Swiss Review 1/2019

Swiss Review / January 2019 / No.1 30 It was once again centre stage – the good old CD. In the heart of immense Beijing, Ilona Schmiel, Artistic Director of the Tonhalle Or- chestra Zurich, presented the excellent box set “Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, Celebrating 150 Years” to the director of the BeijingMusic Festival. On tour, the 14 CDs went down just as well two days later in Shanghai where they were a present for the Swiss consul. Naturally, the entire 150 years could not be reproduced, even if the era of the gramo- phone record began in the early 20 th century. Thus, there are no recordings of Friedrich He- gar, the first principal conductor. But thanks to numerous radio recordings, the classics fan can be present in the Tonhalle concert hall from1942, listening to how Volkmar Andreae conducts Anton Bruckner’s 7 th Symphony. He di- rected the orchestra for 43 years. After Swiss Principal Conductor Erich Schmid, the Tonhalle went international in 1957 with Hans Rosbaud – and remained so with Ru- dolf Kempe, GerdAlbrecht, Christoph Eschenbach, HiroshiWakasugi, Claus Peter Flor, David Zinman and Lionel Bringuier. Arriving in Zurich with the young Frenchman in 2014 was Ger- man artistic director Ilona Schmiel, who can really enthusewhen talk- ing about the institution of the orchestra. Yet, she also knows that she is not the captain of a hip newspeedboat, but of a 150-year-old steamer. She is of the opinion that one cannot tell the age of an orchestra, but one can feel when high quality and tradition have been consistently handed down to succeeding generations: “the pride in one’s perfor- mance, long-standing tradition and a unique sound”. Such an old orchestra is distinguished by an interplay of the high- est artistic quality, the greatest possible flexibility in the repertoire, the mastery of a variety of styles, the strong influence of the respec- tive principal conductor and being open to guest conductors. It is fascinating to hear on the CDs the same orchestra with 20 dif- ferent conductors, also with world-famous guests such as Bernard Haitink and Lorin Maazel. All these recordings can be heard for the first time on CD. From Haydn to Heinz Holliger, the chronological spectrum of the works ranges from 1771 to 1995. Zurich can also look forward to the future under the newPrincipal Conductor Paavo Järvi. Incidentally, the first CD recordings featuring works by Olivier Mes- siaen (!) are already planned. CHRISTIAN BERZINS “I believe, when looking back, that books about the Indians were key in my education. Later I learned that one says indigenous peoples, to be politically correct.” Those are the words of the first-person narrator in the novel based on the true story of Iroquois Chief Deskaheh. Just by chance, she came across some photos and letters. Her research allowed her to discover the history of the indigenous people in the Grand River territory in Ontario, which had rejected the supremacy of Canada. Appointed by the Council of Elders, Chief Deskaheh trav- elled for that reason toGeneva in 1923. Hewas to advocate for the recognition and independ- ence of his people before the Council of the League of Nations. But he failed – due to the lack of interest of politi- cians and bureaucrats and the arrogance of the Western world. Al- though his speeches are huge public successes, the people persist in their prejudices against the “savage” wearing an Indian costume. Af- ter spending 18 months in Europe, Deskaheh has to return emp- ty-handed – but does not manage to make it all the way back home. The Canadian government had forcibly removed the Council of Elders and conducted “democratic” elections. Deskaheh died of pneumonia in 1925 in exile on US territory. Soon the rumour was spread that he had been poisoned. The author of the book, Willi Wottreng, has done meticulous re- search; facts and figures are historically documented. The author deftly switches between the angle of the first-person narrator and the story of Deskaheh. As a reader, one closely experiences how the for- mer farmer grows into his role of speaker for his people, and one ac- companies him during his stay in Geneva and on his lecture trip rightacross Switzerland. His frustration can be felt when he speaks untiringly with diplomats and tries in vain to advance to the high ranks of the League of Nations. Delicately, simply by suggestion, the author describes the relationship of the Iroquois withHedwige of Ge- neva. The author skilfully brings the story full circle by having the sto- ryteller travel to Grand River where she hands over the few docu- ments to an indigenous school. Awonderful homage to Iroquois Chief Deskaheh, advocate for the independence of his people. WilliWottreng, born in 1948, studied history andwas involved in the youth movement in 1968. He worked as a journalist for “Welt- woche” and “NZZ am Sonntag”. The book author and journalist, who lives in Zurich, is a member of the board of the GMS Society for Mi- norities in Switzerland. RUTH VON GUNTEN A sonorous anniversary Deskaheh – an Iroquois on Lake Geneva Sounds Books WILLI WOTTRENG: “Ein Irokese am Genfersee” Bilgerverlag, Zurich 198 pages; CHF 30.00 TONHALLE ORCHESTRA ZURICH: Celebrating 150 Years, 14 CD, Sony 2018