas Beecham. American Conductor Andrew Litton Became Principal Conductor In 2003 And Artistic Director In 2005. In 2002 The Orchestra Began As The First Norwegian Orchestra Ever Recording The Complete Orchestral Works Of Edvard Grieg Its Former Music Director. Norwegian Conductor Ole Kristian Ruud And The Orchestra Recorded The Final Of The 7 CDs For BIS. In 2005. Also In 2005 Andrew Litton And The Orchestra Recorded Music From Prokofiev's Ballet Romeo And Juliet For BIS. This Was Litton's First Recording With The Orchestra. Many Members Of The Orchestra Teach At The Grieg Academy Of Music Which Is A Music Conservatory Within The University Of Bergen. Partial List Of Principal Conductors And Music Directors For The Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra * Mathias Lundholm 1820-1827 * Ferdinand Giovanni Schediwy 1827- ? * Otto Lübert 1855-1856 * Ferdinand A. Rojahn 1856-1859 * August Fries 1859-1862 * Amadeus Wolfgang Maczewsky 1862- ? * Richard Henneberg 1873-? * Herman Levy 1879-1880 * Edvard Grieg 1880-1882 * Iver Holter 1882-1886 * Per Winge 1886-1893 * Johan Halvorsen 1893-1898 * Harald Heide 1908-1947 * Olav Kielland 1948- 1952 * Carl Von Garaguly 1952-1958 * Arvid Fladmoe 1958-1961 * Karsten Andersen 1964-1985 * Aldo Ceccato 1985-1990 * Dmitri Kitajenko 1990-1998 * Simone Young 1998-2002 * Andrew Litton 2003-Present Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra Timeline * 1765 - Det Musicalske Selskab The Musical Society Established * 1769 - Society Re-Named Det Harmoniske Selskab The Harmonic Society * 1770 - Society Has Over 30 Members One-Third Are Singers. Thursday Set As Concert Day. * 1771 - Fire Destroys Concert Locale. * 1773 - Society Rents Altona As Concert Locale Until 1807 . * 1774 - Society Has 20 Instrumentalists Mirroring Haydn's Esterhazy Orchestra Of 1766 To 1790 * 1783 - Society Engages Ole Rødder As A Paid Violinist. * 1785 - Society's Orchestra Has 25 Members. * 1799 - Johan Henrich Poulson Student Of Giovanni Battista Viotti Leads Orchestra. * 1811 - Society Buys Its Own Building On King Oscar's Street. Orchestra Has C. 30 Members. * 1812 - Society's Members Give Free Instruction To Young Musicians Some Of Whom Play In The Orchestra. * 1818 - Violinist Ole Bull Begins Playing In The Orchestra At Age 8. * 1819 - Violinist Ole Bull Performs Ignaz Pleyel Concerto With Orchestra. * 1820 - Swede Mathias Lundholm Becomes Orchestra's Conductor. * 1827 - Prague-Born Ferdinand Giovanni Schediwy Named Conductor. Haydn Mozart And Beethoven Dominate Orchestra's Repertoire. * 1839 - As A Promotion The Society Advertises That Each Man Can Bring Two Women To Concerts. * 1855 - Otto Lübbert Becomes Musical Leader. * 1856 - Society Re-Named Musikselskabet Harmonien. Ferdinand A. Rojahn Named Orchestra Leader. First Part Of Haydn's "Creation" Performed After Over 100 Rehearsals. * 1859 - August Fries Named Conductor. * 1862 - Musicians From Harmonien Assist The 18-Year Old Edvard Grieg With His First Concert In His Home City Of Bergen After His Studies In Leipzig. Amadeus Wolfgang Maczewsky Becomes Orchestra Leader. * 1863 - Edvard Grieg Performs A Beethoven Sonata With Maczewsky On A Society Concert. * 1865 - August Fries Leads Grieg's Symphony In C Minor. * 1866 - Felix Mendelssohn's Elijah Performed With Nina Hagerup As A Soloist. * 1870 - Orchestra Has 41 Permanent Members * 1871 - Johan Svendsen's Symphony In D Major Is Played For The First Time In Bergen. * 1873 - Richard Henneberg Hired As Conductor. * 1875 - German Adolf Blomberg Becomes