National Orchestra of Belgium
Encyclopedia
The Nationaal Orkest van België (NOB, Flemish
) or Orchestre National de Belgique (ONB, French
) is the oldest of two major orchestras now in Belgium
, along with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Liège
.
The Orchestra was founded in 1931 by Désiré Defauw
as the Brussels Symphony Orchestra, and later reorganized in 1936 into it present form. With its base in the Centre for Fine Arts, Brussels
and subsidized by the Belgian government, the ONB performs 70 concerts each season in Belgium and abroad, employing 96 musicians. It specializes in the music of the 19th and 20th centuries and film score
s. In 2003, contestants in the final round of the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition
were accompanied by the orchestra, under the direction of Gilbert Varga.
Prior to the 1958 appointment of André Cluytens
as its music director and permanent conductor, the NOB worked with various conductors including Karl Böhm
, Désiré Defauw
, Erich Kleiber
, and Pierre Monteux
. The orchestra's current music director is Walter Weller
, since 2007. He is scheduled to step down from the post in 2012 and to take the title of Honorary Conductor. In September 2010, the NOB announced the appointment of Andrey Boreyko
as its next music director, effective with the 2012-2013 season, with an initial contract of 5 years.
Flemish
Flemish can refer to anything related to Flanders, and may refer directly to the following articles:*Flemish, an informal, though linguistically incorrect, name of any kind of the Dutch language as spoken in Belgium....
) or Orchestre National de Belgique (ONB, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
) is the oldest of two major orchestras now in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, along with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Liège
Orchestre Philharmonique de Liège
The Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège is a Belgian symphony orchestra, based in Liège. The OPRL was founded in 1960. With 100 members, the Liège Royal Philharmonic performs nearly 80 concerts each season, with approximately fifty of these concerts at the Salle Philharmonique de Liège, its...
.
The Orchestra was founded in 1931 by Désiré Defauw
Désiré Defauw
Désiré Defauw was a Belgian conductor and violinist.He was professor of conducting at the Brussels Conservatory and was the first conductor of the Orchestre National de Belgique from 1937...
as the Brussels Symphony Orchestra, and later reorganized in 1936 into it present form. With its base in the Centre for Fine Arts, Brussels
Centre for Fine Arts, Brussels
The Paleis voor Schone Kunsten or Palais des Beaux-Arts is cultural venue in Brussels, Belgium. Often referred to as "Bozar" or "PSK", construction was completed in 1928 and includes exhibition and conference rooms, movie theater and concert hall which serves as home to the National Orchestra of...
and subsidized by the Belgian government, the ONB performs 70 concerts each season in Belgium and abroad, employing 96 musicians. It specializes in the music of the 19th and 20th centuries and film score
Film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
s. In 2003, contestants in the final round of the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition
Queen Elisabeth Music Competition
The Queen Elisabeth Music Competition, a founding member of the World Federation of International Music Competitions has been, since its foundation, considered the world over to be one of the most prestigious and most difficult. It is devoted to violin , piano , to composition and to singing...
were accompanied by the orchestra, under the direction of Gilbert Varga.
Prior to the 1958 appointment of André Cluytens
André Cluytens
André Cluytens was a Belgian-born French conductor who was active in the concert hall, opera house and recording studio. His repertoire extended from Viennese classics through French composers to 20th century works...
as its music director and permanent conductor, the NOB worked with various conductors including Karl Böhm
Karl Böhm
Karl August Leopold Böhm was an Austrian conductor. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest symphonic and operatic conductors of the 20th century.- Education :...
, Désiré Defauw
Désiré Defauw
Désiré Defauw was a Belgian conductor and violinist.He was professor of conducting at the Brussels Conservatory and was the first conductor of the Orchestre National de Belgique from 1937...
, Erich Kleiber
Erich Kleiber
Erich Kleiber was an Austrian conductor.- Biography :Born in Vienna, Kleiber studied in Prague...
, and Pierre Monteux
Pierre Monteux
Pierre Monteux was an orchestra conductor. Born in Paris, France, Monteux later became an American citizen.-Life and career:Monteux was born in Paris in 1875. His family was descended from Sephardi Jews who came to France in the wake of the Spanish Inquisition. He studied violin from an early age,...
. The orchestra's current music director is Walter Weller
Walter Weller
Walter Weller is an Austrian conductor and violinist.-Biography:Weller was born in Vienna, Austria where he first gained renown as a prodigy on the violin...
, since 2007. He is scheduled to step down from the post in 2012 and to take the title of Honorary Conductor. In September 2010, the NOB announced the appointment of Andrey Boreyko
Andrey Boreyko
Andrey Boreyko is a Russian conductor. At the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory in Saint Petersburg, he studied conducting , graduating summa cum laude...
as its next music director, effective with the 2012-2013 season, with an initial contract of 5 years.
Music directors
- 1958-1967 André CluytensAndré CluytensAndré Cluytens was a Belgian-born French conductor who was active in the concert hall, opera house and recording studio. His repertoire extended from Viennese classics through French composers to 20th century works...
- 1969-1971 Michael GielenMichael Gielen-Professional career:Gielen was born in Dresden, Germany, to opera director Josef Gielen. Through his mother, Rose, he is the nephew of Eduard Steuermann and Salka Steuermann Viertel. He began his career as a pianist in Buenos Aires, where he studied with Erwin Leuchter and gave an early...
- 1974-1975 André VandernootAndré VandernootAndré Vandernoot was a Belgian conductor. He studied at the Royal Music Conservatory in Brussels, and later flute and conducting at the Hochschule für Musik, Vienna. In 1951, he was a prize-winner in a conducting competition in Besançon, France.From 1959 to 1973, Vandernoot was conductor and...
- 1975-1989 Georges Octors
- 1983-1989 Mendi RodanMendi RodanMendi Rodan was a Romanian-born Israeli conductor, composer and violinist.-Biography:Mendi Rodan was born in Iaşi, Romania, one of three children of Solomon and Miriam Rosenblum. Mendi began playing the violin at the age of five...
- 1989-1993 Ronald ZollmanRonald ZollmanRonald Zollman is a Belgian conductor. He began musical studies at age 4. He attended the Royal Conservatories in Antwerp and in Brussels, and later studied with Igor Markevitch and Nadia Boulanger....
- 1994-2002 Yuri SimonovYuri SimonovYuri Ivanovich Simonov is a Russian conductor.He studied at the Leningrad Conservatory under Nikolai Rabinovich. He is currently director of the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra.-Selected recordings:...
- 2002-2007 Mikko FranckMikko FranckMikko Franck is a Finnish conductor. He began to play the violin at the age of 5. By age 7, he reportedly preferred orchestral scores to all other reading matter. His first favorite score was Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 which he used to conduct while listening to a recording on earphones...
- 2007-present Walter WellerWalter WellerWalter Weller is an Austrian conductor and violinist.-Biography:Weller was born in Vienna, Austria where he first gained renown as a prodigy on the violin...