Bielefeld Philharmonic
The Bielefeld Philharmonic and the Bielefeld Theater together form the "stages and orchestras of the city of Bielefeld ". The orchestra has been directed by General Music Director Alexander Kalajdzic since the 2010/11 season. The Rudolf-Oetker-Halle has been a permanent venue for the Bielefeld Philharmonic since 2018, making it one of the three theaters and orchestras in the city of Bielefeld .
profile
The Bielefelder Philharmoniker give symphony and chamber concerts, participate in open-air and crossover events and help shape the musical theater division at Theater Bielefeld . In addition to the well-established series of symphony concerts in the Rudolf-Oetker-Halle , the New Year's Concert, which has now become a tradition, and joint concerts with the Musikverein and the Bielefeld Oratorio Choir take place regularly. The main venue is the Rudolf-Oetker-Halle and the orchestra pit of the Bielefeld Theater.
The children's and youth program includes the series Musik voll bett ;-) Children's concerts in the city theater, youth concerts in the Oetker Hall, workshops and the orchestra makes school program , in which the orchestra musicians are guests in schools. During rehearsals and youth concerts, children and young people can sit between the musicians ( immersed in the orchestra ). Special events are the open air concerts such as picnic meets classic in the Bielefeld-Brackwede natural swimming pool, concerts at Meierteich or, for the first time in summer 2015, in the Senne JVA at Kultur im Knast . From 2011 to 2014 the orchestra played the crossover concerts Classic meets Pop , on the stage of the Seidenstickerhalle and in the Bielefeld town hall . For music lovers, concert subscriptions are offered for the series of symphony and chamber concerts, which include exclusive events such as guided tours and visits to rehearsals.
The Bielefelder Philharmoniker have set themselves the motto of being the "sound of the city". The orchestra has 67.5 members (as of March 2015). In the 2012/2013 season, around 20,750 customers attended the concerts, and a further 47,600 saw performances by the music theater in the city theater. Of the 625 performances by the Bielefeld Theater, 105 were musical theater performances, plus 44 other concerts by the Bielefeld Philharmonic Orchestra.
history
1890 to 1899
As early as the 1860s there was a town band, which was led by music director Rossbach and consisted of amateur musicians. It was played mainly at weddings, funerals and baptisms. In 1884 citizens wrote in a petition to the magistrate: "Should - one may ask - should Bielefeld, which has otherwise always preceded other places in the cultivation of ideal interests, was previously able to boast in particular of its rich musical life and musical achievements, in the future will be permanently behind the smaller neighboring town (meaning Hamm ) in this area ? "
After some discussions, the city council in Bielefeld decided on December 12, 1890 to found a municipal orchestra with 36 musicians. The music association, which has existed since 1820, contributed 40,000 gold marks from sponsorship, and the city pledged a further 10,000 gold marks per year.
1900 to 1909
In 1901 the municipal orchestra was officially founded. The first municipal music director was Wilhelm Lamping, who had previously headed the music association. He shared the conducting with the conductor Traugott Ochs . Since the orchestra was not yet very big, the musicians of the Münster military band helped out with more extensive concerts. At the first concert on May 3, 1901 on the Johannisberg , the municipal orchestra played Weber's Oberon , Wagner's Tannhauser Overture, Massenet's Scènes pittoresques and Beethoven's 5th Symphony. Since there was no concert hall of their own, the musicians performed in Brinkmann's Tonhalle, Remkes Theater, Rademacher's garden or on the Johannesberg. Since 1904 the orchestra has been able to perform in the new theater building. Max Cahnbley succeeded Traugott Ochs in 1907.
1910 to 1919
The number of orchestra members increased to 44. Through a cooperation with Herford and the hiring of temporary workers, up to 75 musicians could be engaged for important concerts. Well-known conductors such as Felix Weingartner and Siegfried Wagner were guests in Bielefeld. During this time, the Bielefeld Theater integrated operas into the program.
1920 to 1929
In 1921 the Bielefeld Theater had to struggle with its first major financial crisis. The orchestra should also save and for this purpose be reduced to 38 musicians. The change was averted.
1930 to 1939
On October 31, 1930, the municipal orchestra got its own concert hall with the inauguration of the Rudolf-Oetker-Halle. The construction was made possible, among other things, by a donation from Caroline Oetker, the wife of the company's founder August Oetker , and was significantly promoted by Wilhelm Lamping. The latter did not witness the inauguration of the concert hall because he died on September 7, 1929. In 1930 the composer Heinrich Kaminski became the municipal music director and remained in this position until 1933, when Werner Gößling took over. In the following years, the municipal orchestra took part in the Richard Wagner Festival in Detmold each summer. Because Kaminski, who continued to be the conductor of the Musikverein, was against the National Socialists, he came into opposition to his successor Goessling, who was expressed through attacks in the press. Kaminski was fired in 1937, and two years later his works were banned in Germany due to his Jewish origins. Werner Gößling directed the municipal orchestra and opera from until 1939. In 1935 the music association became urban.
1940 to 1949
After Werner Gößling, who was called up for military service in 1939, Hans Hoffmann took the place of municipal music director and senior director of the opera from 1939 to 1949 , after he had previously been head of the municipal music club. According to Hans Hoffmann, the orchestra had to do without a music director for two years. Guest conductors during this period included Fritz Lehmann , Romanus Hubertus, Georg Ludwig Jochum and others. a. Carl Schmidt-Belden directed the opera.
1950 to 1959
During the time of the municipal music director, later general music director Bernhard Conz (1951 to 1974), the orchestra grew to initially 54 and later to 59 musicians, and the orchestra was also upgraded from III. Tariff class in the II. Tariff class instead. A new orchestra rehearsal room was added. The orchestra has made guest appearances in several European cities. Bernhard Conz put his focus on the symphony concerts and the great opera, in 1951 he passed the music club concerts to Michael Schneider.
