Horst Stein

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Horst Stein 1986
Horst Stein in Bamberg

Horst Walter Stein (born May 2, 1928 in Elberfeld , today in Wuppertal ; † July 27, 2008 in Vandœuvres , Switzerland ) was a German concert and opera conductor .

Life

Horst Walter Stein was born on May 2, 1928 in Elberfeld (today a district of Wuppertal) as the son of a mechanic. He attended the Musisches Gymnasium in Frankfurt a. M. ( piano , oboe , drums , singing ) and then studied at the Cologne University of Music . His teacher in conducting was Günter Wand . He studied composition with Philipp Jarnach . His musical career began in 1947 as a répétiteur at the Städtische Bühnen Wuppertal, where he stayed until 1951. In 1955 he came via Hamburg to the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin, which was reopened after severe war damage . The internationally known conductor Erich Kleiber had hired the then 27-year-old. He started out as the Staatskapellmeister, but was soon appointed coordinated general music director. Horst Stein worked in this position until 1961. In addition to his work at the opera , he taught at the East Berlin University of Music from 1959 to 1961. From 1961 to 1963 he held the position of deputy general music director at the Hamburg State Opera under Artistic Director Rolf Liebermann . He then went from 1963 to 1970 as general music director and opera director at the Nationaltheater Mannheim . At the same time, he was the first conductor of the Vienna State Opera from 1969 to 1972 , where he conducted more than 500 performances, most recently on April 1, 1972 the new production of Daphne with Mimi Coertse . From 1972 to 1977 he was back in Hamburg, this time as general music director. In the 1970s he was also a frequent guest at the Deutsche Oper Berlin v. a. in Wagner performances. He became a professor at the Hamburg University of Music and trained young conductors.

He showed great interest in the Richard Wagner Festival in Bayreuth at an early stage . From 1952 he assisted Joseph Keilberth , Hans Knappertsbusch , Clemens Krauss and Herbert von Karajan . From 1969 on he conducted himself, including the Ring des Nibelungen , Parsifal , Meistersinger , Tannhäuser and Tristan und Isolde . Between 1969 and 1986 alone, he directed 138 performances on the Green Hill . The Salzburg Festival, a highlight in international musical life, also attracted Horst Stein. Between 1985 and 1989 he conducted a series of concerts and opera performances there, including works by Strauss , Mozart and Beethoven .

From 1980 to 1985 he was artistic director and chief conductor of the Orchester de la Suisse Romande in Geneva . Horst Stein then became chief conductor of the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra . He held this position until his appointment as honorary conductor in 1996. In addition to his Bamberg position, he was artistic director of the Basel Symphony Orchestra and the General Music Society in Basel until 1994 .

Horst Stein last lived in Vandœuvres in the Swiss canton of Geneva , where he died on July 27, 2008.

meaning

Horst Stein was regarded as an extraordinarily experienced conductor who mastered a large repertoire, had outstanding technical skills and did a lot for the next generation of artists. He devoted himself equally to opera and concert literature. He had a predilection for romanticism and late romanticism . Composers like Carl Maria von Weber , Brahms , Wagner , Bruckner , Strauss or Reger have always been among his favorites. He was guest conductor of major orchestras, the Vienna and Berlin Philharmonic , the London Philharmonic Orchestra , the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra , the Dresden Staatskapelle , the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and the NHK Symphony Orchestra Tokyo, which made him an honorary conductor.

In 1996 he was awarded the Anton Bruckner Ring by the Wiener Symphoniker , with which he was a regular guest . Numerous honorary memberships underline the importance of Horst Stein. Among other things, he was an honorary member of the Mannheim National Theater , the Friends of the Vienna State Opera and the Richard Wagner Association Linz. Horst Stein has received several awards for his services. In 1996 he received the Austrian Decoration of Honor for Science and Art from the Federal President of the Republic of Austria . In 2003 he was awarded the Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and Art .

Horst Stein has produced a large number of records. The focus here is again on the concert and opera literature of the 19th and early 20th centuries. There are also radio and television recordings.

Discography

(Selection, alphabetically by composer)

literature

Web links

Commons : Horst Stein  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Stein, Horst
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Stein, Horst Walter (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German concert and opera conductor
DATE OF BIRTH May 2, 1928
PLACE OF BIRTH Elberfeld
DATE OF DEATH July 27, 2008
Place of death Vandœuvres