Music lovers Kiel

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Logo of the Musikfreunde Kiel

The Verein der Musikfreunde Kiel eV (in short: Musikfreunde Kiel or VdM ) is a non-profit, recognized, volunteer-run cultural association whose primary concern is to enrich the musical life in Kiel . The cooperation with the Philharmonic Orchestra Kiel and Theater Kiel is reflected in various concert series that have been jointly designed or carried out.

In addition, the association is committed to events that give children and young people the easiest possible access to classical music and, in cooperation with the Schleswig-Holstein State Music Council or sponsors , offer young musicians a concert platform.

The association was founded in 1901 and currently has around 1,700 members.

history

1901 to 1933

The organist , conductor and composer from Kiel , Hermann Stange , called for the establishment of an orchestra in the Kieler Zeitung in July 1901 . This was the actual starting signal for the foundation of today's Kiel Philharmonic Orchestra. To support the founding, Hermann Stange founded the Verein der Musikfreunde.

The commitment of the Musikfreunde Kiel was welcomed by the then mayor Paul Fuß , but it will take a few years before the city council finally approved the establishment. The successor to Hermann Stange as chairman of the Verein der Musikfreunde, the legal scholar Theodor Niemeyer , did the decisive persuasion.

At the beginning of 1905 the plans for a new city ​​theater in Kiel had progressed so far that the opening date October 1, 1907 was certain. On the basis of an orchestral contract between the Musikfreunde and the city of Kiel, the new theater tenant was made a condition that the new orchestra also act as a theater orchestra.

From May 12, 1907, 55 musicians were wanted for concert and theater services. The conductor was Felix Schreiber . Robert Reitz , born in 1884 in Burgdorf, Switzerland, was chosen as the first concertmaster, who held this position until 1912 and later became professor of violin at the Weimar Music School (where Marlene Dietrich taught violin, among others ).

As the “Orchestra of the Verein der Musikfreunde”, the new Kiel ensemble started the summer season on May 23, 1907 with Carl Millöcker's Der Bettelstudent . The opening of the Theater am Kleiner Kiel , designed by Heinrich Seeling , took place as planned on October 1st, 1907 with Beethoven's Fidelio , and the folk concerts that had been held since 1902/03, as the concerts of the Musikfreunde Kiel were called, were able to take place in the 1907/08 season Professional orchestra are played.

After Fritz Busch , who later became General Music Director of the Semper Opera House in Dresden , canceled his signed contract in favor of the post of music director in Aachen in 1912 and did not even take up his post in Kiel, Ernst Kunsemüller, born in 1885, was the first outstanding musician to stand on the podium of the Kiel Orchestra. He was also appointed university music director here. In 1915, Kunsemüller entered the military voluntarily and fell in 1918.

With Fritz Stein a successor has been found. However, the increased cost of living after the First World War made it necessary to adjust the wages of the orchestra musicians. Since this wage increase could not be paid by the Musikfreunde and the theater also refused an increase, the orchestra turned directly to the city of Kiel on March 25, 1919 with an official request to take over the ensemble in city administration as the "city orchestra". The association supported the request, but wanted to keep the organization of the concerts in its hands. It took until February 1st, 1920 for the city of Kiel to avert the threatened dissolution of the association and orchestra.

1933 to 1945

Fritz Stein , conductor of the VdM concerts and university music director, became head of the State University of Music in Berlin in 1933 . His successor was Hans Gahlenbeck , initially as head of the VdM concerts and city music director, and a year later (1934) as general music director , whereby the personal separation of operas and concerts , which was not unproblematic under Stein, was lifted.

As expected, the concert programs were “German” during the Nazi era: a lot of Beethoven and Mozart , Schubert and Brahms , Strauss and Pfitzner . The chairmanship of the association was entrusted to Arthur Nordmann , a party loyal cultural man of the city of Kiel.

In the 1938/39 season Paul Belker took over the direction of the municipal orchestra and steered it through the catastrophic war years (up to the last concert in summer 1944) as well as through the difficult first post-war years.

1945 until today

After the unconditional surrender in 1945, Paul Belker did everything in his power to bring the musicians back to Kiel from captivity with targeted “recall letters” to various camp administrations. Under the British occupation there were regular concerts again as early as the 1945/46 season. Belker also tried to bring those composers closer to his audience, whose pieces were considered " degenerate " during the Third Reich .

