Philharmonic Orchestra Altenburg Gera
The Philharmonic Orchestra Altenburg Gera is a symphony orchestra and is based in the Altenburg Gera Theater . It plays in the fields of concert , music theater , ballet , drama and puppet theater . The venues are the theaters in Altenburg and Gera .
history
founding
The Philharmonic Orchestra Altenburg Gera was founded on August 1st, 2000 through the merger of the orchestra Landeskapelle Altenburg and Philharmonisches Orchester Gera. At this point in time, both orchestras had a tradition going back centuries.
Landeskapelle Altenburg
Court music began in Altenburg in 1456. The first theatrical performance mentioned in a document took place in 1474 on the Altenburg market. The information about the court chapel is very sketchy in the period that followed up to 1603, which is due to the relatively quick change of government. When Duchess Anna Maria moved into Altenburg Castle (1604), musical life in Altenburg changed fundamentally. During this time court organists such as Georg Zöllner , Johann Christenius, Johann Pflug and Gottfried Scheidt were in the service of the Altenburg court. From 1654, under Friedrich Wilhelm II. Ten permanent musicians belonged to the court orchestra. At the end of 1826 the orchestra consisted of 26 musicians.
In 1868, Duke Ernst I made a postulate in favor of building a theater in Altenburg. On April 16, 1871, after two years of construction, the Ducal Court Theater was officially opened with a performance by Freischütz . After Duke Ernst II's abdication in 1918, the state of Thuringia took over the Altenburg court orchestra as the Altenburg regional orchestra until 1925. In 1927 there was a first merger with the Reussisches Theater Gera (see below). From 1936 the Landeskapelle was run as the Staatskapelle Altenburg. She gave concerts in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in the summer months and was the second orchestra of the Leipzig Opera alongside the Gewandhausorchester .
After a war-related dissolution (1943), the re-established Landeskapelle appeared again for the first time in July 1945. It now had 42 members and in the years that followed, up to the reunification of Germany (1990), it developed into an orchestra with 69 permanent positions. This was followed by job cuts in order to prepare for the merger of the Altenburg and Gera theaters required by the state of Thuringia. With the production of Salome by Richard Strauss at the end of the 124th season, the Landestheater Altenburg ended its independent work.
Philharmonic Orchestra Gera
The appointment of the city of Gera to the residence of the counts and later the princes Reuss, younger line (1572) also marked the beginning of a pronounced musical life in Gera. Its early highlights included the world premiere of the Musical Exequien by Heinrich Schütz (1636), the work of Johann Friedrich Fasch as a violinist and composer of court music (1714 to 1719), the establishment of a Collegium Musicum (1736) and regular series of concerts in the Gera town hall ( from 1773). Due to the multitude of musical activities, Gera was also called "Little Leipzig" in musical terms at that time. Both the Reussian Theater (from 1787), a recreational society for wealthy citizens (from 1796), a musical association (from 1852) and a town music corps (from 1859) contributed to the lively concert life that finally resulted in the establishment of the Reussian Court Orchestra (1888 ) ended. This comprised 30 musicians, the first conductor was court conductor Carl Kleemann.
With the opening of a new theater building (architect: Heinrich Seeling ) the orchestra was given a new location in 1902. The joint financing by the theater-interested Fürstenhaus Reuss and the concert-interested citizens of Geras led to the architectural peculiarity that the new Reussian theater had both a theater hall with 962 seats and a concert hall with 840 seats.
From 1914 Heinrich Laber directed the Reussische Hofkapelle for 28 years. Guest performances in Berlin, Mannheim, Darmstadt, Kassel, Marburg, Frankfurt am Main, Würzburg and Bamberg, trips to Sofia and Constantinople and a subscription series in the Albert-Halle in Leipzig (1917 to 1922) reflect the reputation of the Reussische Kapelle in it Time.
First merger in 1927/28
The first merger of the Gera and Altenburg theaters took place in the 1927/28 season. For the period of initially three years, it was decided to merge the two orchestras to form a chapel with 65 members for opera and operetta in Altenburg, plus a small orchestra for drama music in Gera. The symphony concerts in Gera under the direction of Prof. Heinrich Laber were also guaranteed. However, the merger did not bring the hoped-for advantages and was resolved after just one year.
