Ulf Schirmer (born 1959) is a German conductor and opera house administrator.
Born in Eschenhausen, Lower Saxony, Schirmer studied at the Bremen Conservatory, and also at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg, with György Ligeti, Christoph von Dohnányi and Horst Stein. He worked as an assistant to Lorin Maazel and conducted at the Wiener Staatsoper productions of Luciano Berio's Un re in ascolto , Arnold Schoenberg's Erwartung , and Alexander Glazunov's Raymonda .
From 1988 to 1991, Schirmer was Generalmusikdirektor (GMD) of the city of Wiesbaden, serving as artistic director of symphonic concerts and opera and ballet at the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden. He conducted Hans Werner Henze's Das verratene Meer in 1990. In 1999, he conducted the premiere of Gerd Kühr's opera Tod und Teufel at the Grazer Oper. His other work in opera has included conducting the first staged production of Szenen aus dem Leben der Heiligen Johanna by Walter Braunfels, at the Deutsche Oper Berlin in 2008. [1]
Schirmer was appointed Professor at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Hamburg in 2000, teaching musical analysis and musical dramaturgy. From 2006 to 2017, he was chief conductor of the Münchner Rundfunkorchester (Munich Radio Orchestra). [2]
From 2009 to 2022, Schirmer was General Music Director (Generalmusikdirektor, GMD) of the Oper Leipzig. [3] On 23 March 2011, Schirmer was elected Intendant of the Oper Leipzig, with an initial five-year term beginning in August 2011, in addition to his title as GMD. [4] He conducted the first Bayreuth staging of Wagner's early opera Die Feen in 2013. [5] In June 2017, Oper Leipzig announced the extension of Schirmer's contract as Intendant through the 2021-2022 season. [6] Schirmer stood down from both Oper Leipzig posts at the close of the 2021-2022 season.
Outside of Germany, Schirmer was Principal Conductor of the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra [7] from 1995 to 1998.
Schirmer's commercial recordings include the following:
His recording of Karl Amadeus Hartmann's Des Simplicius Simplicissimus Jugend [10] was awarded the ECHO Klassik in 2010 in the category opera of the 20th/21st century. The work, commissioned by the Bayerischer Rundfunk, was performed in its reconstructed first version, with soloists Camilla Nylund and Christian Gerhaher. Other recordings include the violin concerto by Max Reger with soloist Ulf Wallin.
The Hamburg State Opera is a German opera company based in Hamburg. Its theatre is near the square of Gänsemarkt. Since 2015, the current Intendant of the company is Georges Delnon, and the current Generalmusikdirektor of the company is Kent Nagano.
The Komische Oper Berlin is a German opera company based in Berlin. The company produces operas, operettas and musicals.
The Semperoper is the opera house of the Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden and the concert hall of the Staatskapelle Dresden. It is also home to the Semperoper Ballett. The building is located on the Theaterplatz near the Elbe River in the historic centre of Dresden, Germany.
The Leipzig Opera is an opera house and opera company located at the Augustusplatz and the Inner City Ring Road at its east side in Leipzig's district Mitte, Germany.
Christian Thielemann is a German conductor. He is currently chief conductor of the Staatskapelle Dresden. He was artistic director of the Salzburg Easter Festival from 2013 to 2022.
The Oper Frankfurt is a German opera company based in Frankfurt.
The Staatsoper Stuttgart is a German opera company based in Stuttgart, the capital of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The Staatsorchester Stuttgart serves as its resident orchestra.
Zürich Opera is a Swiss opera company based in Zürich. The company gives performances in the Zürich Opera House.
Feuersnot, Op. 50, is a Singgedicht or opera in one act by Richard Strauss. The German libretto was written by Ernst von Wolzogen, based on J. Ketel's report "Das erloschene Feuer zu Audenaerde". It was Strauss' second opera.
Christian Gerhaher is a German baritone and bass singer in opera and concert, particularly known as a Lieder singer.
The Munich Radio Orchestra is a German symphony broadcast orchestra based in Munich. It is one of the two orchestras affiliated with the Bavarian Radio, the other being the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra.
The Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden is a German theatre located in Wiesbaden, in the German state Hesse. The company produces operas, plays, ballets, musicals and concerts on four stages. Known also as the Staatstheater Wiesbaden or Theater Wiesbaden, its orchestra is the Hessisches Staatsorchester. The building was inaugurated in 1894.
Sebastian Weigle is a German conductor and horn player. He is currently Generalmusikdirektor of the Oper Frankfurt and principal conductor of the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra.
Hans Wallat was a German conductor, GMD in Bremen, at the Nationaltheater Mannheim, Theater Dortmund and Deutsche Oper am Rhein. A specialist for the stage works of Richard Wagner, he appeared at the Bayreuth Festival and internationally.
Des Simplicius Simplicissimus Jugend is a German-language opera by Karl Amadeus Hartmann to a libretto by Hermann Scherchen, Wolfgang Petzet and the composer after Jakob von Grimmelhausen's picaresque novel Simplicius Simplicissimus. The opera was written 1934-1935 structured in three acts and more scenes, to which was added in 1939 an overture in homage to Prokofiev, and premiered in 1948. It was extensively revised as Simplicius Simplicissimus in 1957.
Frank Beermann is a German conductor. He was Generalmusikdirektor (GMD) at the Chemnitz Opera for several years, and has worked freelance at international opera houses from 2012. He has conducted premieres and recordings of rarely performed operas and orchestral works.
Simone Schneider is a German operatic soprano. As a member of Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz, she performed coloratura roles such as the Mozart's Queen of the Night. As a member of the Staatsoper Stuttgart from 2006, she has performed a wide range of leading roles including Donizetti's Maria Stuarda and the Feldmarschallin in Der Rosenkavalier by Richard Strauss. She performed as a guest in major opera houses in Germany and Europe.
Gustav Brecher was a German conductor, composer, and music critic. As director of the Leipzig Opera, he conducted world premieres of works by Ernst Krenek and Kurt Weill, including Jonny spielt auf and Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny. He was dismissed by the Nazis in 1933, lived at risk in Stalingrad, Berlin, Prague, and finally Ostend, where he took his life together with his wife's.
Thomas Guggeis is a German conductor and pianist. He is Kapellmeister at the Staatsoper Berlin and the designated Generalmusikdirektor (GMD) of the Oper Frankfurt.
Sung Min Song is a South Korean operatic tenor who has performed internationally, based in Germany. He is focused on Italian opera and 19th-century oratorios including Puccini's Messa di Gloria and Verdi's Requiem. A member of the Saarländisches Staatstheater from 2017, he is capable of performing tenor roles with a high tessitura such as Arnold in Rossini's Guillaume Tell.