Captivating audiences worldwide with its dynamic programmes, which combine well-known works with new music, the M\u00fcnchener Kammerorchester (MKO) is famous for its distinct sound as well as for its outstanding level of interpretation. The core ensemble consists of 28 permanent string players from 14 different countries. Flexible in size, the MKO regularly expands its line-up with exceptional guest musicians from elite European orchestras to set interpretative standards in Classical and Romantic repertoire as well as in 21st-century compositions. Openness, curiosity and a passion for unusual formats further characterize the unique profile of the MKO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the 2022\/23 season the MKO departed from its previous organizational structure with a chief conductor and redefined itself: over a period of several years, it works with the three Associated Conductors J\u00f6rg Widmann, Enrico Onofri and Bas Wiegers, who ideally embody the MKO\u2019s extensive artistic spectrum and the unbridled will to probe new dimensions in music from the Baroque era to the present day. Performances under the direction of concertmasters Yuki Kasai and Daniel Giglberger are also an important part of the orchestra\u2019s activities. The MKO regularly collaborates with musicians such as Isabelle Faust, Nicolas Altstaedt, Ilya Gringolts, Vilde Frang, Christian Tetzlaff and Alexander Lonquich.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The MKO places great significance to the dramaturgical conception of its programmes and to the long-term cultivation and further development of the chamber orchestra repertoire. It has commissioned and premiered numerous works: Iannis Xenakis, Wolfgang Rihm, Tan Dun, Georg Friedrich Haas, Pascal Dusapin, Salvatore Sciarrino, J\u00f6rg Widmann and other great composers of our time have composed music for the ensemble. ECM Records has released recordings of the MKO performing works by Sofia Gubaidulina, Giacinto Scelsi, Valentin Silvestrov, Toshio Hosokawa, Tigran Mansurian and Thomas Larcher amongst others, as well as a complete recording of Beethoven\u2019s piano concertos with the pianist Alexander Lonquich in autumn 2024. A new collaboration with Enrico Onofri and harmonia mundi kicks off with a recording of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart\u2019s Serenades in early 2025. Numerous other CDs have been released by Sony Classical, Deutsche Grammophon, Warner Classics and NEOS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n