Zürich Tonhalle Orchester was founded in 1868 in Zürich, Switzerland, where it established its residence in the neue Tonhalle (new concert hall) in 1895.

The Tonhalle Orchestra is conducted by David Zinman, in whose period as music director since 1995, it has come to international attention with a large and growing repertoire of recordings. Zinman's contract was recently extended to 2010. The orchestra of just over 100 musicians now plays all over the world; it has twice performed widely-broadcast BBC Promenade Concerts at Royal Albert Hall. With Zinman, the orchestra has made many recordings, including a cycle of Beethoven symphonies and works by Richard Strauss.

From its very beginning, the orchestra has been conducted by noted composers of the day, including Johannes Brahms, Richard Wagner, Richard Strauss and Paul Hindemith. Under Zinman, the orchestra now plays and records works bt Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert, Mahler, Wagner and Schoenberg while also pursuing the "Swiss Connection", featuring works by composers who were connected with Switzerland, including Stravinsky, Rachmaninov, Frank Martin and less internationally-known composers such as Huber, Ringger, Lehmann, Zinsstag and Kelterborn. Regular guest conductors have included Ansermet, Furtwängler, Klemperer, Solti and, more recently, Bernard Haitink, Mariss Jansons, Frans Bruggen, Mstislav Rostropovitch and Herbert Blomstedt.

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Discography