The Frankfurter Opern- und Museumsorchester ''(Frankfurt Opera House and Museum's Orchestra)'' is the resident

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, c ...

of the

Oper Frankfurt The Oper Frankfurt (Frankfurt Opera) is a German opera company based in Frankfurt. Opera in Frankfurt am Main has a long tradition, with many world premieres such as Franz Shrek's ''Der ferne Klang'' in 1912, '' Fennimore und Gerda'' by Frede ...

. Its somewhat peculiar name is derived from the series of "

Museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make thes ...

Concerts", organized by the Frankfurter Museumsgesellschaft since 1808. The orchestra is ranked as an "A-list" ensemble under the German TVK regulations. Its music director and principal conductor is

Sebastian Weigle Sebastian Weigle (born 1961, in East Berlin) is a German conductor and horn player. He is currently ''Generalmusikdirektor'' of the Oper Frankfurt and principal conductor of the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra. Biography Weigle is a nephew of ...

History and repertory

With a history spanning more than 200 years, the Frankfurter Opern- und Museumsorchester is one of Germany's oldest symphonic ensembles. It was founded in the late 18th century as the orchestra of the

, Frankfurt's municipal opera. In addition to playing in the opera house, the orchestra maintains a series of 10 subscription programs per season (each played twice, on Sundays 11 a.m. and Mondays 8 p.m. CET, respectively), performed at the

Alte Oper Alte Oper (Old Opera) is a concert hall in Frankfurt am Main, Hesse, Germany. It is located in the inner city, Innenstadt, within the banking district Bankenviertel. Today's Alte Oper was built in 1880 as the city's opera house, which was destr ...

Frankfurt, a former opera house converted into a concert hall. The orchestra has attracted leading conductors and musicians since its founding. Composer-violinist

Louis Spohr Louis Spohr (, 5 April 178422 October 1859), baptized Ludewig Spohr, later often in the modern German form of the name Ludwig, was a German composer, violinist and conductor. Highly regarded during his lifetime, Spohr composed ten symphonies, t ...

was the second principal conductor (1817–1819) of the Museumsorchester; his successors included

Clemens Krauss Clemens Heinrich Krauss (31 March 189316 May 1954) was an Austrian conductor and opera impresario, particularly associated with the music of Richard Strauss, Johann Strauss and Richard Wagner. Krauss was born in Vienna to Clementine Krauss, ...

William Steinberg William Steinberg (Cologne, August 1, 1899New York City, May 16, 1978) was a German-American conductor. Biography Steinberg was born Hans Wilhelm Steinberg in Cologne, Germany. He displayed early talent as a violinist, pianist, and composer, ...

Franz Konwitschny Franz Konwitschny (14 August 1901, Fulnek, Moravia – 28 July 1962, Belgrade) was a German conductor and violist of Moravian descent. He started his career on the viola,Schwinger playing in the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra under Wilhelm Furtw ...

, Georg Solti,

Christoph von Dohnányi Christoph von Dohnányi (; born 8 September 1929) is a German conductor. Biography Youth and World War II Dohnányi was born in Berlin, Germany to Hans von Dohnanyi, a German jurist of Hungarian ancestry, and Christine Bonhoeffer. His uncle ...

, and

Michael Gielen Michael Andreas Gielen (20 July 19278 March 2019) was an Austrian conductor and composer known for promoting contemporary music in opera and concert. Principally active in Europe, his performances are characterized by precision and vivacity, aid ...

. Other notable conductors and composers who led the orchestra have included Gustav Mahler, Richard Strauss,

Arthur Nikisch Arthur Nikisch (12 October 185523 January 1922) was a Hungarian conductor who performed internationally, holding posts in Boston, London, Leipzig and—most importantly—Berlin. He was considered an outstanding interpreter of the music of B ...

Hans Pfitzner Hans Erich Pfitzner (5 May 1869 – 22 May 1949) was a German composer, conductor and polemicist who was a self-described anti-modernist. His best known work is the post-Romantic opera ''Palestrina'' (1917), loosely based on the life of the ...