After the Second World War , the Reussische Kapelle was renamed the Gera Symphony Orchestra. The term of office of GMD Günter Schubert, who was able to increase the orchestra from 58 to 72 posts, proved to be particularly successful. In 1987 the orchestra was given the name of the Gera Philharmonic Orchestra. At that time it had 80 posts. Artistic successes in the early 1990s included a. Guest performances in the Gewandhaus Leipzig , in the Meistersingerhalle Nuremberg and in Switzerland.
Philharmonic Orchestra Altenburg Gera
With the reunification of Germany, the financial and political pressure on many Thuringian theaters and orchestras increased. On August 1, 1995, this led to the theater merger in Altenburg and Gera. From then on, the Landeskapelle Altenburg and the Philharmonic Orchestra Gera worked together under the roof of the Altenburg Gera Theater.
On August 1, 2000, the two ensembles were finally merged to form the Altenburg Gera Philharmonic Orchestra. At the same time, a process of dismantling continued that had already begun in preparation for the theater fusion. Its most recent chapter is a shareholders' resolution from 2016 on a perspective size of 64 posts.
Despite these influences, the Altenburg Gera Philharmonic Orchestra experienced an artistic boom, beginning with the leadership of its first conductor Gabriel Feltz . Since then, this has included numerous CD productions and radio broadcasts as well as guest performances in Salzgitter (2003), in Winterthur (2003, 2011), in the Frauenkirche Dresden (several times from 2006), in Bayreuth (2008), in Miskolc (2009, 2010), in Leipzig (2017), in Timișoara (2019) and in the Bucharest Athenaeum (2019).
The establishment of the Dual Orchestra Academy Thuringia (since 2018) and the inclusion in the federal funding for the Excellent Orchestra Landscape Germany (2018 to 2019) and Wir sind Beethoven (2020) mark the most recent development of the Philharmonic Orchestra Altenburg Gera.
Chief conductor
Altenburg
- 1860 to 1888 Friedrich Wilhelm Stade
- 1903 to 1907 Georg Göhler
- 1907 to 1910 August Richard
- 1910 to 1917 Rudolf Groß
- 1917 to 1920 Eugen Szenkar
- 1922 to 1933 Georg Göhler
- 1933 to 1939 Heinz Drewes
- 1939 to 1943 Eugen Bodart
- 1943 to 1944 Kurt Overhoff
- 1946 to 1952 Gottfried Schwiers
- 1952 to 1959 Otto Siebert
- 1959 to 1965 Martin Egelkraut
- 1965 to 1968 Rolf Schellenberg
- 1968 to 1981 Peter Sommer
- 1981 Helmuth Wünderlich (officiating)
- 1982 to 1985 Reinhard Kießling
- 1985 to 1987 Ekkehard Klemm (officiating)
- 1987 to 1992 Fredo Jung
- 1992 to 1995 Thomas Wicklein (officiating)
- 1995 to 2000 Russell N. Harris
Gera
- 1888 to 1913 Carl Kleemann (court conductor)
- 1914 to 1941 Heinrich Laber (court conductor)
- 1919 Wilhelm Grümmer (music theater)
- 1920 to 1928 Ralph Meyer (music theater)
- 1928 Bruno Vondenhoff (music theater)
- 1932 to 1934 Johannes Graf von Kalckreuth (music theater)
- 1933 to 1934 Hans Swarowsky (music theater)
- 1934 to 1942 Georg C. Winkler (music theater)
From 1942 the concert and music theater in Gera were under joint management
- 1942 to 1948 Karl Fischer
- 1948 to 1951 Karl Köhler
- 1951 to 1952 Robert Hanell (officiating)
- 1952 to 1956 Albert Grünes
- 1956 to 1963 Ernst Albrecht Reinhard
- 1963 to 1969 Joachim Dietrich Link
- 1969 to 1982 Günter Schubert
- 1982 to 1984 Michael Stolle (officiating)
- 1984 to 1994 Wolfgang Wappler
- 1995 to 2000 Russell N. Harris
