MDR Symphony Orchestra
Encyclopedia
The MDR Symphony Orchestra (Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk, also known as the Leipzig MDR Symphony Orchestra, MDR Sinfonieorchester in German) is one of the oldest Radio orchestra
s in the world and the oldest in Germany
. It was founded in Leipzig
, Germany
in 1923 and therefore 9 months earlier than the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra
. Apart from a short interval during World War II, it has been the main orchestra of the Central German Broadcasting Company
(MDR) since 1924. Chief conductors include Hermann Abendroth
(1949–1956) and Herbert Kegel
(1953–1977) and Fabio Luisi
(1999–2007). The symphony orchestra has been one of the few musicians who have played for the pope
in 2003.
and reunited in 1946 under the tenure of the conductor Hermann Abendroth
, later conducted by Herbert Kegel
. At the end of the 70s the principal conductors were Wolf-Dieter Hauschild and later by Max Pommer.
In 1992 the Rundfunk Symphony Orchestra merged with the Radio Philharmonic in Leipzig to form the MDR Symphony Orchestra.
Radio orchestra
A radio orchestra is an orchestra employed by a radio network in order to provide programming as well as sometimes perform incidental or theme music for various shows on the network. In the heyday of radio such orchestras were numerous, performing classical, popular, light music and jazz...
s in the world and the oldest in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It was founded in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 1923 and therefore 9 months earlier than the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra
Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra (East Berlin)
The Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Berlin, Germany. In Berlin, the orchestra gives concerts at theKonzerthaus Berlin and at the Berliner Philharmonie...
. Apart from a short interval during World War II, it has been the main orchestra of the Central German Broadcasting Company
Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk
Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk is the public broadcaster for the federal states of Thuringia, Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt...
(MDR) since 1924. Chief conductors include Hermann Abendroth
Hermann Abendroth
Hermann Paul Maximilian Abendroth was a German conductor.-Early life:Abendroth was born on 19 January 1883, at Frankfurt, Germany, belonging to a family which had already produced other artistic figures of divers disciplines...
(1949–1956) and Herbert Kegel
Herbert Kegel
Herbert Kegel was a German conductor.Kegel was born in Dresden. He studied conducting with Karl Böhm and composition with Boris Blacher at the Dresden Conservatory from 1935 to 1940...
(1953–1977) and Fabio Luisi
Fabio Luisi
Fabio Luisi is an Italian conductor. On September 6, 2011, he was named Principal Conductor of the Metropolitan Opera....
(1999–2007). The symphony orchestra has been one of the few musicians who have played for the pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
in 2003.
History
The orchestra was founded as "Orchester des Konzertvereins" ("Orchestra of the Concert Society"). It became the "Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Leipzig" ("Radio Symphony Orchestra Leipzig") in 1924 and later adopted its present name. The Orchestra was dissolved during World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and reunited in 1946 under the tenure of the conductor Hermann Abendroth
Hermann Abendroth
Hermann Paul Maximilian Abendroth was a German conductor.-Early life:Abendroth was born on 19 January 1883, at Frankfurt, Germany, belonging to a family which had already produced other artistic figures of divers disciplines...
, later conducted by Herbert Kegel
Herbert Kegel
Herbert Kegel was a German conductor.Kegel was born in Dresden. He studied conducting with Karl Böhm and composition with Boris Blacher at the Dresden Conservatory from 1935 to 1940...
. At the end of the 70s the principal conductors were Wolf-Dieter Hauschild and later by Max Pommer.
In 1992 the Rundfunk Symphony Orchestra merged with the Radio Philharmonic in Leipzig to form the MDR Symphony Orchestra.
Chamber music ensembles of the MDR Symphony Orchestra
- Arcato Streichquartett (since 1999)
- Döring-Bläserquintett (since 1982)
- Kammersymphonie Leipzig (since 2006)
- Leipziger Hornquartett (since 1996)
- Leipziger Schlagzeugensemble (since 1983)
- Leipziger Blechbläsersolisten (since 1992)
- MDR Bläserquintett (since 1995)
Other Ensembles
- Gruppe Neue Musik Hanns Eisler (1970–1993)
- Ensemble SortisatioEnsemble SortisatioEnsemble Sortisatio is a quartet founded by violist Matthias Sannemüller in 1992 in Leipzig, Germany. Its members are mostly soloists at the MDR Symphony Orchestra. They have specialized in contemporary classical music.- Formation :The Ensemble Sortisatio was founded in 1992 by Matthias...
