Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra

Austria boasts few ensembles whose prestige matches that of the Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra, an ensemble whose standing is exceeded, if at all, only by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Its programs span Baroque through contemporary literature, although works by Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven remain central; over time the group has broadened its scope to embrace music by Gounod, Stravinsky, and Berio together with living composers such as Kurt Schwertsik, Helmut Eder, and Georg Friedrich Haas. Subscriptions are maintained at the Salzburger Landestheater and additional Austrian halls, while festival appearances recur at the Salzburg Festival in both the Mozarteum and Großer Saal as well as at the Mozart Festival; frequent tours carry the orchestra throughout Europe, Asia, and other continents. Its extensive discography appears on Deutsche Grammophon, Oehms, Philips, and numerous further major labels.

The ensemble originated in 1841 as the Cathedral Music Society and Mozarteum before adopting its present title in 1908. At first a chamber group devoted chiefly to the Viennese classical school, it attained recognition as a major symphony orchestra only in the latter half of the twentieth century. Leopold Hager served as principal conductor from 1969 until 1981, preserving the tradition of frequent Mozart performances alongside other Viennese repertoire and producing more than forty recordings that include the early operas and both standard and seldom-heard works.

Hans Graf, music director from 1984 to 1994, likewise emphasized Mozart, committing all the symphonies and additional pieces to disc with the Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra. Hubert Soudant took the podium in 1995 and introduced more exploratory programming; alongside his share of Mozart and Beethoven he programmed Berio’s Rendering, a contemporary completion of an unfinished Schubert score. Ivor Bolton succeeded him in 2004 and remained until 2016, premiering Georg Friedrich Haas’ 7 Klangräume in 2005 and recording more than twenty releases, chiefly for Oehms. After a guest engagement in 2016, Riccardo Minasi was named Bolton’s successor and assumed the post in 2017. Bolton now holds the title of Honorary Conductor and led the orchestra in a Sony Classical recording of Haydn’s Il Ritorno di Tobia issued in 2020.