The Konzerthausorchester Berlin is a German
symphony orchestra
An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families.
There are typically four main sections of instruments:
* bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, ce ...
based in
Berlin. The orchestra is resident at the
Konzerthaus Berlin, designed by the architect
Karl Friedrich Schinkel. The building was destroyed during
World War II, and was rebuilt from 1979 to 1984.
History
The orchestra was founded in 1952 as the ''Berliner Sinfonie-Orchester'' (Berlin Symphony Orchestra) in what was then
East Berlin
East Berlin was the ''de facto'' capital city of East Germany from 1949 to 1990. Formally, it was the Allied occupation zones in Germany, Soviet sector of Berlin, established in 1945. The American, British, and French sectors were known as ...
, as a rival ensemble to the
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra based in
West Berlin. The first chief conductor was Hermann Hildebrandt. In 1974, the
Berlin Sinfonietta was founded to serve as the sister chamber orchestra of the ''Berliner Sinfonie-Orchester''. After
German reunification
German reunification (german: link=no, Deutsche Wiedervereinigung) was the process of re-establishing Germany as a united and fully sovereign state, which took place between 2 May 1989 and 15 March 1991. The day of 3 October 1990 when the Ge ...
in 1989, the orchestra was threatened with dissolution, but subscriber action maintained the ensemble. The orchestra acquired its current name in 2006. (This orchestra is separate from the West-Berlin based
Berliner Symphoniker, founded in 1967.) The ''Konzerthausorchester Berlin'' currently has, as its sister chamber orchestra, the ''Konzerthaus Kammerorchester''.
Kurt Sanderling
Kurt Sanderling, CBE (; 19 September 1912 – 18 September 2011) was a German conductor.
Sanderling was born in Arys, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire (now Orzysz, Poland), to Jewish parents. His early work at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, whe ...
was the longest-serving chief conductor of the orchestra, from 1960 to 1977. Subsequent chief conductors have been
Günther Herbig
Günther Herbig (born 30 November 1931) is a German conductor.
Born in Ústí nad Labem, Czechoslovakia, Herbig studied conducting at the Franz Liszt Academy in Weimar in 1951 (then in East Germany) with Hermann Abendroth. He later was a student ...
,
Claus Peter Flor,
Michael Schønwandt (1992–1998),
Eliahu Inbal (2001–2006),
Lothar Zagrosek, and
Iván Fischer. In November 2017, the orchestra announced the appointment of
Christoph Eschenbach as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2019-2020 season, with an initial contract of 3 years. In July 2021, the orchestra announced the extension of Eschenbach's contract through the 2022–2023 season. He is scheduled to conclude his chief conductorship of the orchestra at the close of the 2022-2023 season.
Principal guest conductors of the orchestra have included
Dmitri Kitayenko. With the 2017-2018 season,
Juraj Valčuha
Juraj Valčuha (born 1976, Bratislava) is a Slovak conductor who has worked mainly in Italy and France. He is the designated conductor of the Houston Symphony Orchestra from the 2022/23 season.
Life
Born in Bratislava, Valčuha studied composi ...
became principal guest conductor of the orchestra, following his initial guest-conducting appearance with the orchestra in the 2014-2015 season, and his subsequent return guest-conducting engagement 2 years later.
Joana Mallwitz
Joana Mallwitz (born 1986 in Hildesheim) is a German conductor and pianist.
Biography
Mallwitz began to study violin at age 3, and piano at age 5. At age 14, she became a pupil of Christa-Maria Hartmann and Karl-Heinz Kämmerling. She continued ...
first guest-conducted the orchestra during the 2020-2021 season. In August 2021, the orchestra announced the appointment of Mallwitz as its next chief conductor and artistic director, effective with the 2023-2024 season, with an initial contract of five seasons. Mallwitz is the first female conductor to be named chief conductor of the Konzerthausorchester Berlin.
Principal conductors
* Hermann Hildebrandt (1952–1959)
*
Kurt Sanderling
Kurt Sanderling, CBE (; 19 September 1912 – 18 September 2011) was a German conductor.
Sanderling was born in Arys, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire (now Orzysz, Poland), to Jewish parents. His early work at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, whe ...
(1960–1977)
*
Günther Herbig
Günther Herbig (born 30 November 1931) is a German conductor.
Born in Ústí nad Labem, Czechoslovakia, Herbig studied conducting at the Franz Liszt Academy in Weimar in 1951 (then in East Germany) with Hermann Abendroth. He later was a student ...
(1977–1983)
*
Claus Peter Flor (1984–1991)
*
Michael Schønwandt (1992–1998)
*
Eliahu Inbal (2001–2006)
*
Lothar Zagrosek (2006–2011)
*
Iván Fischer (2012–2018)
*
Christoph Eschenbach (2019–present)
*
Joana Mallwitz
Joana Mallwitz (born 1986 in Hildesheim) is a German conductor and pianist.
Biography
Mallwitz began to study violin at age 3, and piano at age 5. At age 14, she became a pupil of Christa-Maria Hartmann and Karl-Heinz Kämmerling. She continued ...
(designate, effective 2023)
See also
*
Music in Berlin
Since the 18th century Berlin has been an influential musical center in Germany and Europe. First as an important trading city in the Hanseatic League, then as the capital of the electorate of Brandenburg and the Prussian Kingdom, later on as one o ...
References
External links
Official website of the Konzerthausorchester Berlin
{{Authority control
Musical groups established in 1952
German orchestras
Music in Berlin
1952 establishments in Germany