Zurich
I suppose the definition of a modern chamber orchestra would be one that employs 8 first violins or less. In fact of course until quite late in the 19th century 8 firsts was considered not a small, but a normal, large, formation. The Vienna Philharmonic, for instance, played with only 8 until they moved into the largish hall of the Musikverein in 1870.
I’ve been closely involved with the Salzburg Camerata, Het Nederlands Kamerorkest, the Bournemouth Sinfonietta, the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, the Orchestra of St Lukes in New York, the Handel and Haydn Society in Boston, the Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. As a guest I’ve worked with the English Chamber, the Northern Sinfonia, the London Mozart Players, the Scottish Chamber, the Mahler Chamber, and those in Moscow, Bremen, Tapiola, Quebec, St. Paul, Lausanne, Toscana, and Lugano.
Exciting though big orchestras are, it has always been a joy for me to work with chamber orchestras. There is an intimacy, a sharing, which is very pleasing. Each player can feel that he or she can contribute more, and also receive more from those around them. I also can share more, feeling relaxed rather than on high alert and responsibility.Many conductors do not impress chamber orchestras. They think too big, they use a baton (bad idea), and above all they usually lack the historical knowledge necessary for much of the central repertoire. I was lucky enough to feel at home with these groups and had a great time with them.
The Zürcher Kammerorchester was my last Chief appointment. My lovely leader in Salzburg, Natalie Chee, was also joint leader there and mentioned that they were looking for a Chief. I accepted a trial date, and was immediately appointed, only to find that Natalie was leaving. The other leader was however the brilliant Willi Zimmermann. He had kept things going during a particularly bad previous reign, and had pretty much taken over the direction from the front desk. It took me a month or two to gently wean control back to the podium, but after that he became an immense support, as well as being in any case a superb player. The whole band transformed itself like lightning into a historically impeccable outfit: Pure Tone, phrasing, balances, bowing, and seating all soon came naturally. The players became extremely enthusiastic about playing with me, which was nice. They said what a joy it was to have a “world class conductor” at last!
The size was much the same as in Salzburg. 6,5,4,3,2 string players were members, providing a solid permanent and friendly core. Wind and brass, as required, were regular guests drawn from the very able pool of the Opera, the Tonhalle and freelancers. We could work quickly and efficiently, in their own excellent rehearsal hall, and produce first rate concerts in the superb Tonhalle. This hall, one of the very best in the whole of Europe, was built for an orchestra of just our sort of size, and in truth much too small for its current symphony orchestra. We rejoiced in it, gradually built up to full houses, and had a real following, who also enjoyed the party we threw in the foyer after each concert.
The orchestra owned its own rehearsal hall and offices, and was fairly well run. The city is impressive, its lake brings nature right into its heart, covered with sailing boats, skiffs and steamers, and lined with swimmers in summer. The Hotel du Lac was as classy as all Swiss hotels. It had an excellent restaurant, and a delightful roof-top terrace.
My very last concert abroad was in Dresden with this talented crowd, before Covid closed us down.