Chronicle of a century of challenges

In a book recently published by Éditions Slatkine, André Piguet, a music lover who has successively held almost every position within the Friends of the OSR and worked on the Foundation Board and Artistic Commission of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, tells the story of this institution. Without lapsing into hagiography, he pays discreet tribute to those whose action and dedication have helped to perpetuate what may long have seemed a utopia: the OSR musicians themselves, of course, but also the tenured conductors, in particular its tenacious and indefatigable founder Ernest Ansermet, key figures in the administration, friends' associations, the public, radio and other partners. Rather than recounting a chronology of memorable concerts, the author prefers to reveal the hidden face of the orchestra's life and survival in historical perspective, recounting the many pitfalls it had to avoid, uncovering the root causes of tensions, dilemmas and antagonistic positions, demonstrating the singularity of the Genevan and French-speaking context at each period, and detailing the events that enabled this veritable collective adventure to weather the storms and ensure lasting success. The precise, concise writing makes for pleasant reading - even the recounting of incessant funding problems is not tiresome. Attempts to found a symphonic ensemble during the second half of the 19th^e century to the most recent developments, via the economic crisis of the 30s and the war, Ansermet's difficult succession and the sometimes Cornelian choice of new artistic directors, periods of questioning or the Victoria Hall fire, the journey is strewn with pitfalls and twists and turns, but also with happier moments, such as the enthusiasm generated by concerts for young audiences.

André Piguet: L'OSR: Une histoire insoupçonnée, 252 p., Fr. 33.15, Editions Slatkine, Genève 2022, ISBN 9782832111390