Kapellmester. * 1879 - Herman Levy Hired As Conductor After Grieg Declines Offer. * 1880 - Edvard Grieg Becomes Artistic Director. * 1881 - Orchestra Performs Grieg's A Minor Piano Concerto With Alice Lindberg As Soloist. * 1882 - Composer Iver Holter Becomes Conductor. * 1883 - Orchestra Premieres Grieg's Landkjenning * 1885 - Johan Halvorsen Hired As Concertmaster * 1886 - Per Winge Named Conductor. * 1889 - No Concerts. * 1893 - Johan Halvorsen Becomes Conductor. During His Six Seasons As Conductor He Introduces Music Of Glinka Delibes Dvořák Humperdinck And Sibelius To Bergensers. * 1907 - Death Of Edvard Grieg. * 1908 - Harald Heide Becomes Principal Conductor. "Edvard Grieg's Fund" Established. * 1915 - Orchestra Celebrates 150th Season. First Concert In Koncert-Palæet. * 1919 - Orchestra Reorganized And Employs 40 Full-Time Musicians. * 1920-21 - Jean Sibelius Conducts His Own Works Symphony #2 The Swan Of Tuonela And Finlandia * 1923-24 - Carl Nielsen Conducts His Own Works Including The Four Temperments. Orchestra Premieres Harald Sæverud Symphony Nr. 2. * 1924-25 - Pierre Monteux Guest Conducts. * 1925-26 - Orchestra Celebrates Its 160th Season. * 1927-28 - First Radio Broadcasts Of Orchestra's Concerts. * 1930-31 - Marian Anderson Solos With Orchestra Three Years Before Her London Debut. Kurt Atterberg Conducts His Own Symphony Nr. 6. * 1931-32 - Orchestra Premieres Harald Sæverud Symphony No. 3. * 1934-35 - Karol Szymanowski Featured As Soloist In His Own Sinfonia Concertante For Piano And Orchestra. * 1938 - First "Young Soloists Concert." * 1939-40 - Orchestra Holds First "Worker's Concert" * 1941 - At The Orchestra's 175-Year Jubilee Concert A Nazi Mob Protests Against Ernst Glaser A Jew Who Was Scheduled To Perform As Soloist On Ole Bull's Violin. He Is Whisked Away By Rescuers And The Concert Is Cancelled After The First Number. * 1942-43 - Orchestra Gives Five Memorial Concerts For Edvard Grieg's 100-Year Jubilee. * 1943 - Air-Raid Warning Interrupts Season Opening Concert. * 1944-45 - Concert Time Changed To 6 00 P.M. Because Of 9 00 Curfew. Orchestra Holds Benefit Concert For Victims Of Bombing In Laksevåg. * 1946-47 - Orchestra Premieres Harald Sæverud Oboe Concerto. School Concert Series Begins. * 1947-48 - Site For Grieg Hall Selected. Haakon B. Wallem Donates One Million Norwegian Kroner To Building Fund. * 1948 - Olav Kielland Becomes Principal Conductor. * 1951 - Orchestra Employs 54 Full-Time Musicians. * 1952-53 - Carl Von Garaguly Named Artistic Director. * 1953 - Bergen International Festival Begins. Leopold Stokowski Conducts. * 1953-54 - Harmonien's Fund For New Music Established. * 1954-55 - Eugene Ormandy Guest Conducts. * 1956-57 - Orchestra Premieres Egil Hovland Symphony No. 2. * 1957-58 - Orchestra Premieres Geirr Tveitt Brudlaupssuiten. * 1958-59 - Arvid Fladmoe Becomes Artistic Director. Orchestra Employs 60 Full-Time Musicians. * 1961-62 - Pierre Monteaux Guest Conducts. * 1962-63 - Orchestra Has First International Tour To Copenhagen Denmark. * 1964 - Karsten Andersen Becomes Principal Conductor * 1966 - Tour To The U. S. A. Under The Name "Norwegian Festival Orchestra." Orchestra Celebrates 200th Season. Karsten Andersen Named Artistic Director. * 1968 - King Olav V Of Norway Lays Cornerstone Of The Grieg Hall. * 1969-70 - Orchestra Premieres Ragnar Søderlind Polaris. * 1970-71 - Lukas Foss Conducts Rileys In C. Orchestra Tours England. * 1972-73 - Orchestra Tours Germany. Orchestra Premieres Magnar Åm Bøn. * 1974-75 - Orchestra