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The Staatsorchester Rheinische Philharmonie, also known as the Rheinische Philharmonie, is a professional
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 ...
in
Koblenz
Koblenz (; Moselle Franconian language, Moselle Franconian: ''Kowelenz''), spelled Coblenz before 1926, is a German city on the banks of the Rhine and the Moselle, a multi-nation tributary.
Koblenz was established as a Roman Empire, Roman mili ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. Founded in Autumn of 1945, it was adopted as an orchestra of the German state with state tax support in 1973. It is the resident orchestra of the concert venue
Rhein-Mosel-Halle in Koblenz. Former principal conductors of the orchestra include Walter May, Carl August Vogt, Claro Mizerit, Walter Crabeels, Pierre Stoll,
James Lockhart,
Christian Kluttig
Christian Kluttig (born 17 August 1943) is a German conductor, pianist and Hochschullehrer. From 1979 to 1990, he was chief conductor of the . Appointed General Music Director in 1983, he worked as such at the theatres in Halle Opera House, Halle ...
, and
Garry Walker
Garry Walker (born 1974, Edinburgh) is a Scottish conductor.
Biography
Walker received his secondary school education at St Mary's Music School. His initial musical training was as a cellist, and he subsequently played cello in the Edinbur ...
. The orchestra has a good reputation internationally.
Conductor
Benjamin Shwartz Benjamin Shwartz (born 1979) is an American-Israeli orchestral and opera conductor, and music director of the Wrocław Philharmonic known for his interest in and commitment to new music. Born in Los Angeles and raised there and in Israel, he attende ...
serves as the orchestra's current musical director.
History
1654–1808
In 1654, the
Elector of Trier
The elector of Trier was one of the prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire and, in his capacity as archbishop, administered the archdiocese of Trier. The territories of the electorate and the archdiocese were not, however, equivalent.
History
...
, Prince
Karl Kaspar von der Leyen
Karl Kaspar von der Leyen (18 December 1618 – 1 June 1676) was Electorate of Trier, Archbishop-Elector of Trier and a Prince-Elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 1652 to 1676.
Life
A member of the noble Leyen family, Charles Kaspar was made ...
, who was residing in Koblenz at the time, founded the Koblenz Court Orchestra. As a result, the Koblenz Orchestra, under the last Elector of Trier,
Clemens Wenzeslaus of Saxony, became one of the largest orchestras in Germany, with a total of 49 musicians. Only the
chapel
A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common ty ...
s in Berlin,
Dresden
Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...
and
Mannheim
Mannheim (; Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (german: Universitätsstadt Mannheim), is the second-largest city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg after the state capital of Stuttgart, and Germany's 2 ...
were larger. However, when the
French revolutionary troops occupied Koblenz in 1794, the Elector fled, and the court and the band were dissolved. The loss of court and church music affected the citizens of Koblenz, as there had been public concerts and opera performances since 1760. Although not all of the musicians left the city, the regular concerts that were now given in the “Drei Reichskronen” restaurant, as well as other attempts to keep the concert culture alive by citizens, were not as successful as hoped.
1808–1900
The
philharmonic tradition was only institutionalized again with the founding of the
Music Institute in 1808 by the Koblenz lawyer and musician
Joseph Andreas Anschuez
Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...
. The Music Institute, whose task was initially church music, acted as an employer for the Koblenz orchestra musicians for the next 100 years. In addition to the symphony orchestra, it ran a
singing school
A singing school is a school in which students are taught to sightread vocal music. Singing schools are a long-standing cultural institution in the Southern United States. While some singing schools are offered for credit, most are informal program ...
with a choir. The institute's most prominent music director from 1865 to 1866 was
Max Bruch
Max Bruch (6 January 1838 – 2 October 1920) was a German Romantic composer, violinist, teacher, and conductor who wrote more than 200 works, including three violin concertos, the first of which has become a prominent staple of the standard v ...
, who composed his famous
Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor in Koblenz, which also had its premiere in Koblenz.