(since 1992)
Principal Conductors
- Alfred Szendrei (1924–1932)
- Carl SchurichtCarl SchurichtCarl Adolph Schuricht was a German conductor.Schuricht was born in Danzig , German Empire; his father's family had been respected organ-builders. His mother, Amanda Wusinowska, a widow soon after her marriage , brought up her son alone...
(1931–1933) - Hans Weisbach (1934–1939)
- Reinhold Merten (1939–1940)
- Heinrich Schachtebeck (1945)
- Fritz Schröder (1945–1946)
- Gerhard Wiesenhütter (1946–1948)
- Hermann AbendrothHermann AbendrothHermann Paul Maximilian Abendroth was a German conductor.-Early life:Abendroth was born on 19 January 1883, at Frankfurt, Germany, belonging to a family which had already produced other artistic figures of divers disciplines...
and Gerhard Pflüger (1949–1956) - Herbert KegelHerbert KegelHerbert Kegel was a German conductor.Kegel was born in Dresden. He studied conducting with Karl Böhm and composition with Boris Blacher at the Dresden Conservatory from 1935 to 1940...
(1953–1977) - Wolf-Dieter Hauschild (1978–1985)
- Max Pommer (1987–1991)
- Daniel NazarethDaniel Nazareth-Early life:Daniel Nazarath was born in Bombay, India.His parents ran the well known Nazareth Public Speaking Academy.-Career:Daniel Nazareth began violin lessons at age of 7. He earned degrees in Commerce and Economics from Bombay University in 1968. He earned a degree in piano from the Royal...
(1992–1996) - Marcello ViottiMarcello ViottiMarcello Viotti was a Swiss classical music conductor, best known for opera.Viotti was born in Vallorbe, in the French-speaking region of Switzerland, to Italian parents. He studied cello, piano and singing at the Conservatory of Lausanne. Wolfgang Sawallisch was a mentor to Viotti and encouraged...
, Fabio LuisiFabio LuisiFabio Luisi is an Italian conductor. On September 6, 2011, he was named Principal Conductor of the Metropolitan Opera....
and Manfred HoneckManfred HoneckManfred Honeck is an Austrian conductor, the son of Otto and Frieda Honeck, from a family of nine children. One of his brothers is the Vienna Philharmonic leader Rainer Honeck....
(1996–1999) - Fabio LuisiFabio LuisiFabio Luisi is an Italian conductor. On September 6, 2011, he was named Principal Conductor of the Metropolitan Opera....
(1999–2007) - Jun MärklJun MärklJun Märkl is a German conductor, the son of a German violinist father and a Japanese pianist mother. He studied piano and the violin as a youth. Beginning in 1978 at the Musikhochschule Hannover he continued his piano and violin studies and also began to study conducting. He later attended the...
(2007–2012) - Kristjan JärviKristjan JärviKristjan Järvi is an Estonian-American conductor. Järvi is the younger son of Neeme Järvi, and the brother of conductor Paavo Järvi and flutist Maarika Järvi....
(2012–)
World premieres
This is a list of famous world premieres for the orchestra:- Franz SchrekerFranz SchrekerFranz Schreker was an Austrian composer, conductor, teacher and administrator. Primarily a composer of operas, his style is characterized by aesthetic plurality , timbral experimentation, strategies of extended tonality and...
: “Vom ewigen Leben” for soprano and orchestra (1929) - Kurt WeillKurt WeillKurt Julian Weill was a German-Jewish composer, active from the 1920s, and in his later years in the United States. He was a leading composer for the stage who was best known for his fruitful collaborations with Bertolt Brecht...
: “Der SilberseeDer SilberseeDer Silbersee: ein Wintermärchen is a 'play with music' in three acts by Kurt Weill to a German text by Georg Kaiser -Premiere performances:...
” (1933) - Fritz GeißlerFritz GeißlerFritz Geißler was one of the most important composers of the German Democratic Republic....
: Chamber Symphony (1955) - Rudolf Wagner-RégenyRudolf Wagner-RégenyRudolf Wagner-Régeny was a composer, conductor, and pianist. Born in Transylvania, Kingdom of Hungary, since 1920 Romania, he became a German citizen in 1930, and then East Germany after 1945.From 1919–1920 he studied at the Leipzig Conservatory and then at the Berlin Hochschule für Musik from...
: Genesis, Cantata for alto, chorus & orchestra (1956) - Alan BushAlan BushAlan Dudley Bush was a British composer and pianist. He was a committed socialist, and politics sometimes provided central themes in his music.-Personal life:...
: Symphony No. 3 “The Byron Symphony” with Baritone Solo and Mixed Chorus (1962) - Günter KochanGünter KochanGünter Kochan was a German classical composer. His compositions included cantatas, film scores, orchestra music, songs, symphonies and music for radio dramas.- Life and career :...
