Madrid Symphony Orchestra
| Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid (OSM) | |
|---|---|
| Orchestra | |
| Founded | 1903 |
| Website | www |
The Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid (unofficial English name, Madrid Symphony Orchestra), founded in 1903, is the oldest existing Spanish symphony orchestra in Spain not linked to an opera house.
In 1903, the orchestra of the Sociedad de Conciertos de Madrid, which had been founded in 1866 by Francisco Asenjo Barbieri, was gripped by a crisis due to financial difficulties and irreconcilable disagreements between its section leaders. Some of the players decided to regroup in a new ensemble, which would assume the role of the Sociedad in organizing symphonic concerts and thus keep the classical music scene alive in Madrid.
The idea of a new orchestra in the city was conceived initially at the house of the violinist José del Hierro, who enjoyed the support of the two companions with whom he regularly played chamber music on tour, violist Julio Francés and cellist Víctor Mirecki Larramat. Their meeting was joined by two members of the Capilla Real, flautist Francisco González and clarinetist Miguel Yuste. After a concerted campaign to win over their colleagues in the Sociedad, eighty per cent of the original orchestra joined the new ensemble proposed by Hierro. As a large number of the section leaders were also professors at the Madrid Royal Conservatory, the group managed to recruit young talents quickly to its vacant posts.
The musicians held their first meeting in the rehearsal hall of the Teatro Real in December 1903, during which they decided on the name Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid. The orchestra was constituted as a private, autonomous company of musicians, which would rely initially on its members to supply the setup funds for its operations (including the purchase of furniture and hiring of rehearsal halls and scores). Subsequently, however, the orchestra would support itself solely with earnings from concerts and recordings. It would avoid any dependence on external agents, whether public or private, who might intervene in its operations and impose conditions on its members, a misfortune which had befallen the defunct Sociedad.
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Wikipedia