The Konzerthausorchester Berlin is a German symphony orchestra based in Berlin. The orchestra is resident at the Konzerthaus Berlin, designed by the architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel. The building was destroyed during World War II, and was rebuilt from 1979 to 1984.
The orchestra was founded in 1952 as the Berliner Sinfonie-Orchester (Berlin Symphony Orchestra) in what was then East Berlin, as a rival ensemble to the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra based in West Berlin. The first chief conductor was Hermann Hildebrandt. In 1974, the Berlin Sinfonietta was founded to serve as the sister chamber orchestra of the Berliner Sinfonie-Orchester. During its East German years it was recorded by the state classical recording company Eterna Records. After German reunification in 1989, the orchestra was threatened with dissolution, but subscriber action maintained the ensemble. The orchestra acquired its current name in 2006. [1] (This orchestra is separate from the West-Berlin based Berliner Symphoniker, founded in 1967.) The Konzerthausorchester Berlin currently has, as its sister chamber orchestra, the Konzerthaus Kammerorchester.
Kurt Sanderling was the longest-serving chief conductor of the orchestra, from 1960 to 1977. Subsequent chief conductors have been Günther Herbig, Claus Peter Flor, Michael Schønwandt (1992–1998), Eliahu Inbal (2001–2006), Lothar Zagrosek, [2] and Iván Fischer. [3] [4] In November 2017, the orchestra announced the appointment of Christoph Eschenbach as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2019–2020 season, with an initial contract of 3 years. [5] In July 2021, the orchestra announced the extension of Eschenbach's contract through the 2022–2023 season. [6] He stood down as chief conductor at the close of the 2022–2023 season. [7]
Principal guest conductors of the orchestra have included Dmitri Kitayenko. With the 2017–2018 season, Juraj Valčuha became principal guest conductor of the orchestra, [8] following his initial guest-conducting appearance with the orchestra in the 2014–2015 season, and his subsequent return guest-conducting engagement 2 years later.
Joana Mallwitz first guest-conducted the orchestra during the 2020–2021 season. In August 2021, the orchestra announced the appointment of Mallwitz as its next chief conductor and artistic director, effective with the 2023–2024 season, with an initial contract of five seasons. Mallwitz is the first female conductor to be named chief conductor of the Konzerthausorchester Berlin. [7] [9]
The current Intendant (managing director) of the orchestra is Sebastian Nordmann. Nordmann is scheduled to stand down from the post in the summer of 2025. In May 2024, the orchestra announced the appointment of Tobias Rempe as its next Intendant, effective in 2025. [10]
The Symphony No. 9 by Gustav Mahler was written between 1908 and 1909, and was the last symphony that he completed. A typical performance takes about 75 to 90 minutes. A survey of conductors voted Mahler's Symphony No. 9 the fourth greatest symphony of all time in a ballot conducted by BBC Music Magazine in 2016. As in the case of his earlier Das Lied von der Erde, Mahler did not live to see his Symphony No. 9 performed.
Christoph Eschenbach is a German pianist and conductor.
The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1930 by cellist Hans Kindler, its principal performing venue is the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
The Frankfurt Radio Symphony is the radio orchestra of Hessischer Rundfunk, the public broadcasting network of the German state of Hesse. Venues are Alte Oper and hr-Sendesaal. Music director is the French conductor Alain Altinoglu. Chief conductors have brought in Russian, Nordic and French influences. The orchestra has been one of the leading Mahler and Bruckner orchestras internationally. The hr-Sinfonieorchester with 108 musicians is the third oldest in the ARD.
Iván Fischer is a Hungarian conductor and composer.
The WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne is a German radio orchestra based in Cologne, where the orchestra mainly performs at two concert halls: the WDR Funkhaus Wallrafplatz and the Kölner Philharmonie.
The Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra is a German symphony orchestra based in Berlin. In Berlin, the orchestra gives concerts at the Konzerthaus Berlin and at the Berliner Philharmonie. The orchestra has also given concerts in other German cities such as Aschaffenburg, Essen, Halle, Oldenburg, and Wiesbaden. Its the second oldest radio orchestra with 114 musicians.
The Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra is the orchestra of the Austrian national broadcaster Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF). Unlike most other Austrian orchestras, the RSO Wien has a substantial focus on contemporary classical music.
Lothar Zagrosek is a German conductor. As a youth, he sang in the Regensburg Cathedral choir, including performances as the First Boy in The Magic Flute at the 1954 Salzburg Festival. From 1962 to 1967, Zagrosek studied conducting with Hans Swarowsky, István Kertész, Bruno Maderna and Herbert von Karajan.
Michael Detlev Schønwandt is a Danish conductor. In Denmark, he studied piano, theory, and composition, and later continued musical studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London.
Since the 18th century Berlin has been an influential musical center in Germany and Europe. First as an important trading city in the Hanseatic League, then as the capital of the electorate of Brandenburg and the Prussian Kingdom, later on as one of the biggest cities in Germany it fostered an influential music culture that remains vital until today. Berlin can be regarded as the breeding ground for the powerful choir movement that played such an important role in the broad socialization of music in Germany during the 19th century.
The Konzerthaus Berlin is a concert hall in Berlin, the home of the Konzerthausorchester Berlin. Situated on the Gendarmenmarkt square in the central Mitte district of the city, it was originally built as a theater. It initially operated from 1818 to 1821 under the name of the Schauspielhaus Berlin, then as the Theater am Gendarmenmarkt and Komödie. It became a concert hall after the Second World War, and its name changed to its present one in 1994.
The Berliner Symphoniker is a German symphony orchestra based in Berlin, Germany.
Opernwelt is a monthly German magazine for opera, operetta and ballet. It includes news about current performances, portraits of composers and performers, articles about opera houses, performance spaces, and contemporary and historical subjects from the world of opera and classical music. It reviews recordings and books and publishes monthly schedules of German and international opera houses. The magazine's website offers full text search for past issues. A year book is published every October.
Günter Kochan was a German composer. He studied with Boris Blacher and was a master student for composition with Hanns Eisler. From 1967 until his retirement in 1991, he worked as professor for musical composition at the Hochschule für Musik "Hanns Eisler". He taught master classes in composition at the Academy of Music and the Academy of Arts, Berlin. He was also secretary of the Music Section of the Academy of Arts from 1972 to 1974 and vice-president of the Association of Composers and Musicologists of the GDR from 1977 to 1982. Kochan is one of eleven laureates to have been awarded the National Prize of the GDR four times. In addition, he received composition prizes in the US and Eastern Europe. He became internationally known in particular for his Symphonies as well as the cantata Die Asche von Birkenau (1965) and his Music for Orchestra No. 2 (1987). His versatile oeuvre included orchestral works, chamber music, choral works, mass songs and film music and is situated between socialist realism and avant-garde.
The Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz is a German orchestra based in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, in Ludwigshafen am Rhein.
Juraj Valčuha is a Slovak conductor who has worked mainly in Italy and France. He is the music director of the Houston Symphony Orchestra.
The Folkwang Kammerorchester Essen is a chamber orchestra historically formed mostly by students of the Folkwang University in Essen, Germany, and other Musikhochschulen in North Rhine-Westphalia, to prepare them for a future position in an orchestra; however, it currently employs a core of permanent members from all over Germany and the world. Members are auditioned and trialed as in a professional orchestra, and, if successful, are offered a permanent contract up to the age of 35. It was founded in 1958 by the director of the Folkwangschule Heinz Dressel. More than 500 musicians were since employed in opera- and symphony orchestras in Germany and abroad.
Joana Mallwitz is a German conductor and pianist.
Kismara de Lourdes Pessatti, known as Kismara Pezzati and Kismara Pessatti, is a Brazilian mezzo-soprano naturalized in Switzerland. Previously known for performances in operas and concerts primarily as a contralto, she has recently expanded her repertoire to dramatic mezzo-soprano.
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