Adam Fischer, chief conductor

The Austro-Hungarian Haydn Philharmonic was founded in 1987 out of members of the Vienna Philharmonic and the prestigious Hungarian orchestras on the initiative of the conductor Adam Fischer. It was Fischer’s intention – before the fall of the "Iron Curtain" – to bring together the best musicians from these two countries in order to musically overcome the border by playing the works by Joseph Haydn. The obvious venue and base for the orchestra is the Haydnsaal in the Esterházy Palace in Eisenstadt – the location where Joseph Haydn composed so many of his works and which has remained virtually unchanged since the time when Haydn lived there.

The Haydn Philharmonic generally comprises 45 musicians, a few more than Joseph Haydn had available to him in the heyday of his time as court music director at Esterházy. Haydn’s works and those of his contemporaries dominate the repertoire, though works from the Romantic and modern eras are also performed.

The concerts given by the Haydn Philharmonic conducted by Adam Fischer are, like Haydn’s operas, a permanent fixture in the programme of the International Haydn Festival in Eisenstadt. At the same time, the orchestra has made a name for itself thanks to numerous tours and performances in Austria, Hungary, throughout Europe and in the USA and Japan.

Invitations to perform at the Vienna Konzerthaus and Musikverein, the Budapest Spring Festival and the Palace of Arts or the Schubertiade in Schwarzenberg, the Musikverein Graz, the Tonhalle in Zürich, the Victoria Hall Geneva, the Festival Hall Baden-Baden, the Berlin Philharmonic Hall, the Auditorio Nacional Madrid and Palau de la Musica Barcelona, the London BBC Proms or the New York "Mostly Mozart" Festival are all proof of the ensemble’s development as an internationally highly acclaimed orchestra.

In "Haydn Year 2009" the orchestra will celebrate the 200. anniversary of Joseph Haydn’s death with a performance of his Creation at the Esterházy Palace. Besides this the orchestra is invited to perform in the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Palace of Arts Budapest, the Luxemburg Philharmonie, the auditorio Nacional Madrid, in Brussels, Graz, Innsbruck and Brünn. In addition tours to Switzerland, Germany and Japan are on the schedule of this year.

Between 1987 and 2001 the orchestra has recorded all of Haydn’s symphonies for Nimbus records; the recordings of the symphonies 40 to 54 earned the accolade of "

Since 2004 Adam Fischer and the Haydn Philharmonic are re-recording the "London" symphonies by Haydn for the Dabringhaus & Grimm label in surround sound technique. The first recording of this set was awarded in 2006 the prestigious "Echo Klassik" award as well as the second with an Echo Klassik 2008.

Best of the Year" from the English music magazine Gramophone.