Willem Mengelberg Joseph Wilhelm Mengelberg (28 March 1871 – 21 March 1951) was a Dutch conductor, famous for his performances of Beethoven, Brahms, Mahler and Strauss with the Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest s ...

Wilhelm Furtwängler Gustav Heinrich Ernst Martin Wilhelm Furtwängler ( , , ; 25 January 188630 November 1954) was a German conductor and composer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest symphonic and operatic conductors of the 20th century. He was a major ...

Hans Knappertsbusch Hans Knappertsbusch (12 March 1888 – 25 October 1965) was a German conductor, best known for his performances of the music of Wagner, Bruckner and Richard Strauss. Knappertsbusch followed the traditional route for an aspiring conductor in Ger ...

Hermann Abendroth Hermann Paul Maximilian Abendroth (19 January 1883 – 29 May 1956) was a German conductor. Early life Abendroth was born on 19 January 1883, at Frankfurt, the son of a bookseller. Several other members of the family were artists in diverse dis ...

Bruno Walter Bruno Walter (born Bruno Schlesinger, September 15, 1876February 17, 1962) was a German-born conductor, pianist and composer. Born in Berlin, he escaped Nazi Germany in 1933, was naturalised as a French citizen in 1938, and settled in the U ...

, and

George Szell George Szell (; June 7, 1897 – July 30, 1970), originally György Széll, György Endre Szél, or Georg Szell, was a Hungarian-born American conductor and composer. He is widely considered one of the twentieth century's greatest condu ...

. The orchestra has played the premieres of several operas. Richard Strauss' large-scale tone-poems ''

Ein Heldenleben ''Ein Heldenleben'' (''A Hero's Life''), Op. 40, is a tone poem by Richard Strauss. The work was completed in 1898. It was his eighth work in the genre, and exceeded any of its predecessors in its orchestral demands. Generally agreed to be au ...

'' and ''

Also sprach Zarathustra ', Op. 30 (, ''Thus Spoke Zarathustra'' or ''Thus Spake Zarathustra'') is a tone poem by Richard Strauss, composed in 1896 and inspired by Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophical 1883–1885 novel ''Thus Spoke Zarathustra''.Johannes Brahms and

Clara Schumann Clara Josephine Schumann (; née Wieck; 13 September 1819 – 20 May 1896) was a German pianist, composer, and piano teacher. Regarded as one of the most distinguished pianists of the Romantic era, she exerted her influence over the course of a ...

in the 19th century. From 1915 to 1923, composer-violist

Paul Hindemith Paul Hindemith (; 16 November 189528 December 1963) was a German composer, music theorist, teacher, violist and conductor. He founded the Amar Quartet in 1921, touring extensively in Europe. As a composer, he became a major advocate of the ' ...

served as

concertmaster The concertmaster (from the German ''Konzertmeister''), first chair (U.S.) or leader (U.K.) is the principal first violin player in an orchestra (or clarinet in a concert band). After the conductor, the concertmaster is the second-most signifi ...

of the Opern- and Museumsorchester. Its repertoire includes major operatic and symphonic works from Baroque to contemporary music. In the 2005/2006 and 2006/2007 seasons, the Museumsorchester was voted one of the three top German opera orchestras in the country, selected by the leading operatic magazines in Germany. For the 2007/2008 season, the noted German periodical ''

Die Deutsche Bühne ''Die Deutsche Bühne'' is the oldest German theatre magazine and reports on the fields of acting, music theatre and dance. It first appeared under this title in 1909. The publisher is the Deutscher Bühnenverein. The editorial team consists of ...

'' voted the Oper Frankfurt the best opera house in Germany. Finally, in 2009, the respected music-industry magazine ''

Opernwelt ''Opernwelt'' (''Opera World'') is a monthly German magazine for opera, operetta and ballet. It includes news about current performances, portraits of composers and performers, articles about opera houses, performance spaces, and contemporary and ...

