Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra Explained

Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra
Type:
Founded:	1871
Principal Conductor:	Dawid Runtz

The Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra (Croatian: Zagrebačka filharmonija) is a Croatian orchestra based in Zagreb. The orchestra gives its concerts principally at the Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall and at the Croatian National Theatre, Zagreb.

History

The origins of the orchestra can be found in the opera ensemble of the Croatian National Theatre, Zagreb. In the 19th century, musical ensembles in Zagreb were mostly unorganized, until in 1870, Ivan Zajc established an ensemble for the national theatre.^[1] He organised and conducted a professional concert on the 25 February 1871, in Stanković's theatre (the present-day building of the Zagreb Assembly).^[2] The orchestra performed a Quodlibet, a style of composition where melodies and motifs from a range of pieces would be combined into a single performance.

A symphony in 1916 marked a historical performance in Zagreb's musical history. The symphony of young Croatian composers (Croatian: Croatian: Simfonijski koncert mladih hrvatskih skladatelja) showcased a wide range of composers from the country, including Dora Pejačević.^[3] They played at the Croatian National Theatre.

After World War I, significant changes were brought to how Zagreb's musical ensembles were organised. In 1919, at the encouragement of violinist Dragutin Arany, musicians of the opera ensemble officially formed a philharmonic orchestra.^{[4] [5]} The orchestra's name was formally changed to the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra on 3 October 1920.^[6]

Recent chief conductors of the orchestra have included Kazushi Ōno (1990–1996),^[7] Vjekoslav Šutej (2003–2009),^[8] and David Danzmayr (2016–2019). Since 2021, the orchestra's chief conductor is Dawid Runtz.

Selected discography

• Beethoven, Violin concerto in D major, conducted by Milan Horvat and Ivan Ozim
• Beethoven, Symphony No. 2, Symphony No. 5, conducted by Richard Edlinger
• Beethoven, Symphony No. 4, Symphony No. 7
• Beethoven, Symphony No. 8, conducted by Richard Edlinger and Michael Halász
• Beethoven, Symphony No. 9
• Janáček, Sinfonietta, conducted by Lovro Matačić
• Keleman, Piano concerto, with Melita Lorković on piano
• Mozart, Piano Concerto no. 27, with conductor Mladen Bašić
• Prokofiev: Symphony No. 1
• Rimsky-Korsakov, Scheherazade, with conductor Pavle Dešpalj
• Shostakovich, Symphony No. 1, conducted by Milan Horvat
• Shostakovich, Symphony No. 9
• Smetana, My Fatherland
• Stravinsky, Petrushka

Chief conductors (partial list)

• Pavle Dešpalj (1980–1985)^[9]
• Kazushi Ōno (1990–1996)
• Alexander Rahbari (1997–1999)^[10]
• Vjekoslav Šutej (2003–2009)
• David Danzmayr (2016–2019)
• Dawid Runtz (2021–present)

Notes and References

1. Book: Kovačević, Krešimir. Muzička enciklopedija. 1977. Second. 750–751. Croatian. Encyclopedia of Music.
2. Web site: Munjin. Bojan. Hristofor Stanković – the man who built Zagreb's first theatre. Portal of Serbs in Croatia.
3. Web site: Matasović. Trpimir. Where were you in 1916?. 2021-10-24. Zarez – Dvotjednik za kulturu i društvena zbivanja.
4. News: Hrvatska Baština – Zagrebačka filharmonija. hr. 2021-10-24.
5. Web site: Alić. Marsela. 2020-11-29. Osnovana je Zagrebačka filharmonija (1919.). On this day, in 1919, The Zagreb Philharmonic was established. 2021-10-23. Povijest. hr.
6. Web site: Haluza. Jana. 150 years of musical embrace in Zagreb. 2021-10-24. www.matica.hr. hr.
7. News: Maestro Kazushi Ono: Japan je prepun fanova velikog Lovre pl. Matačića . Večernji . Denis Derk . 2023-02-09 . 2024-10-18.
8. News: Vjekoslav Šutej: Croatian conductor . The Independent . 2009-12-07 . 2024-10-18.
9. Napustio nas je maestro Pavle Dešpalj (1934–2021) . Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra . 17 December 2021 . 2024-10-18.
10. Web site: Review of Alexander Rahbari: My Mother Persia – Symphonic Poems, Volume 3 (Naxos 8.574208) . MusicWeb International . Glyn Pursglove . January 2021 . 2024-10-18.