ORCHESTRA DELLA TOSCANA
Christopher Franklin director

FELIX MENDELSSOHN-BARTHOLDY
Sinfonia n. 4 in la maggiore op. 90 “Italiana”

Florence, 30th October 2008 - h. 7:00 p.m.
Teatro della Pergola
Via della Pergola, 18
(15 minutes walking distance from the Conference site)

After the concert, a cocktail will follow in the theater foyer

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Founded in 1980, ORT was established under the tutelage of the Tuscan Regional Government, the Municipal Government of Florence, and the Provincial Administrations of Florence. While under the artistic direction of Luciano Berio, ORT was given national recognition for excellence by Italian Ministry of Cultural Affairs.Today, under Artistic Director is Aldo Bennici's able directorship and housed in the historic Teatro Verdi in the heart of Florence, ORT's performances are broadcast nationally by RAI-Radiotre Suite. The Orchestra is composed of 45 musicians, divided into accomplished chamber groups: I Solisti dell’ORT, OrtEnsemble, Harmoniemusik - I Fiati dell’ORT.

From baroque to today’s music

Agile performer of a broad repertory that spans baroque to contemporary composers, the orchestra amply represents Haydn, Mozart, all of Beethoven's symphonies, and large selections from baroque instrumental music, with a special emphasis on the presentation of works rarely performed. In addition to choral masterpices, ORT has performed Mahler's Lieder, choral works by Brahms, and operatic selections with an emphasis on Rossini. The tuscan formation stands out in the Italian scene thanks to its aptitude for theearly 20th century music and a peculiar attention towards contemporary music. It has performed with renowned soloists and famous conductors worldwide; it has accompanied young performers at their débuts, and has also included in its programtheatrical and dance performances.

Invited by the main Italian Concert Societies, it has performed with great success at Teatro alla Scala of Milan, Teatro Comunale of Florence, Teatro Comunale of Bologna, Carlo Felice of Genoa, Auditorium "G.Agnelli" of Lingotto of Turin, Accademia di S.Cecilia of Rome, Settimana Musicale Senese, Biennale of Venice. The Orchestra collaborates with the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino and with the Ravenna Festival, and since 1995 partecipates in the Rossini Opera Festival. Intenational tours since 1992 have included: Germany, Japan, Salzburg, Cannes, Buenos Aires, San Paolo, Montevideo, Strasbourg, New York, Edimburgh, Madrid, Hong Kong, Tokyo on the occasion of “Italy-Japan 2001-2002”.

Among the renowned musicians who have collaborated with ORT:

ROBERTO ABBADO, SALVATORE ACCARDO, MARTHA ARGERICH, RUDOLF BARSHAI, BRUNO BARTOLETTI, YURI BASHMET, GEORGE BENJAMIN, LUCIANO BERIO, FRANS BRÜGGEN, MARIO BRUNELLO, SYLVAIN CAMBRELING, KYUNG WHA CHUNG, MYUNG-WHUN CHUNG, ALICIA DE LARROCHA, ENRICO DINDO, GABRIELE FERRO, ELIOT FISK, RAFAEL FRÜBECH DE BURGOS, GIANANDREA GAVAZZENI, GIANLUIGI GELMETTI, IRENA GRAFENAUER, NATALIA GUTMAN, DANIEL HARDING, HEINZ HOLLIGER, ELIAHU INBAL, KIM KASHKASHIAN, TON KOOPMAN, GIDON KREMER, YO-YO MA, GUSTAV KUHN, ALEXANDER LONQUICH, ANDREA LUCCHESINI, PETER MAAG, EDUARDO MATA, PETER MAXWELL DAVIES, MISCHA MAISKY, SABINE MEYER, MIDORI, SHLOMO MINTZ, VIKTORIA MULLOVA, ROGER NORRINGTON, DAVID ROBERTSON, ESA PEKKA SALONEN, HANSJOERG SCHELLENBERGER, HEINRICH SCHIFF, JEFFREY TATE, JEAN-YVES THIBAUDET, VLADIMIR SPIVAKOV, UTO UGHI, MAXIM VENGEROV, RADOVAN VLATKOVICH.