The Philharmonia Orchestra has announced that Manfred Honeck is to be its next principal conductor. The 68-year-old Austrian will begin his new post in the autumn of 2028, taking over from Santtu-Matias Rouvali, who by then will have been with the London-based ensemble for ten years.
Who is Manfred Honeck?
The Vienna-born Honeck is no stranger to life at the top of one of the world’s great orchestras. Since 2007, he has been music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, a tenure that has brought a string of acclaimed recordings – not least of symphonies by Bruckner and Dvořák – and which was recently extended by a further five years, making him the longest-serving conductor in the ensemble’s history. Before that, he served as music director of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra from 2000-06.
The Philharmonia... an orchestra of distinction
At the Philharmonia, Honeck will be joining an orchestra that, since it was founded by producer Walter Legge in 1945, can count the likes of Otto Klemperer, Giuseppe Sinopoli and Esa-Pekka Salonen among its former principal conductors and itself has a rich recording history, including his immediate predecessor’s recent live performances of Shostakovich symphonies and a BBC Music Magazine Award-winning Beethoven Triple Concerto with violinist Nicola Benedetti, cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason and pianist Benjamin Grosvenor.
Manfred Honeck says:
‘Since its inception as one of the world’s great orchestras, the Philharmonia has built a distinguished history of innovation and interpretation of the composers close to my heart. London is a capital of classical music and a melting pot of cultures. I look forward to playing my part in enticing audiences to experience the full spectrum of traditional and innovative orchestral music we can offer.’
