Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse

Biography

Russian conductor Tugan Sokhiev was appointed musical director of the Orchestre National du Capitole on 1st September 2008 after 3 years as principal guest conductor and musical advisor of Toulouse's musical ensemble. He will hold his position as musical director until August 2019. The orchestra launched a recruiting process at his instigation in 2009 and now boasts 125 musicians. Michel Plasson conducted the Orchestre National du Capitole from 1968 to 2003 and is now its honorary conductor. Under his management, the orchestra’s symphonic calling developed quite considerably, undertaking a great number of tours abroad and recording over sixty records with EMI CLASSICS. The orchestra presents its symphonic season at the Halle aux Grains in Toulouse, gives concerts in the Midi-Pyrénées region and ensures the lyrical and choreographic season of the Théâtre du Capitole. It is invited to a number of festivals, including the international George Enesco festival in Bucharest, the Quincena Musical festival in San Sebastian, the Chorégies d’Orange ("Aida" by Verdi and two concerts in 2011), the Festival de Radio France et de Montpellier (2013), Festival de Pâques d’Aix-en-Provence (2015) and more.

For several seasons now, it has been billed at the Salle Pleyel in Paris. In 2014/2015 it took part in the inaugural season of the Philharmonie de Paris where it gave three concerts. In 2011, it performed in "Betrothal in a Monastery" by Prokofiev at the Opéra Comique, co-produced by the Théâtre du Capitole. Among its recent tours, it counts Brazil, the United Kingdom, Argentina, Japan, Poland, the Baltic States, Austria, Germany, China (under the direction of Alondra de la Parra), Russia and Spain.

In 2015/2016, the Orchestre National du Capitole and Tugan Sokhiev will return to the Philharmonie de Paris for two concerts, as well as the Festival de Radio France et Montpellier, the Chorégies d’Orange, and will perform abroad, in particular in Moscow (Bolshoi Theatre) and Vienna (Musikverein). Tugan Sokhiev and the Orchestre National du Capitole have recorded five records with Naïve: Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition” / Tchaikovsky’s “Fourth Symphony” (2006), Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf” with the participation of Valérie Lemercier (2007), Prokofiev’s “Violin Concerto No. 2” (by Geneviève Laurenceau, ONCT concertmaster) / Rachmaninov’s “Symphonic Dances” (2011), Tchaïkovski’s “Fifth Symphony” / Shostakovich’s “Festive Overture” and Stravinsky’s “The Firebird” (1919) / “The Rite of Spring” (2012).

The Orchestra is also expanding its reputation through a greater presence in audiovisual media. In 2014/2015, 22 concerts were broadcast on television (Mezzo, Arte, France 3), on the radio (France Musique, Radio Classique) and on the internet (Medici.tv, Arte Concert). Karol Beffa, resident composer from September 2006 to June 2009, composed three scores under the conducting baton of Tugan Sokhiev. In 2012 Alain Altinoglu directed a co-commission of the Orchestre National du Capitole and Porto’s Casa da Música: “Concerto for Two Pianos” by Bruno Mantovani (a composer who was at the time partnered with the orchestra). Since September 2012, conductor Christophe Mangou has been instigating and managing the orchestra’s teaching programme.