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Orchestral

“I’m not interested in having an orchestra sound like itself. I want it to sound like the composer.” — Leonard Bernstein

Orchestras are instrumental ensembles that typically contain sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments, and which usually play classical or chamber music. The modern orchestra started to take shape around the middle of the 17th century, and grew in size throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. Gradually, composers began to write music with parts for specific instruments and to be more adventurous about combining instruments to get different sounds and tonal colors. A smaller- sized orchestra of around 50 players or fewer is called a chamber orchestra, while a full-size orchestra of about 80 to 100 players is often called a symphony or philharmonic orchestra.

Min-On has hosted a great number of classical music performances, dating back to its inaugural concert at the Bunkyo Kokaido in Tokyo on October 18, 1963, which featured a chorus, a musical ensemble and performances by a leading violinist and cellist.

There have also been several regular concert series: the Min-On Subscription Concert Series dates back to the early days of the Association, with a series of exchanges from 1966 with
Jeunessses Musicales de France (JMF), beginning with a memorable piano recital by Cécil Ousset. In 1969, the Orchestral Series was inaugurated with a performance by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Zubin Mehta.

In the 1980s, the Chamber Music Series was initiated with a performance by Canadian Brass, followed by the Boston Symphony Chamber Players, Kronos Quartet, and other leading names. The Min-On Subscription Concert series has proven particularly popular with Japanese audiences, and continues to this day.

Leonard Bernstein and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in 1985

Trio Festivo

Boston Symphony Chamber Players in 1987

Seiji Ozawa
 

USSR Ministry of Culture Symphony Orchestra in 1985

The Brno State Philharmonic Orchestra

Amaral Viera in 1994

Chamber Music Series

1980   Canadian Brass


1987   Boston Symphony Chamber Players


1989   Brodsky String Quartet


1989   Kronos Quartet

1993

1996


1992   Davos International Music Festival Ensemble


1993   Hungary Gypsy Ensemble


1994   Wiener Waltz Ensemble

1996


1995   Trio Festivo


1995   Polish Ensemble


1996   Le Nouvel Ensemble Moderne


1998   St. Petersburg Camerata of the Orchestra of the State Hermitage Museum

2003

2004


2003   Camerata Lysy Gstaad of the International Menuhin Music Academy


2008   Toulouse Chamber Orchestra


2009   Mnozil Brass

2011

2015


2012   Boston Brass


2012   Czech Phill Brass

2013


2014   Quattrocelli


2016   Gomalan Brass

Orchestra Series

1969   Zubin Mehta and Los Angels Philharmonic Orchestra


1975   André Previn and the London Symphony Orchestra


1978   Andrew Davis and Toronto Symphony


1980   Hiroshi Wakasugi and Das Kolner Rundfunk-Sinfonie- Orchester


1982   Frantisek Jireck, Petr Bronsky and the Bruno State Philharmonic Orchestra


1985   Leonard Bernstein and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra


1986   Gennadji Rozhdestvensky and U.S.S.R. Ministry of Culture
Symphony Orchestra


1989   Herbert Kegel and Dresden Philharmonic


1990   Hiroshi Wakasugi and Tonhalle Orchestra Zürich


1992   Zdenek Macal and Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra


1994   Junichi Hirokami and Norrkoping Orchestra


1995   The Orchestra of the Tchaikovsky Central Special Musical School of the Moscow State Conservatorium


1996   Jerzy Swoboba and the Silesian Philharmonic


1997   Central Radio Orchestra of China in 1997


2001   Myung-Whun Chung and Asia Philharmonic Orchestra


2001   Sir Roger Norrington and SWR stuttgart Radio-Symphony Orchestra


2002   Wiener Strauss Capelle

2003   Wiener Operettenorchester

2004

2006

2007

2011

2017   City of London Sinfonia and Charlotte de Rothschild

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