In 1945 Belker also took over the chairmanship of the Verein der Musikfreunde, thereby ensuring its continued existence and close cooperation with the municipal orchestra. At the end of the 1949/50 season, Belker moved to Essen . His successors were Georg C. Winkler (1951–1959) and Niklaus Aeschbacher (1959–1963).

The general music directors Peter Ronnefeld (1963–65) and Hans Zender (1969–72) established New Music in Kiel. Hans Zender founded the "musica nova" series together with the artistic director Joachim Klaiber and in collaboration with music lovers. During this time, in 1965, the construction and inauguration of the new concert hall on the fjord, which enabled the orchestral concerts to be moved from the opera house, also took place.

With the arrival of Klaus Weise in 1981, a new era began, so to speak. Since May 24, 1971 the orchestra has called itself the “Philharmonic Orchestra”, but until now the respective general music director had to have the season planning approved by the board of the Musikfreunde Kiel. Klaus Weise refused this regulation and asked the city of Kiel to change the contract with Musikfreunde. The music lovers continue to manage the subscriptions to the Philharmonic Concerts, in return the orchestra plays in the series of Mozart concerts, which were brought into being by the music lovers.

General Music Director Klauspeter Seibel (1987–1995) was committed to upgrading the orchestra to A status. In the end, the decisive vote in the city ​​council failed .

After Walter E. Gugerbauer (1995–1998) and Ulrich Windfuhr (1998–2003), Georg Fritzsch has been General Music Director of the Kiel Philharmonic Orchestra since 2003 .

Concert series

Mozart concerts

The concerts in this series are dedicated to the works of Mozart , which are complemented by works by other artists or composers that are suitable for music history or composition to create a round music evening. The concert venue for all Mozart concerts is the Petruskirche in the Kiel-Wik district .

Philharmonic concerts

The concert series of the Philharmonic Orchestra Kiel includes nine concerts that will be played over two days: Sundays at 11 a.m. and Mondays at 8 p.m. For concerts with world premieres or compositions from the 20th century, Musikfreunde Kiel offers composer portraits, in which the composer usually reports on himself and his new work. The concert venue is the concert hall in Kiel Castle .

Musical matinees

In the musical matinees, which take place in the acoustically excellent Klaiber studio in the Kiel Opera House , which also serves as a rehearsal room for the Philharmonic Orchestra, musicians from the Philharmonic Orchestra and vocal soloists from the Kiel Opera play works of chamber music .

Classically inspired

In this concert series, everything revolves around the grand piano : as a solo instrument in piano recitals or as a chamber music partner in duo or ensemble recitals.

A special concern of this concert series is also the promotion of young pianists, which is carried out in Hamburg in cooperation with Steinway & Sons .

The concert venue for all “classically inspired” concerts is the Ansgar Church in the Kiel-Blücherplatz district .

Boys / master class podium

When it comes to promoting exceptional musical talents from the Kiel area, the Förde Sparkasse has shown itself to be a strong partner of Musikfreunde Kiel for years. In the architecturally refined customer hall of the historic main office on Lorentzendamm in Kiel, which is ideally suited for chamber music, those young musicians who are already on the threshold of professional careers or who are just about to start receive a forum for representative performances.

Foundation, endowment

The Stiftung Musikfreunde Kiel supports projects that introduce young people to sophisticated music in order to learn to appreciate it. The early introduction to music and other cultural educational content should help young people to become creative, innovative, stable people who appreciate and further develop cultural values. The foundation is also committed to promoting talented young musicians in the region.

The Stiftung Musikfreunde Kiel is therefore building up a stock of assets, from whose interest income concerts and projects for cultural education in the musical field are financed.

The following projects are currently being implemented:

  • Schoolchildren to the concert (attending concerts including a student-friendly introduction)
  • Children and youth concerts
  • Promotion of the gifted

Personalities

founder

Association chairperson

Conductor of the VdM concerts and philharmonic concerts

Honorary members

Memberships

Musikfreunde Kiel are members of the following institutions:

Web links

literature

  • Verein der Musikfreunde - A concert life in Kiel (authors: Selke Harten-Strehk, Oliver Kopf, Karl-Heinz Reinfandt; publisher: Wolfgang Schmöe; Verlag Walter G. Mühlau, Kiel 2001; ISBN 3-87559-087-2 )
  • Kiel Lexicon (editors: Doris Tillmann and Johannes Rosenplänter; Wachholtz Verlag , 2011; ISBN 978-3-529-02556-3 )