Denver Symphony Orchestra
Encyclopedia
The Denver Symphony Orchestra, established in 1934 and dissolved in 1989, was a professional American orchestra in Denver, Colorado
. Until 1978, when the Boettcher Concert Hall was built to house the symphony orchestra, it performed in a succession of theaters, amphitheaters and auditoriums. It was the predecessor to the Colorado Symphony Orchestra
, although the two ensembles were legally and structurally separate.
In 1945, Saul Caston, who had been associate conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra
under both Leopold Stokowski
and Eugene Ormandy
, became The Denver Symphony's Conductor and Music Director. Caston built the orchestra significantly during his tenure, through touring, school performances, low-priced family ticket plans, and outdoor performances at the Red Rocks Amphitheater, west of Denver. A 1951 Time Magazine article documented his leadership, declaring, “Last season the Denver Symphony was among the leaders in performing American music.”
In 1938, Sergei Prokofiev
conducted the orchestra in his First Symphony
and performed his First Piano Concerto
under the baton of Horace Tureman. The performance was hampered by Prokofiev's demeanor, poor printings of the scores, and insufficient rehearsal time, and pleased neither reviewers nor Prokofiev. During the 1950s, under Saul Caston's direction, Jascha Heifetz
, Rudolf Serkin
, Gregor Piatigorsky
and Leon Fleischer were among the symphony's guest artists.
By the early 1960s, Saul Caston was losing the support of some musicians and members of the community. He was replaced in 1964 by Vladimir Golschmann
, former conductor of the St. Louis Symphony, followed in 1970 by Brian Priestman
, previously Music Director of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre
, the Edmonton Symphony
, and the Baltimore Symphony.
and Henry Mancini
. Denver’s commercial classical radio station and the May D&F department store conducted an annual, weekend-long fundraising event, setting up a broadcast studio and performance space in the windows of the downtown store.
In 1972, Denver voters approved a bond issue to build a new performance space specifically for the symphony, and Boettcher Concert Hall
opened in 1978, the first U.S. symphony hall to be built in the round.
Sixten Ehrling
was appointed Principal Guest Conductor in 1978, and Gaetano Delogu became Music Director and conductor in 1979. Concert pianist and former Music Director of the New Orleans Symphony, Philippe Entremont
, became Principal Conductor in 1986 and Music Director in 1988.
In 1988, the first three weeks of the season were cancelled for financial reasons. During the season, the Board Chairperson, the Executive Director, and Music Director Entremont all resigned. In March, 1989, immediately after the annual Marathon fund-raising weekend, the Symphony Association cancelled the remainder of the season. They filed for bankruptcy on October 4. In May 1990 the Denver Symphony Association merged with the newly formed Colorado Symphony Association, which formed The Colorado Symphony, a new and initially smaller orchestra employing many of the Denver Symphony musicians.
The Denver Symphony Orchestra’s final concert was performed March 25, 1989.
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. Until 1978, when the Boettcher Concert Hall was built to house the symphony orchestra, it performed in a succession of theaters, amphitheaters and auditoriums. It was the predecessor to the Colorado Symphony Orchestra
Colorado Symphony Orchestra
Colorado’s only full-time professional orchestra, the Colorado Symphony embraces a tradition of musical excellence by presenting a diverse array of symphonic performances throughout the year...
, although the two ensembles were legally and structurally separate.
Founding and early period
A community ensemble called the Civic Symphony Orchestra had been formed in Denver in 1922. In 1934, the Civic Symphony Society formed the Denver Symphony as the city's first all-professional orchestra. Its first concert was offered on November 30, 1934 at Denver's Broadway Theatre. Its Tuesday-night concerts were usually performed in the Municipal Auditorium. Both the community and professional orchestras were maintained through the 1946-47 season. Conductor Horace Tureman led both until his 1944 retirement due to illness.In 1945, Saul Caston, who had been associate conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra
Philadelphia Orchestra
The Philadelphia Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. One of the "Big Five" American orchestras, it was founded in 1900...
under both Leopold Stokowski
Leopold Stokowski
Leopold Anthony Stokowski was a British-born, naturalised American orchestral conductor, well known for his free-hand performing style that spurned the traditional baton and for obtaining a characteristically sumptuous sound from many of the great orchestras he conducted.In America, Stokowski...
and Eugene Ormandy
Eugene Ormandy
Eugene Ormandy was a Hungarian-born conductor and violinist.-Early life:Born Jenő Blau in Budapest, Hungary, Ormandy began studying violin at the Royal National Hungarian Academy of Music at the age of five...
, became The Denver Symphony's Conductor and Music Director. Caston built the orchestra significantly during his tenure, through touring, school performances, low-priced family ticket plans, and outdoor performances at the Red Rocks Amphitheater, west of Denver. A 1951 Time Magazine article documented his leadership, declaring, “Last season the Denver Symphony was among the leaders in performing American music.”