1960 to 1969
In 1960 Bernhard Conz received the city's cultural award from the city of Bielefeld for his "important (...) musical (...) development work". In 1968 the city orchestra was renamed the Philharmonic Orchestra of the City of Bielefeld with an expansion of the orchestra with an additional horn position. This was occupied by the horn player Holger Lieberich, who moved to the Hanover State Opera in 1969.
1970 to 1979
Several concerts for children and young people took place under the general music direction of Georg Wilhelm Schmöhe , which lasted from 1974 to 1980. He also devoted himself to first and world premieres and integrated neglected works by French and Russian composers into the program. In 1978 Hanns Bisegger founded a foundation named after him for the maintenance of music in Bielefeld. The Bielefeld textile merchant and clothing manufacturer died in 1985. By the 2013/14 season, the Hanns Bisegger Foundation had funded 82 productions by the music theater and 66 concerts by the Philharmonic.
1980 to 1989
In the 1980s, General Music Director Rainer Koch brought forgotten works from the Weimar Republic back to the stage.
1990 to 1999
With Peter Kuhn , a man took over the position of general music director in 1998, who focused on rarely performed works, young artists and well-known soloists. The participation of the Bielefelder Philharmoniker in the Film + MusikFest, at which the orchestra played the film music live to the silent films shown, is a specialty to this day. During these years, the children's and youth program was also expanded. In addition to the Rudolf-Oetker-Halle and the theater, other venues were added with the University of Bielefeld , the Brackwede natural pool, the town hall and the town's churches.
2000 to 2009
In 1999/2000, the Association of German Music Publishers awarded the then General Music Director Peter Kuhn and his orchestra the prize for the best concert program. The 100th anniversary celebration followed in May 2001. Also in 2001 the music education program Musik voll bold ;-) for children and young people started with an orchestral Olympiad . There had already been children's concerts before, but from 2001 concert education, which is closely linked to theater education, was pursued more intensively.
2009 until today
Alexander Kalajdzic has been general music director since the 2010/11 season. In 2011, the Bielefeld Philharmonic took part in the crossover concert Classic meets Pop for the first time . In 2013 the CD Maurice Ravel - Orchestral Works was recorded in the Rudolf-Oetker-Halle .
The aim of the Bielefelder Philharmoniker for the 2015/16 concert season was to address young people and students more effectively. This should be done, among other things, through a cooperation with students from the music journalism department at TU Dortmund University. Concerts such as the opening concert at the beginning of the semester at Bielefeld University, the presentation of young soloists in the series of symphony concerts and the music festival for the opening of the season for all age groups should make classical music accessible to new visitors. New media should also be used more in social networks and on the Philharmonic's website.
Venues
- Rudolf-Oetker-Halle, Lampingstr. 16, 33615 Bielefeld
- Stadttheater Bielefeld, Niederwall 27, 33602 Bielefeld
- Guest concerts in Bielefeld University, the town hall, in districts like Bethel or Brackwede as well as in surrounding cities like Bad Oeynhausen or Halle
Sponsor
The association Theater- und Konzertfreunde eV (“Thekos”) is committed to theater and concert performances in Bielefeld and also supports the Bielefeld Philharmonic by offering events for the encounter between artists and the audience, concert introductions and the ThekoJung program. The cultural partner of the Bielefeld Philharmonic is the WDR . The orchestra receives further funding from the Hanns Bisegger Foundation and the Böllhoff company.
CD recordings
- Ernst Krenek The jump over the shadows : Thomas Brüning, Lynda Kemeny, Susan Maclean, Diana Amos, John Pflieger, Ulrich Neuweiler, Jörg Dürmüller, Bielefeld Opera Choir, Bielefeld Philharmonic, David de Villiers; cpo 999 082-2, 1990
- Louis Spohr Faust : Michael Vier, Eelco von Jordis, William Pugh, Diane Jennings, Ion Bric, Claudia Taha; Bielefeld Opera Chorus, Bielefeld Opera Choir, Bielefelder Philharmoniker, Geoffrey Moull; cpo 999 247-2, 1993
- Viktor Ullmann The fall of the Antichrist : Ulrich Neuweiler, Richard Decker, William Oberholzer, Louis Gentile, Monte Jaffe, Lassi Partanen, Bielefeld Opera choir, Bielefeld Philharmonic, Rainer Koch; cpo 999 321-2, 1996
- Theo Loevendie Esmée : Margaret Thompson, William Oberholtzer, Luca Martin, Monte Jaffe, Ulrich Neuweiler, Maja Tabatadze, Nikolaus Bergmann, Bielefeld Opera Choir, Bielefelder Philharmoniker, Geoffrey Moull; Donemus CV 74/75, 1998
- Maurice Ravel Orchestral Works : Bielefelder Philharmoniker; Music production Dabringhaus and Grimm, 2013
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Quintessenz Theater Bielefeld 2013/14 season ( Memento from April 7, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ a b Official website of the Bielefelder Philharmoniker
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i Festschrift: 100 Years of the Bielefelder Philharmoniker.
- ↑ 100 Years of Theater Bielefeld, Kerber Verlag, 2004 ( ISBN 3-936646-79-1 ).
- ^ Festschrift: 60 Years of the Bielefeld City Orchestra
- ↑ trust . Season booklet 2014/15, Theater Bielefeld.
- ↑ Ravel CD (official website of the Bielefelder Philharmoniker) ( Memento from February 5, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Preview of the 2015/16 concert schedule on the official website of the Bielefelder Philharmoniker ( Memento from August 13, 2015 in the Internet Archive )