Philharmonic Orchestra Hagen
The Hagen Philharmonic Orchestra is the orchestra of the city of Hagen / Westphalia. It is the oldest municipal orchestra in Westphalia and works closely with the Hagen Theater . In addition to performing at the Hagen Theater, the orchestra organizes ten symphony concerts in the Hagen town hall each season . Chamber concerts, special concerts and crossover projects are just as much a part of the orchestra's program as projects for and with children and young people. The orchestra has 60 posts and belongs to pay group B. Joseph Trafton has been General Music Director of the Theater Hagen since the 2017/18 season .
history
On the initiative of Robert Laugs , music director of the Hagen Concert Society at the time, a 42-man orchestra was founded in 1907 and Hans Pelz was appointed municipal conductor. This gave Hagen the first municipal orchestra in Westphalia. As of 1914, the orchestra had to temporarily interrupt its performance due to the First World War, but was able to give regular concerts again in 1919 under the new direction of Hans Weisbach .
After a heyday in the Weimar Republic and the increase in the ensemble to 53 musicians, the city of Hagen announced its orchestra during the economic crisis. Concert and opera guest performances as well as permanent engagements in Norderney and Sopot bridged this time. During the National Socialism , the orchestra was taken back into service with a strength of 46 musicians. During this time Hans Herwig was the city's music director until he moved to Luxembourg in 1943. A year later the concert business was stopped again. In the post-war phase, the Lord Mayor Ewald Sasse, with the help of the head of the cultural affairs department, City Planning Officer Dr. Hübler, the head of the cultural administration, Hildegard Uhlenbrauck, and Erich Illinger continued to give concerts and finally initiated the reorganization of the city orchestra.
In the following decades the number of musicians rose to 52, and Berthold Lehmann replaced the GMD Klaus Nettstraeter . In 1964 the orchestra's program was expanded to include the "Hagen Music Days", which then take place annually. The participation of various choirs from the area enriches the events. General Music Director Reinhard Schwarz, who took over Lehmann's duties from 1970, is increasingly committed to youth work and initiates projects in cooperation with schools. As part of this commitment to youth, a music competition was announced in 1979. In the following years the number of visitors doubled due to the artistic development work of the GMD Michael Halász . From 1981 the modern town hall with around 1,600 seats offered the orchestra and its audience a permanent home.
In 1990, Gerhard Markson took over the position of General Music Director in Hagen and, in addition to his work in the opera sector, also increased the orchestra's national commitment. With the 1997/1998 season, there was a cooperation with the South Westphalia Philharmonic Hilchenbach. This political decision ensured the continued existence of both orchestras. Successful concerts were given in Hagen and the South Westphalia region under the new General Music Director Georg Fritzsch . After that, the orchestra group failed for financial and organizational reasons, and both orchestras were released into independence again in August 2002. The number of positions was reduced to 60. As the successor to Georg Fritzsch, Antony Hermus became artistic director. Hermus, who rose from trainee to general music director at Theater Hagen, founded the Scratch project, which was awarded in 2007 as part of the "365 Landmarks in the Land of Ideas" competition.
In the 2007/2008 season the orchestra celebrated its centenary with special events, among others together with Jon Lord , Hans Liberg , Roby Lakatos and Extrabreit . Since the anniversary season, the orchestra has performed repeatedly with artists from different musical styles. In 2009/2010, luxury noise and Igudesman & Joo should be mentioned in particular . Florian Ludwig was General Music Director of the Philharmonic Orchestra Hagen from summer 2008 to summer 2017 .
In the 2014/2015 concert season, the Philharmonic Orchestra of the City of Hagen received the award for "Best Concert Program". The jury of the German Music Publishers Association justified its judgment with the unusually broad repertoire of the Hagener, which encompasses all epochs of classical orchestral music: "The variety of concert activities of the ensemble, which has a tradition dating back more than a century, is proof of the efficiency of a municipal orchestra "said jury member Dr. Axel Sikorski "The connection to the audience is deliberately designed and strengthened on many levels, which also ensures that it is broadcast throughout the region." In addition to the musical diversity and the presentation of contemporary music, the jury particularly praised the family and children's offer. The children are introduced to classical music in a playful way through special offers.
The orchestra has been directed by Joseph Trafton since the 2017/2018 season.
literature
- Hagen Buch 2007: Impulses for the history of the city, the local area and the history of art. ardenkuverlag. Hagen 2006. ISBN 3-932070-69-0
- Färber, Jens: artist, citizen, government. Music and theater politics in Hagen in the 19th and 20th centuries, Münster 1999
- Fritzsche, Jörg: 100 Years of the Hagen Orchestra - The History of the Hagen Philharmonic Orchestra, in: Hagen Philharmonic Orchestra (ed.): 100 Years of the Hagen Philharmonic Orchestra 1907–2007 (Festschrift), Hagen 2007, pp. 13–87.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Joseph Trafton - General Music Director. Theater Hagen gGmbH, accessed on February 12, 2018 .
- ^ Farewell to Florian Ludwig with Mahler's masterpiece - Hohenlimburger Blatt. Retrieved September 22, 2017 .
- ↑ News. Retrieved December 12, 2018 .
- ↑ Joseph Trafton introduces himself to the Hagen Council - HAGENonline. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on September 23, 2017 ; accessed on September 22, 2017 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
