NCPA to celebrate Symphony Orchestra Of India

The National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), Mumbai, will mark the 10th anniversary of the Symphony Orchestra of India (SOI) – India’s first and only professional orchestra from September 12 - 30, 2016.  Founded in 2006, by NCPA Chairman Khushroo N. Suntook, and internationally-renowned violin virtuoso Marat Bisengaliev, who serves as the Orchestra’s Music Director, the SOI has grown to become an internationally-acclaimed ensemble. 

In the decade since its founding, the SOI has accomplished several significant milestones. The Orchestra has performed with world-renowned conductors and soloists, including Charles Dutoit, Augustin Dumay, Maria João Pires, and Zakir Hussain, amongst several others, and has also presented several fully-staged operas in Mumbai. The true mark of the success enjoyed by any orchestra is not just when accolades pour in, but also when they are invited to perform in internationally, in renowned venues. The SOI has embarked on four international tours. These have seen the SOI perform as part of the Festival of the World’s Symphony Orchestras in Moscow, at the Royal Opera House in Muscat and opening the Abu Dhabi Classics 2015-16 season in the UAE. Most recently, the SOI performed three concerts in Switzerland to great acclaim in the Swiss media.

The SOI is rapidly building a global impression with growing numbers of international supporters that reconize the value and the standard of the SOI as being on par with some of the finest ensembles in the world.

Mr. Khushroo N. Suntook, NCPA Chairman & co-founder of the Symphony Orchestra of India said ‘As we complete a decade, we are very proud of what the SOI has achieved in ten short years. We are delighted to present Mumbai with world-class performances of western classical music, which we are now also taking to other countries. Our educational programmes are a vital part of our mission, as we hope to build a solid foundation for classical music in India. My most sincere gratitude to our Music Director Marat Bisengaliev and to Zane Dalal and the NCPA staff for their tremendous work to bring us to where we are today.

The SOI’s Autumn 2016 season begins on 12^th September with a concert led by British conductor Martyn Brabbins who marks his debut concert in India. A winner of the Leeds Conductors’ Competition, Brabbins has conducted many of the world’s leading orchestras, including the London Symphony Orchestra and Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and at La Scala in Milan. The programme, which includes Brahms’ first symphony, will also feature the Paganini Violin Concerto No. 1 with rising-star Hungarian violinist Kristóf Baráti who is increasingly recognized around the world for the extraordinary quality of his musicianship.

On 17^th September, Martyn Brabbins again leads the SOI in a performance featuring The Planets, a seven-movement work by English composer Gustav Holst, with each movement based on one of the planets, musically portraying their astrological character. The suite is one of Holst’s most popular works and is widely performed around the world. Excerpts from Wagner’s opera Tannhäuser will open the programme.

On 22^nd September, SOI Associate Music Director Zane Dalal conducts the orchestra in its first performance of Mahler's monumental Symphony No. 1. In Dalal’s words, “the music of Mahler—advanced for its time—still represents the closest man has come to rendering his raw emotion into written music.” The programme also includes the overture, Witch's Ride, and Evening Song from Humperdinck's opera based on the fairy tale Hansel & Gretel.

On 27^th September, SOI Music Director Marat Bisengaliev leads the Orchestra in the famous 'Enigma' Variations by Sir Edward Elgar. Marat is a noted Elgar specialist and his recordings of Elgar’s violin works have won wide acclaim and numerous awards. This piece comprises 14 variations on an original theme, each variation being a musical sketch of one of Elgar’s friends.

12-year-old piano prodigy Sanzharali Kopbayev will also join the SOI and Marat to perform Grieg's piano concerto, one of the most popular pieces in the genre. With this performance, Sanzharali will become the youngest soloist to be featured in an SOI season.

The 10th Anniversary Season of SOI closes with a special gala concert on 30^th September jointly conducted by Marat Bisengaliev and Zane Dalal, featuring popular works by Bernstein, Bizet, Johann Strauss Jr., and more.