Heidelberg Symphony Orchestra
The Heidelberg Symphony Orchestra was founded in autumn 1993 and made its debut on January 1, 1994 in the Mannheim Rosengarten with Ludwig van Beethoven's 9th Symphony, Op. 125.
history
In March 1987, while studying music, the conductor Thomas Fey founded an early music ensemble that performed under the name Schlierbacher Kammerorchester . The cast consisted of talented and ambitious young musicians from Germany.
The performance style of the orchestra was decisively influenced by intensive training in historical performance practice with Nikolaus Harnoncourt at the Salzburg Mozarteum . In the course of developing the orchestral literature, Thomas Fey and his musicians initially dealt with the works of Georg Friedrich Handel and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart . From the 200th year of his death in 1991, they dedicated the Heidelberg Mozart Weeks music festival to the latter . When the great symphonies of the Viennese Classic, which burst the chamber orchestra line-up, were finally reached, it was decided to found the Heidelberg Symphony Orchestra. The new symphony orchestra celebrated its first successes with a Beethoven cycle. The repertoire of the Heidelberg Symphony Orchestra now includes large parts of the Viennese Classic , including a large number of symphonies and solo concerts by Haydn , Mozart and Beethoven. The concert programs also increasingly feature works from the 19th century, with a focus on symphonies from the early German Romantic period around Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy and Robert Schumann and right up to the great waltzes by Johann Strauss (Sohn) . The ensemble also dedicates itself to the lesser-known repertoire from the time of the Viennese Classic and enriches its programs with works by Johann Nepomuk Hummel , Joseph Martin Kraus and Antonio Salieri .
The orchestra has worked with numerous soloists since its inception, including Rudolf Buchbinder , Thomas Zehetmair , Cyprien Katsaris , Martin Stadtfeld , Bernd Glemser , Nelson Freire , Fazil Say , Ragna Schirmer , Maximilian Hornung and Reinhold Friedrich . This was followed by guest performances in Europe and South America as well as recordings for radio, television and CD. Since an accident with chief conductor Thomas Fey in autumn 2014, the orchestra has been working with guest conductors, including Frieder Bernius , Reinhard Goebel , Stefan Klingele , Johannes Klumpp , Michael Hofstetter and Timo Jouko Herrmann .
Discography (selection)
- Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphonies No. 1 & 2 and No. 4 & 6
- Joseph Haydn: Complete recording of all symphonies [64 symphonies have been published on 34 CDs to date]
- Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy: all symphonies and string symphonies
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphonies KV 114, KV 134, KV 201
- Robert Schumann: Symphony No. 2 in C major, op.61
- Carl Stamitz : Concerts for viola d'amore and orchestra
Awards (selection)
- Cannes Classical Award (for the recording of Beethoven's Symphony No. 4 & 6)
- International Classical Music Award (for the recording of Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 2 Lobgesang )