Philharmonic Orchestra Altenburg Gera
- 2001 to 2006 Gabriel Feltz
- 2006 to 2010 Eric Solén
- 2010 to 2011 Howard Armen
- 2011 to 2013 Jens Troester (acting)
- 2013 to 2020 Laurent Wagner
World premieres (selection)
In addition to numerous world premieres in the music theater (see Theater Altenburg Gera ), the Philharmonic Orchestra Altenburg Gera performed in concerts and a. the following works for the first time:
- Günther Witschurke (1937 - 2017): The stained glass window in Jerusalem for orchestra op.116, world premiere (2001)
- Achim Müller-Weinberg (* 1933): Concerto for organ and orchestra, world premiere (2002)
- Philip Glass (* 1937): Heroes, 4th Symphony based on music by David Bowie and Brian Eno, European premiere (2004)
- Christopher Theofanidis (* 1967): Rainbow Body, orchestral fantasy about a melody by Hildegard von Bingen, European premiere (2004)
- Thomas Buchholz (* 1961): winter music for large orchestra , world premiere (2006)
- Stefano Gervasoni (* 1962): Sonata sopra Santa Maria , German premiere (2008)
- Anders Hillborg (* 1954): Eleven Gates, German premiere (2008)
- Olav Kröger (* 1965): ... the water that sings. Changes for orchestra, world premiere (2010)
- Ľubica Čekovská (* 1975): Concerto for violin and orchestra, world premiere (2010)
- Howard Arman (* 1954): Lord, if only I have you , concert piece for orchestra based on Heinrich Schütz (1585–1672), world premiere (2010)
- Ľubica Čekovská (* 1975): Adorations for large orchestra, German premiere (2011)
- Laurence Traiger (* 1956): Aliyat A Symphonic Meditation, world premiere (2011)
- Howard Arman (* 1954): Fuga ABC (Arman, Bach, Corelli), world premiere (2011)
- Walter Braunfels (1882 - 1954): Symphonic Variations on an Old French Children's Song, Op. 15, first performance since 1933 (2011)
- Joan Tower (* 1938): Made in America , German premiere (2013)
- Henrik Albrecht (* 1969): Much Ado About Nothing, piece for woodwind quartet and orchestra, world premiere (2014)
- Hans Gál (1890 - 1987): Piano Concerto op.57, world premiere (2015)
- Peter Helmut Lang (* 1974): The Little Prince, ballet suite, world premiere (2016)
- Sergei Taneyev (1856-1915): Symphony No. 4 in C minor, Op. 12, German premiere (2017)
- Tichon N. Chrennikov (1913 - 2007): Piano Concerto No. 2 in C major op. 21, German premiere (2017)
- Walter Braunfels (1882 - 1954): Hebridean Dances op.70, first performance since 1933 (2018)
- Béllá Maté (* 1985): Concerto for cymbal and orchestra, world premiere (2018)
- Hans Sommer (1837 - 1922): Mignons Heimath , world premiere (2019)
- Dan Dediu (* 1967): Concerto for violoncello and orchestra, world premiere (2019)
- Ulrich Leyendecker (1946 - 2018): Concerto for bass clarinet and orchestra, world premiere (2020)
Discography (selection)
- 2002 Richard Strauss - An Alpine Symphony; Mikolajus Konstantinas Ciurlionis - In the forest, Gabriel Feltz (conductor), self-published
- 2003 Richard Strauss - Don Juan, Don Quixote, Gabriel Feltz (conductor), self-published
- 2003 Ottorino Respighi - Fontane di Roma, Feste Romane; Joseph Suk - Scherzo Fantastique, Gabriel Feltz (conductor), Dreyer-Gaidano
- 2008 Philipp Scharwenka - Forest and Mountain Spirits, Dramatic Fantasy, Two Polish Dances, Eric Solén (conductor), Sterling
- 2009 Johannes Brahms - Symphony No. 2; Heitor Villa-Lobos - Great Concerto for Violoncello and Orchestra, Lukas Dreyer (Violoncello), Eric Solén (Conductor), self-published
