The International Festival of Santander reached the end of this year’s edition end with a concert of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, linked to the Cantabrian director Ataulfo Argenta. The performance, sponsored by the EDP Foundation, was directed by Jonathan Nott.

The Swiss organization chose for this occasion a repertoire with Beethoven’s and Wagner’s music. Both composers stand out for their master use of the orchestra and for exploring new music horizons. The concert on Saturday began with “Symphony No. 7 in A Major, op. 92”. The program was completed with pieces of Wagner, belonging to operas of Bayreuth’s canon.

Ataulfo Argenta worked closely with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. Thorughout his career he recorded 10 discs with this organization and when he died, he was doing negotiations in order to direct it in a tour over the USA.

The Orchestre de la Suisse Romande is composed of 112 musicians and has a great reputation for of the quality of their recordings and for including in its repertoire French and Russian pieces from the 20th century. A reissue of all the recordings that the Swiss ensemble released under the direction of its founder, Ernest Ansermet, is planned for the coming months.