'' voted the Opern- und Museumsorchester ''Orchestra of the Year'' among all the German opera- and theatre orchestras, an honour the orchestra shares with the

Bayerisches Staatsorchester The Bavarian State Orchestra (german: Bayerisches Staatsorchester, italic=no) is the orchestra of the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, Germany. It has given its own series of concerts, the , since 1811. Profile On 9 December 2011, this ensemble c ...

; in both 2010 and 2011 the orchestra was again named "Orchestra of the Year".

Music Directors and Principal Conductors

* 1817 – 1819:

* 1821 – 1848: Carl Guhr * 1848 – 1860: Franz Messer * 1860 – 1891: Carl Müller * 1880 – 1892: Felix Otto Dessoff * 1893 – 1924: Ludwig Rottenberg * 1924 – 1929:

* 1929 – 1933:

Hans Wilhelm Steinberg William Steinberg (Cologne, August 1, 1899New York City, May 16, 1978) was a German-American conductor. Biography Steinberg was born Hans Wilhelm Steinberg in Cologne, Germany. He displayed early talent as a violinist, pianist, and composer, ...

(aka:

) * 1933 – 1934: Bertil Wetzelsberger * 1935 – 1936:

Karl Maria Zwißler Karl Maria Zwißler (12 August 1900 – 15 September 1984) was a German conductor, and academic. He was for decades the Generalmusikdirektor and Intendant of the Staatstheater Mainz. He taught conducting at the music universities of Stuttgart an ...

* 1937 – 1938:

Georg Ludwig Jochum Georg Ludwig Jochum (sometimes hyphenated as Georg-Ludwig Jochum) (10 December 1909 – 1 November 1970) was a German conducting, conductor and younger brother of better-known conductor Eugen Jochum. He was born in Babenhausen, Bavaria, Babenhause ...

* 1938 – 1944:

* 1945 – 1951:

Bruno Vondenhoff Bruno may refer to: People and fictional characters *Bruno (name), including lists of people and fictional characters with either the given name or surname * Bruno, Duke of Saxony (died 880) * Bruno the Great (925–965), Archbishop of Cologne, ...

* 1952 – 1961: Georg Solti * 1961 – 1966:

Lovro von Matačić Lovro von Matačić (14 February 1899 – 4 January 1985) was a Croatian conductor and composer. Early life Lovro von Matačić was born in Sušak to a family that was granted a noble title in the early 17th century. Growing up, he was always s ...

* 1966 – 1968:

Theodore Bloomfield Theodore Robert Bloomfield (June 14, 1923 – April 1, 1998) was an American conductor. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio, he studied music at Oberlin College in Ohio and conducting with Edgar Schenkman for two years on a fellowship at the Juill ...

* 1968 – 1977:

* 1977 – 1987:

* 1987 – 1991:

Gary Bertini Gary Bertini ( he, גארי ברתיני, May 1, 1927 – March 17, 2005) was one of the most important Israeli musicians and conductors. In 1978 he was awarded the Israel Prize for Music. Biography Gary Bertini was born ''Shloyme Golergant'' i ...

* 1991 – 1992: Hans Drewanz * 1992 – 1997:

Sylvain Cambreling Sylvain Cambreling (born 2 July 1948 in Amiens, France) is a French conductor. Biography Trained as a trombone player, Cambreling studied at the Paris Conservatoire. He joined l' Orchestre Symphonique de Lyon (OSL) as a trombonist in 1971. In 19 ...

* 1997 – 1999:

Klauspeter Seibel Klauspeter Seibel (7 May 1936 in Offenbach am Main – 8 January 2011 in Hamburg) was a German conductor. Trained at the Nuremberg Conservatory and the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München, he was principal conductor of the Nuremberg Symp ...

* 1999 – 2008:

Paolo Carignani Paolo Carignani (born 1961) is an Italian conductor. He has been chief conductor of the Opern- und Schauspielhaus Frankfurt (1997–2008),Something Sensational p295 William Guy – 2008 "... and this sort of ecstasy is what occurred for me in F ...