1900–1945
In 1901, a “Philharmonic Orchestra Association” was founded, the aim of which was to maintain a permanent orchestra in Koblenz. The former
Bad Kreuznach
Bad Kreuznach () is a town in the Bad Kreuznach district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is a spa town, most well known for its medieval bridge dating from around 1300, the Alte Nahebrücke, which is one of the few remaining bridges in th ...
spa orchestra, which was led by Humperdinck's student Heinrich Sauer, was hired as an orchestra for Koblenz. It played both symphony concerts and opera performances. In 1907, however, the orchestra went to Bonn and became the temporary symphony orchestra of the
Beethovenhalle
The Beethovenhalle () is a concert hall in Bonn. It is the third hall in that city to bear the name of Bonn-born composer Ludwig van Beethoven.
History
The first Beethovenhalle was a temporary structure built in 1845 during the inauguration of ...
. This later became the Beethoven Orchestra Bonn in Bonn. A new orchestra was founded in Koblenz. In 1913, the Music Institute and Philharmonic Orchestra were separated. From then on, the orchestra was called the “Municipal Orchestra”. In 1926, the positions of music director of the music institute, musical director of the theater and
chief conductor
A music(al) director or director of music is the person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert band, the di ...
of the orchestra were combined in one person, Erich Böhlke, and in 1927 Böhlke was given the title of “general music director”. Böhlke led the orchestra; During this time there were several co-productions with the Bonn Orchestra. After 1930 brought with it the dissolution of the opera and the municipal orchestra, the musicians themselves ensured the preservation of their ensemble. Until 1936, when the city took over the orchestra again, now with only 36 musicians, they played as the “Orchestra of the Association of Koblenz Professional Musicians”. On the orders of the Reich Propaganda Ministry, the orchestra was disbanded again in 1944.
Since 1945
After the end of the
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, in August 1945, the editor of the Mittelrhein-Kurier,
Anton Tilmann Veit
Anton may refer to: People
*Anton (given name), including a list of people with the given name
*Anton (surname)
Places
*Anton Municipality, Bulgaria
**Anton, Sofia Province, a village
*Antón District, Panama
**Antón, a town and capital of th ...
from Bad Ems, placed advertisements: he was looking for a conductor and 54 musicians for a philharmonic orchestra. The date of the audition, September 15, 1945, is considered the founding date of the “Rheinische Philharmonie”. The orchestra's new name implies that Veit's plans were to provide the entire
Rhineland
The Rhineland (german: Rheinland; french: Rhénanie; nl, Rijnland; ksh, Rhingland; Latinised name: ''Rhenania'') is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly its middle section.
Term
Historically, the Rhinelands ...
with radio broadcasts across zones. The orchestra was initially a radio orchestra. It played symphony concerts for the radio and the Koblenz Music Institute as well as in the smaller towns around Koblenz. The Catholic reading club and an inn served as
rehearsal
A rehearsal is an activity in the performing arts that occurs as preparation for a performance in music, theatre, dance and related arts, such as opera, musical theatre and film production. It is undertaken as a form of practising, to ensure t ...
halls. From 1946 onwards, the theater was again used for opera productions. After the suspension A.T. Veits due to conflicts of interest with the French occupation and the subsequent shift in focus of Südwestfunk, which had taken over the Koblenz studio, the orchestra no longer had an employer. Until 1955, the orchestra was self-governing as a voluntary association. In 1955, the Rheinische Philharmonie became a registered association and has since received continuous support from the state of
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the ...
. Since then, the 65–72 orchestra musicians have been paid according to the
tariff
A tariff is a tax imposed by the government of a country or by a supranational union on imports or exports of goods. Besides being a source of revenue for the government, import duties can also be a form of regulation of foreign trade and poli ...
. With the inauguration of the Rhein-Mosel-Halle in Koblenz, the orchestra has had a permanent concert venue for major symphony concerts since the end of 1962. In 1970 the orchestra was promoted to salary class B and became a state orchestra on July 1, 1973. Since then, the orchestra has been called the “Staatsorchester Rheinische Philharmonie”. Since 1985, the rehearsal room and thus the headquarters of the orchestra has been the historic Görreshaus, named after
Joseph Görres
Johann Joseph Görres, since 1839 von Görres (25 January 1776 – 29 January 1848), was a German writer, philosopher, theologian, historian and journalist.
Early life
Görres was born in Koblenz. His father was moderately well off, and sent hi ...
. In 1988 the orchestra's circle of friends was founded.
References
1945 establishments in Germany
German symphony orchestras
Musical groups established in 1945
Music in Koblenz
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