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    Orchestra Academy: Rachmaninow

    Concert Geneva 28 March / Zurich 31 March

    The combined orchestra of the Haute Ecole de Musique and ZHdK 2023 (photo: Andreas Zihler)

    Published on 16.03.2025

    Author Daniela Huser

    • Music

    It's that time of year again: the orchestras of the Haute รฉcole de musique de Genรจve and the ZHdK are joining forces in the Orchestra Academy to form a large orchestra. The great Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff is the inspiration for the concerts in Geneva and Zurich: under the direction of John Axelrod, the programme includes his Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43 and Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27.

    Concert information

    • Concert Geneva
    • Concert Zurich

    The standard of performance achieved by students of orchestral instruments today and the power of music when experienced together can be heard at the Orchestra Academy, which has brought together the orchestras of the Zurich University of the Arts and a Swiss partner institution every other year since 1998.

    John Axelrod (born in Houston, Texas in 1966) was discovered by Leonard Bernstein at the age of 16. Before starting his conducting training at the St. Petersburg Conservatory under Ilya Mussin in 1995, he had completed a music degree at Harvard, studied jazz piano and improvisation at the Berklee School of Music, worked as a talent scout at a record label and as director of a โ€˜Wine and Foodโ€™ centre. In 1996, he founded OrchestraX in Houston and launched his international career in 1997. Since then, he has conducted numerous orchestras as a guest conductor worldwide.

    Excerpts from johnaxelrod.com

    • John Axelrod (c Istvan Kohan)
    • Sergej Rachmaninow (PD)

    Previous Orchestra Academies

    2023 
    Richard Wagner (1813โ€“1883): The Ring 
    Markus Stenz, conductor  

    2019 
    Erkki-Sven Tรผรผr: De Profundis  
    Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 6 ยซTragischeยป 
    Olari Elts, conductor  

    2017 
    Reinhold Gliere: Symphony No. 3 in B minor, op. 42 "Ilya Muromets"
    Yuri Simonov, conductor  

    2014 
    Igor Strawinsky: Petruschka 
    Edgar Varese: Ameriques 
    Pierre-Andrรฉ Valade, conductor 

    2012 
    Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 9 
    Jesรบs Lรณpez Cobos, conductor  

    2010 
    Anton Bruckner: Symphony No. 8, C minor
    Jesรบs Lรณpez Cobos, conductor  

    2009 
    Richard Strauss: Don Quixote, op. 35 
    Paul Dukas: La Peri 
    Maurice Ravel: La Valse 
    Roberto Benzi, conductor  

    2007 
    Othmar Schoeck: Suite aus der Oper Penthesilea, op. 27 (bearb. A. Delfs) 
    Sergej Prokofjew: Symphony No. 5, B major, op. 100 
    Andreas Delfs, conductor  

    2005 
    Claude Debussy: Le Martyre de Saint Sebastien (Auszuge) 
    Olivier Messiaen: Turangalila Symphony 
    Stefan Asbury, conductor  

    2003 
    Wolfgang Rihm: Vers une Symphonie fleuve IV 
    Igor Strawinsky: Le Sacre du Printemps
    Stefan Asbury, conductor 

    2000 
    The Firebird, Suite (1919 version) 
    Richard Strauss: An Alpine Symphony, op. 64 
    Heinz Wallberg, conductor 

    1998 
    Hector Berlioz: Chasse royale et Orage (from the Trojans) 
    Frank Martin: Concerto for 7 wind instruments, timpani, percussion and string orchestra
    Peter I. Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 in E minor, op. 64
    Emmanuel Krivine, conductor 

    The combined orchestra of the Haute Ecole de Musique and ZHdK 2023 (photo: Andreas Zihler)

    Programme

    Orchestra

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