* 2008 –

Orchestra Members (2009–2010 season)

Source: Violins I Ingo de Haas , Dimiter Ivanov , Gesine Kalbhenn-Rzepka , Karin Boerries , Andreas Martin , Vladislav Brunner , Susanne Callenberg-Bissinger , Arvi Rebassoo , Sergio Katz , Hartmut Krause , Basma Abdel-Rahim , Kristin Reisbach , Karen von Trotha , Dorothee Plum , Christine Schwarzmayr , Freya Ritts-Kirby , Juliane Strienz , Almut Frenzel-Riehl , Jefimija Brajovic , Gisela Müller , Beatrice Kohllöffel , Tamara Okolowska , Nemanja Bugarcic Violins II Guntrun Hausmann , Sebastian Deutscher , Sabine Scheffel , Olga Yukhananova , Lutz ter Voert , Theo Herrmann , Antonin Svoboda , Kyong Sil Kim , Wolfgang Schmidt , Doris Drehwald , Lin Ye , Susanna Laubstein , Donata Wilken , Frank Plieninger , Nobuko Yamaguchi , Regine Schmitt , Marina Sarkysian , Alexandra Wiedner Violas Thomas Rössel , Philipp Nickel , Wiebke Heidemeier , Ludwig Hampe , Martin Lauer , Dieter Mock , Philipp Hufnagel , Robert Majoros , Miyuki Saito , Jean-Marc Vogt , Mathias Bild , Fred Günther , Ulla Hirsch , Susanne Hefele Violoncellos Daniel-Robert Graf , Rüdiger Clauß , Sabine Krams , Kaamel Salah-Eldin , Johannes Oesterlee , Philipp Bosbach , Horst Schönwälder , Louise Giedraitis , Corinna Schmitz , Florian Fischer , Roland Horn Doubles Basses Ichiro Noda , Bruno Suys , Hedwig Matros-Büsing , Akihiro Adachi , Choul-Won Pyun , Ulrich Goltz , Matthias Kuckuk , Philipp Enger , Heinrich Lademann , Hans Uhlmann Flutes Paul Dahme ,

Sarah Louvion Sarah Louvion (born 1976) is a French classical flautist. The award-winning player has been the principal flute of the Frankfurter Opern- und Museumsorchester from 2002, and is active as a soloist and chamber musician. She has given internationa ...

, Anne-Cathérine Heinzmann , Rolf Bissinger , Almuth Turré , Rüdiger Jacobsen Oboes Nick Deutsch , Giorgi Gvantseladze , Márta Malomvölgyi , Dorothea Gömmel , Oliver Gutsch Clarinets Johannes Gmeinder , Jens Bischof , Diemut Schneider-Tetzlaff , Julia Hollenberg , Matthias Höfer Bassoons Karl Ventulett , Heiko Dechert , Richard Morschel , Eberhard Beer , Stephan Köhr French Horns Sibylle Mahni-Haas , Mahir Kalmik , Fabian Borchers , Casey Rippon , Thomas Bernstein , Silke Schurack , Dirk Delorette , Detlef Holzhauser Trumpets Wolfgang Basch , David Tasa , Markus Bebek , Wolfgang Guggenberger , Dominik Ring Trombones Reinhard Nietert , Tim Raschke , Hartmut Friedrich , Manfred Keller , Rainer Hoffmann Tuba/Cimbasso József Juhász-Aba Timpani Tobias Kästle , Ulrich Weber Percussion Jürgen Friedel , Nicole Hartig , Michael Dietz Harps Françoise Friedrich , Barbara Mayr

Books

* Paul Bartholomäi: ''Das Frankfurter Museums-Orchester – zwei Jahrhunderte Musik für Frankfurt'', Edition Peters, Frankfurt am Main 2002, (in German)

References

External links

Homepage of the Frankfurt am Main City Opera

Frankfurter Museumsgesellschaft (German)

Alte Oper Frankfurt (German)
{{Authority control 18th-century establishments in the Holy Roman Empire German symphony orchestras Museums in popular culture Music in Frankfurt Tourist attractions in Frankfurt