Taschenphilharmonie (Pocket philharmonic) is a German orchestra, founded in 2005 by Peter Stangel. The chamber ensemble plays symphonic works in three series, with most concerts held at the Allerheiligen-Hofkirche of the Munich Residenz. In addition to concerts which juxtapose classical and contemporary music, they address children in a second series and listeners interested in the making of a composition in a third. The ensemble styles its name die taschenphilharmonie.
The ensemble continues a tradition that Arnold Schönberg began in Vienna in 1918: the Verein für musikalische Privataufführungen played chamber versions of orchestral works.[1] The format has been compared to the Taschenbuch (paperback, lit.: pocket book).[2] The ensemble has been called "das kleinste Sinfonieorchester der Welt" (the world's smallest orchestra).[3]
One concert series of the Taschenphilharmonie is called Abenteuer für die Ohren (Adventure for the ears), combining works by two or three composers, usually contrasting classical and contemporary.[4] A concert on 20 November contrasted Beethoven's 2nd symphony with Jan Václav Voříšek's Symphony in D and a work by Graham Waterhouse,[5] whose Concerto da camera they had premiered in 1911.[6] Another premiere was =11=byAlexander Strauch [de], played at the Black Box of the Gasteig.[7] The ensemble performed works such as Wilhelm Killmayer's Sinfonia 2 on the occasion of the composer's 80th birthday in 2007, Wilfried Hiller's Hamelin in 2008, Stravinsky's Concerto in E-flat "Dumbarton Oaks" in 2009, Kurt Weill's Second Symphony in 2010, and Schoenberg's A Survivor from Warsaw in 2015.[8]
A second series addresses children age four to nine. Große Musik für kleine Hörer (Great music for small listeners) introduces classical music to children focusing on a single composer, with the presentation of the music being embedded in a story with Stangel as the narrator.[9][10] Concerts are also played at kindergartens and schools.[2] The 2016 season began with a concert on Humperdinck's Hänsel und Gretel.[11] The concerts reach about thousand children per year in live concerts.[9] The series was awarded the Leopold in 2011,[9]Ein Sommernachtstraum was in the Bestenliste (List of the best) of the Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik in 2013[12]
A third series is called Hörakademie (Listening academy), offering background information for one work with sound examples before intermission, the complete work afterwards.[4] In 2010, the topic were Mahler's Rückert-Lieder, performed with the baritone Wolfgang Wirsching at the Kleiner Konzertsaal of the Gasteig.[3] On 3 March 2016 they analysed and played Mendelssohn's Italian Symphony,[13] on 27 November 2016 Beethoven's 2nd symphony is explored.[14] The series is organized in collaboration with the Munich Volkshochschule[13] and the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München.[3] It was transferred to the Künstlerhaus in the Lenbachhaus beginning in 2016.[14][15]