: Symphony No. 1 (1963) - Paul DessauPaul DessauPaul Dessau was a German composer and conductor.- Biography :Dessau was born in Hamburg into a musical family...
: Requiem for Lumumba (1964) - Paul Dessau: “Deutsches Miserere” for mixed choir, children's choir, soprano, alto, tenor and bass soloists, large orchestra, organ and trautonium (1966)
- Wilhelm Neef: Piano Concerto (1971)
- Udo ZimmermannUdo ZimmermannUdo Zimmermann was born in Dresden on October 6, 1943. He is a German composer, music director, and conductor.- Biography :Zimmermann was a member of the Dresdner Kreuzchor from 1954 to 1962. He then continued his music education at the Dresden Music School. He studied composition with Johannes...
: L'Homme (1972) - Edison DenisovEdison DenisovEdison Vasilievich Denisov was a Russian composer of so called "Underground" — "Anti-Collectivist", "alternative" or "nonconformist" division in the Soviet music.-Biography:...
: Cello Concerto (1973) - Friedrich Schenker: Electrization (1975)
- Siegfried Thiele: Jeux pour harpe et orchestre (1975)
- Edison Denissow: Piano Concerto (1978)
- Georg KatzerGeorg KatzerGeorg Katzer is a German composer. He was one of the pioneers of electronic new music in the German Democratic Republic .-Biography:...
: Piano Concerto (1980) - Friedrich Schenker: Fanal Spanien 1936 (1981)
- Luca LombardiLuca Lombardi-Biography:Lombardi studied composition initially with Armando Renzi and Roberto Lupi, later enrolling at the Pesaro Conservatory where he studied with Boris Porena, receiving his diploma in 1970. He then studied musicology at the University of Rome, graduating with a thesis on Hanns Eisler...
: Symphony No. 2 (1983) - Wilfried Krätzschmar: Heine Scenes (1983)
- Paul-Heinz Dittrich: “Etym” for orchestra (1984)
- Friedrich GoldmannFriedrich GoldmannFriedrich Goldmann was a German composer and conductor.-Life:Born on 27 April 1941, in Siegmar-Schönau, Chemnitz, Goldmann’s music education began in 1951 when he joined the Dresdner Kreuzchor...
: Symphony No. 3 (1987) - Karl Ottomar Treibmann: Symphony No. 4 (1989)
- Paul-Heinz Dittrich/Sofia GubaidulinaSofia GubaidulinaSofia Asgatovna Gubaidulina, is a Russian composer of half Russian, half Tatar ethnicity.Gubaidulina's music is marked by the use of unusual instrumental combinations...
/Marek Kopelent: Laudatio Pacis (1993) - Krzysztof PendereckiKrzysztof PendereckiKrzysztof Penderecki , born November 23, 1933 in Dębica) is a Polish composer and conductor. His 1960 avant-garde Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima for string orchestra brought him to international attention, and this success was followed by acclaim for his choral St. Luke Passion. Both these...
: Concerto per violino ed orchestra No. 2 (1995) - Carlos Veerhoff: Symphony No. 6 “Desiderata”, for 3 soloists, speaker, chorus & orchestra, Op. 70 (1997)
- Milko KelemenMilko KelemenMilko Kelemen is a Croatian composer.- Life :Milko Kelemen studied under Stjepan Šulek in Zagreb, under Olivier Messiaen in Paris and Wolfgang Fortner in Freiburg amongst others....
: Salut au monde (1999) - Friedrich Schenker: Goldberg Passion (1999)
- Wolfgang RihmWolfgang RihmWolfgang Rihm is a German composer.Rihm is Head of the Institute of Modern Music at the Karlsruhe Conservatory of Music and has been composer in residence at the Lucerne Festival and the Salzburg Festival...
: Penthesilea-Monolog for Soprano and orchestra (2005) - Jean-Luc DarbellayJean-Luc DarbellayJean-Luc Darbellay is a Swiss composer, conductor, clarinetist and physician. He was chairman of the Swiss Society for New Music and board member of the International Society for Contemporary Music. Darbellay is a member of the composers group: Groupe Lacroix. He has published about 150 works...
: Requiem for Soloists, Choir and Orchestra (2005)
Sources
- Jörg Clemen; Steffen Lieberwirth: Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk. Die Geschichte des Sinfonieorchesters. Verlag Klaus-Jürgen Kamprad, Altenburg 1999, ISBN 3-930550-09-1
External links
- MDR Symphony Orchestra Official website