- 2009 Paul Graener - Vienna Symphony, The Flute of Sanssouci, Tower Guardian Song, Flute Concerto, Andreas Knoop, Cornelia Grohmann (flute), Eric Solén (conductor), Sterling
- 2009 Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy - Soldiers' Love, Eric Solén (Conductor), Querstand
- 2017 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Overture to the Magic Flute, Symphony No. 39; Albert Lortzing - jubilee cantata, Laurent Wagner (conductor), self-published
- 2017 Hans Sommer - Rübezahl, Laurent Wagner (conductor), PAN CLASSICS
- 2017 Luigi Cherubini - Marche funèbre, Chant sur la mort de J. Haydn, Requiem, Matthias Grünert (conductor), Rondeau Production
- 2019 ZUKUNFTSMUSIK OSTWÄRTS , Béllá Maté - Sounds of Generation Y Part II, concert for cymbal and orchestra, Miklós Lukács (cymbal), Péter Dobszay (conductor); Balázs Horváth - PLAYLIST for My Journey to Gera, clarinet quintet, Hendrik Schnöke (clarinet), Maximilian Hörmeyer, Anne-Sophie Kühne (violin), Robert Hartung (viola), Ji In Choi (violoncello); Dan Dediu - Concerto for violoncello and orchestra op.167, Mircea Marian (violoncello), Lutz Rademacher (conductor), first recording, Rondeau Production
- 2020 Mieczysław Weinberg - Symphony No. 6 for boys' choir and orchestra op.79, Laurent Wagner (conductor), Rutheneum concert choir, Christian K. Frank (choir production), Klanglogo / Rondeau Production
Chamber music
With the Gera Foyer Concerts and the Altenburg Chamber Concerts , the musicians of the Altenburg Gera Philharmonic Orchestra are creating two of their own chamber music series. In addition, the orientation is a Philharmonic concert per season for the chamber orchestra of the Philharmonic Orchestra Altenburg Gera - the Reuss Chamber Orchestra - reserved.
Support associations
The Verein der Orchesterfreunde Gera eV was founded in 1998. The occasion was to maintain and promote the Gera orchestra. Today the goal of the association is to preserve the Philharmonic concert life for Gera and its surroundings. The association currently has 100 members.
Other sponsoring associations are the Society of Theater and Concert Friends Gera eV and the Association of Theater Friends for Altenburg and Surroundings eV
literature
- MUSIS SACRUM - 100 Years of Theaterhaus Gera, Theater Altenburg-Gera, 2002
- Philharmonic Orchestra Altenburg Gera. A portrait, Association of Friends of the Philharmonic Orchestra eV, 2003, 2020
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e Theater and Philharmonic Thuringia (ed.): Season booklet 2018/19 . Altenburg-Gera.
- ↑ Theater and Philharmonic Thuringia (ed.): Season booklet 2000/2001 . Altenburg-Gera.
- ^ A b c Martin Groskopff: The Landeskapelle Altenburg . In: Association of Orchesterfreunde Gera eV (Ed.): Philharmonic Orchestra Altenburg-Gera. A portrait. Altenburg / Gera 2003.
- ↑ a b c d e f Michael Stolle: Orchestra in Gera . In: Theater Altenburg-Gera (Hrsg.): MUSIS SACRUM - 100 years of the Gera theater . Altenburg / Gera 2002.
- ^ Karin and Joachim Lange: Construction of the new theater house . In: Theater Altenburg-Gera (Hrsg.): MUSIS SACRUM - 100 years of the Gera theater . Altenburg / Gera 2002.
- ^ Wolfgang Hirsch: Double-edged financing agreement for Theater Altenburg-Gera . In: Mediengruppe Thüringen (Ed.): Thüringer Allgemeine . July 22, 2016.
- ↑ Press release from the Altenburg-Gera Theater. Retrieved September 12, 2019 .
- ^ Homepage of the Association of Orchestra Friends. Retrieved September 12, 2019 .