The Mahler Chamber Orchestra renews its residence contract with Ferrara Musica // 14.04.2011
Andreas Richter, General Manager of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra (MCO) and Tiziano Tagliani, mayor of Ferrara and President of Ferrara Musica, signed the new residence contract between the MCO and Ferrara Musica yesterday noon, April 13 2011, at Ferrara’s Palazzo Municipale.
With this contract, the MCO, founded in 1997 by Claudio Abbado, extends its oldest residence for four more years. The MCO and the city in northern Italy have shared a close relationship since the orchestra’s founding. As Ferrara Musica’s orchestra-in-residence, the MCO has rehearsed and performed about 80 concert programmes in the past thirteen years.
As a professional and independent touring orchestra, the MCO rehearses and performs throughout Europe and in Asia, South and North America for about 200 days each year. Residences offer a creative home base for the orchestra. The orchestra settles in its residence cities for 2-3 rehearsal and concert periods each year. These regular visits allow for a wide spectrum of additional activities, such as club concerts or rehearsal visits for school classes, and they bring orchestra and residence audiences in personal contact. The MCO’s activities in Ferrara, apart from its regular orchestral concerts, include a chamber music series at the Jazz Club Torrione. In addition to the residence in Ferrara, the MCO has enjoyed a residence in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia since 2009.
With the signing of the new residence contract, the city of Ferrara reinforces the relationship between Ferrara Musica and the MCO despite the current difficult financial situation for the arts in Italy. Present at the signing were the artistic director of Ferrara Musica, George Edelman, Massimo Maisto, Deputy Mayor and Councillor for Culture and Tourism of the Municipality of Ferrara, and Annette zu Castell, representative of the MCO’s orchestra Board. The city of Ferrara intends to continue its rich tradition in the fine arts and secure its position as an important cultural centre for the future. The residence partnership with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra makes a considerable contribution to these efforts.
The MCO is currently in Ferrara for a coproduction between Ferrara Musica and Orchestra Mozart of Bologna. This is the first combination project consisting of two orchestras founded by Claudio Abbado. With works by Ravel, Debussy, Prokofiev and Stravinsky, the project’s two concert programmes are thematically related to an exhibition dedicated to Paris in the 1920s at Ferrara’s Palazzo dei Diamanti from September to January.
The first of the two concert programmes is led by the young Venezuelan conductor Diego Matheuz and had its successful premiere performance on 12 April. The second programme, conducted by Claudio Abbado, will be premiered this evening. Repeat performances will take place in Bologna (16 & 17 April), Reggio Emilia (18 April) and Rome (21 April). All concerts are sold out.