In 1938, Sergei Prokofiev
Sergei Prokofiev
Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor who mastered numerous musical genres and is regarded as one of the major composers of the 20th century...
conducted the orchestra in his First Symphony
Symphony No. 1 (Prokofiev)
Sergei Prokofiev began work on his Symphony No. 1 in D major in 1916, but wrote most of it in 1917, finishing work on September 10. It is written in loose imitation of the style of Haydn , and is widely known as the Classical Symphony, a name given to it by the composer...
and performed his First Piano Concerto
Piano Concerto No. 1 (Prokofiev)
Sergei Prokofiev set about composing his Piano Concerto No. 1 in D-flat major, Op. 10 in 1911 and finished it in 1912. A one-movement concerto, it is the shortest of his five complete piano concertos, lasting only around a quarter of an hour.- Structure :...
under the baton of Horace Tureman. The performance was hampered by Prokofiev's demeanor, poor printings of the scores, and insufficient rehearsal time, and pleased neither reviewers nor Prokofiev. During the 1950s, under Saul Caston's direction, Jascha Heifetz
Jascha Heifetz
Jascha Heifetz was a violinist, born in Vilnius, then Russian Empire, now Lithuania. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest violinists of all time.- Early life :...
, Rudolf Serkin
Rudolf Serkin
Rudolf Serkin , was a Bohemian-born pianist.-Life and early career:Serkin was born in Eger, Bohemia, Austro-Hungarian Empire to a Russian-Jewish family....
, Gregor Piatigorsky
Gregor Piatigorsky
Gregor Piatigorsky was a Russian-born American cellist.-Early life:...
and Leon Fleischer were among the symphony's guest artists.
By the early 1960s, Saul Caston was losing the support of some musicians and members of the community. He was replaced in 1964 by Vladimir Golschmann
Vladimir Golschmann
Vladimir Golschmann was a French conductor.-Biography:Vladimir Golschmann was born in Paris. He studied violin at the Schola Cantorum in Paris. He was a notable advocate of the music of the composers known as Les six. In Paris, he had his own concert series, the Concerts Golschmann, which began...
, former conductor of the St. Louis Symphony, followed in 1970 by Brian Priestman
Brian Priestman
Brian Priestman is a British conductor and music educator.Priestman studied at the University of Birmingham and the Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles, Belgium....
, previously Music Director of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre
Royal Shakespeare Theatre
The Royal Shakespeare Theatre is a 1,040+ seat thrust stage theatre owned by the Royal Shakespeare Company dedicated to the British playwright and poet William Shakespeare. It is located in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon - Shakespeare's birthplace - in the English Midlands, beside the River Avon...
, the Edmonton Symphony
Edmonton Symphony Orchestra
As the professional orchestra of Alberta's creative capital city, the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra presents over 85 concerts a year of symphonic music in all genres, from classical to country...
, and the Baltimore Symphony.
The Priestman, Delogu eras
Under Brian Priestman, the orchestra experienced artistic and financial success, along with strong community support. They toured with guest conductors, including Carmen DragonCarmen Dragon
Carmen Dragon was an American conductor, composer, and arranger who in addition to live performances and recording, worked in radio, film, and television.Dragon was born in Antioch, California...
and Henry Mancini
Henry Mancini
Henry Mancini was an American composer, conductor and arranger, best remembered for his film and television scores. He won a record number of Grammy Awards , plus a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously in 1995...
. Denver’s commercial classical radio station and the May D&F department store conducted an annual, weekend-long fundraising event, setting up a broadcast studio and performance space in the windows of the downtown store.
In 1972, Denver voters approved a bond issue to build a new performance space specifically for the symphony, and Boettcher Concert Hall
Boettcher Concert Hall
Boettcher Concert Hall, located in Denver, Colorado, was the first symphony hall in the round in the United States. Built in 1978, as a home for the Denver Symphony Orchestra, the hall is part of the Denver Performing Arts Complex, the second largest performing arts complex in the United States...
opened in 1978, the first U.S. symphony hall to be built in the round.
Sixten Ehrling
Sixten Ehrling
Sixten Ehrling, , was a Swedish conductor who, during a long career, served as the music director of the Royal Swedish Opera and the principal conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, amongst others....
was appointed Principal Guest Conductor in 1978, and Gaetano Delogu became Music Director and conductor in 1979. Concert pianist and former Music Director of the New Orleans Symphony, Philippe Entremont
Philippe Entremont
Philippe Entremont is a French pianist and conductor. He has made many recordings during his career, notably one in 1961 of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1, with Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic....
, became Principal Conductor in 1986 and Music Director in 1988.
Labor and financial difficulties
A series of labor disputes began in the late 1970s, forcing a 9-week delay of the 1977 season. The 1980 season start was delayed for twelve weeks. Other financial difficulties began to mount, and significant losses were incurred in the 1984 summer outdoor season due to unusually wet weather. In 1986 the musicians agreed to a 20% pay cut.In 1988, the first three weeks of the season were cancelled for financial reasons. During the season, the Board Chairperson, the Executive Director, and Music Director Entremont all resigned. In March, 1989, immediately after the annual Marathon fund-raising weekend, the Symphony Association cancelled the remainder of the season. They filed for bankruptcy on October 4. In May 1990 the Denver Symphony Association merged with the newly formed Colorado Symphony Association, which formed The Colorado Symphony, a new and initially smaller orchestra employing many of the Denver Symphony musicians.
The Denver Symphony Orchestra’s final concert was performed March 25, 1989.
Conductors & Directors
| Horace Tureman | Conductor | 1934-44 |
| Saul Caston | Music Director | 1945-64 |
| Vladimir Golschmann | Music Director | 1964-69 |
| Brian Priestman | Music Director | 1970-79 |
| Sixten Ehrling | Principal Guest Conductor | 1978-79 |
| Gaetano Delogu | Music Director | 1979-80 |
| Philippe Entremont | Principal Conductor | 1986-88 |
| Music Director | 1988-89 |