Luzerner Sinfonieorchester

The ensemble-in-residence at the KKL Luzern concert hall and conference center, the Luzerner Sinfonieorchester is Switzerland's oldest orchestra. Major shapers of the orchestra in the 20th century included Max Sturzenegger, conductor from 1939 to 1960, and Ulrich Meyer-Schoelkopf (1972-1990). The orchestra began recording in 2005 under conductor John Axelrod. James Gaffigan and the orchestra released a recording of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, in 2018. Michael Sanderling became chief conductor in 2021. In 2023, the group issued a recording of the four Brahms symphonies under Sanderling, plus Arnold Schoenberg's orchestration of the Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, Op. 25; that album was recorded at the new Orchesterhaus Luzern, where the orchestra also has rehearsal spaces.