Premieres Allan Pettersson Symphony No. 11 * 1975-76 - Aaron Copland Conducts His Own Works. * 1976-77 - Orchestra Premieres Kjetil Hvoslef Cello Concerto. * 1978 - Orchestra Moves To The Grieg Hall. * 1979-80 - Orchestra Tours Tallinn Moscow And Leningrad. Antal Dorati Guest Conducts. * 1980-81 - Witold Lutosławski Conducts His Own Works. Dmitri Kitajenko Conducts Orchestra For First Time. Orchestra Employs 72 Full-Time Musicians. * 1982-83 - Krzysztof Penderecki Conducts His Own Works. Aldo Ceccato Conducts Orchestra For First Time. * 1984-85 - Orchestra Tours Belgium And France. * 1985 - Aldo Ceccato Becomes Principal Conductor * 1986 - Name Changed To Bergen Filharmoniske Orkester. Orchestra Employs 83 Full-Time Musicians. * 1989 - Orchestra Employs 89 Full-Time Musicians. * 1990 - Dmitri Kitajenko Becomes Principal Conductor * 1997 - Lorentz Reitan Becomes Managing Director * 1998 - Simone Young Becomes Principal Conductor * 2000 - Krzysztof Penderecki And Luciano Berio Each Conduct Their Own Works. * 2002 - Orchestra Tours Austria Bregenz Salzburg Vienna And Graz And Croatia Zagreb With Spanish Conductor Rafael Frühbeck De Burgos * 2003 - Andrew Litton Becomes Principal Conductor Takes Orchestra On Tour To Spain. * 2005 - Andrew Litton Named Artistic Director. Orchestra Celebrates Its 240th Season. Litton Leads European Tour With Concerts In Udine Ljubljana Zagreb Rome Vienna And Innsbruck. * 2006 - Orchestra Roster Increased To 98 Musicians. Orchestra Goes On Strike During Bergen International Festival. Sten Cranner Becomes Managing Director. Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra Partial Discography BIS Records * Sergei Prokofiev - Romeo And Juliet Andrew Litton Conducting * Edvard Grieg - Peer Gynt The Complete Incidental Music May 2005 SACD-1441/42 * Arvo Pärt - Spiegel Im Spiegel April 2005 CD-1434 * Edvard Grieg - Sigurd Jorsalfar March 2004 SACD-1391 * Edvard Grieg - Orchestral Dances May 2003 SACD-1291 * Edvard Grieg - Piano Concerto February 2003 SACD-1191 * Benjamin Britten - The Young Person's Guide To The Orchestra January 1989 CD-420 * Robert Schumann - Symphonies No.3 & No.4 Re-Orchestrated By Gustav Mahler January 1988 CD-394 * Robert Schumann - Symphonies No.1 & No.2 Re-Orchestrated By Gustav Mahler January 1987 CD-361 * Eduard Tubin - Symphony No.4 January 1986 CD-227 Also Available In A Compilation Of The Tubin Symphonies CD-1402/04 Chandos * Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov - Symphony No. 1 Symphony No. 2 "Antar" Symphony No. 3 Capriccio Espagnol Russian Easter Overture Piano Concerto Sadko. Geoffrey Tozer Piano Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra Chandos 6613 CD Nkf * Bull Herdgirl's Sunday Bergen Symphony Orchestra With Arve Tellefsen. Conducted By Karsten Andersen 1995 ASIN B0000044TC Simax * Ludvig Irgens-Jensen - Japanischer Frühling Passacaglia Pastorale Religioso Canto D'omaggio Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra Ragnhild Heiland Sorensen Soprano Eivind Aadland Conductor Simax 1164 CD Virgin Classics * Bolero French & Russian Orchestral Favorites Dmitri Kitajenko Conductor ASIN B000059LOF * Classical Dreams Music To Inspire Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra Bournemouth Sinfonietta Et Al. ASIN B00005Q467 * Grieg Piano Concerto - Sonata Op. 7 Lyric Pieces Opp. 43 54 & 65 Leif Ove Andsnes Piano #61745 2000 ASIN B00004LCAV * Grieg Symphonic Dances Op64 Funeral March In Memory Of Richard Nordraak Dmitri Kitajenko Conductor 2000 ASIN B000026CIK read less