The Staatskapelle Dresden (known formally as the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden) is a German orchestra based in

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 ...

, the capital of

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a ...

. Founded in 1548 by Maurice, Elector of Saxony, it is one of the world's oldest and most highly regarded orchestras. Its precursor ensemble was Die Kurfürstlich-Sächsische und Königlich-Polnische Kapelle (The Electoral Saxon and Royal Polish Orchestra). The orchestra is the musical body of the Staatsoper Dresden (Dresden State Opera). The venue of the orchestra is the

Semperoper The Semperoper () is the opera house of the Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden (Saxon State Opera) and the concert hall of the Staatskapelle Dresden (Saxon State Orchestra). It is also home to the Semperoper Ballett. The building is located on the ...

History

Heinrich Schütz was associated with the orchestra early in its existence. In the nineteenth century, Carl Maria von Weber and

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...

each served as ''Hofkapellmeister'' of the orchestra. In the twentieth century,

Richard Strauss Richard Georg Strauss (; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer, conductor, pianist, and violinist. Considered a leading composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras, he has been described as a successor of Richard Wag ...

became closely associated with the orchestra as both conductor and composer, which premiered several of his works. Karl Böhm and Hans Vonk were notable among the orchestra's chief conductors in that they served as chief conductors of both the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden and the State Opera simultaneously.

Herbert Blomstedt Herbert Thorson Blomstedt (; born 11 July 1927) is a Swedish conductor. Herbert Blomstedt was born in Massachusetts. Two years after his birth, his Swedish parents moved the family back to their country of origin. He studied at the Stockholm Ro ...

was musical director of the Staatskapelle from 1975 to 1985, and now has the title of ''Ehrendirigent'' (honorary conductor) with the orchestra.

Giuseppe Sinopoli Giuseppe Sinopoli (; 2 November 1946 – 21 April 2001) was an Italian conductor and composer. Biography Sinopoli was born in Venice, Italy, and later studied at the Benedetto Marcello Conservatory in Venice under Ernesto Rubin de Cervin ...

was chief conductor from 1992 until his sudden death in 2001. Bernard Haitink replaced him in August 2002, but resigned in 2004 over disputes with the Staatskapelle's ''Intendant'', Gerd Uecker, on the orchestra's choice of successor. In August 2007

Fabio Luisi Fabio Luisi (born 17 January 1959) is an Italian conductor. He is currently principal conductor of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, music director of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and chief conductor of the NHK Symphony Orchestra. Bio ...

began his tenure as chief conductor after having appointed as far back as January 2004. He shared with Böhm and Vonk the historic distinction of being chief conductor of both the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden and the Sächsische Staatsoper simultaneously. Luisi was scheduled to step down as chief conductor in 2012 in accord with the October 2009 announcement of Christian Thielemann as the orchestra's next chief conductor, effective with the 2012–2013 season. However, Luisi resigned as chief conductor of the Staatskapelle in February 2010, effective immediately, after reports that the management had secured a contract with the ZDF network for a scheduled televised concert on New Year's Eve 2011 without consulting him at all in his capacity as the orchestra's GMD. Thielemann was initially contracted with the orchestra through 2019. In November 2017, the orchestra announced the extension of Thielemann's contract as chief conductor through 31 July 2024. In May 2021, Barbara Klepsch, the Culture Minister of Saxony, announced that Thielemann is to conclude his tenure with the Staatskapelle Dresden at the close of his current contract, at the end of July 2024. Sir Colin Davis held the title of 'conductor laureate' from 1990 until his death in 2013, the first and only to-date conductor to be granted this title by the orchestra. The orchestra named Myung-Whun Chung as its first-ever principal guest conductor, effective as of the 2012–2013 season. In 2007, the orchestra inaugurated the post of ''Capell-Compositeur'' or composer-in-residence, with each appointed composer installed for one concert season. The first ''Capell-Compositeur'' was

Isabel Mundry Isabel Mundry (born 20 April 1963) is a German composer. Life and work Isabel Mundry was born in Schlüchtern (Germany) in 1963 and studied composition at the Hochschule der Künste and electronic music, musicology and history at the Berlin Tec ...

. Sofia Gubaidulina was ''Capell-Compositrice'' for the 2014–2015 and 2016–2017 seasons, the first composer to hold the title more than once. Arvo Pärt holds the title of ''Capell-Compositeur'' for the 2017–2018 season. The orchestra featured Sinopoli as its ''Capell-Compostiteur'' for the 2020–2021 season as a posthumous tribute. In April 2007, the European Cultural Foundation awarded the orchestra a prize "''zur Bewahrung des musikalischen Weltkulturerbes''" (for preservation of the world's musical heritage"). In June 2011, the orchestra was announced as the new resident orchestra of the Salzburg Easter Festival, as of 2013. In 2000, Daniele Gatti first guest-conducted the orchestra. In June 2022, the orchestra announced its election of Gatti as its next chief conductor, effective in 2024.

Kapellmeister and chief conductors

* Johann Walter (1548–1554) * Mattheus Le Maistre (1555–1568) * Antonio Scandello (1568–1580) * Giovanni Battista Pinelli (1580–1584) *

Rogier Michael Rogier Michael von Bergen (ca. 1553 probably in Bergen-op-Zoom – after middle 1623 in Dresden) was a Franco-Flemish composer, singer and Kapellmeister of the late Renaissance. Life and work Michael came to Vienna as a child with his father S ...

(1587–1619) * Heinrich Schütz (1615–1672, ''Hofkapellmeister'') * Vincenzo Albrici (1654–1680) * Giovanni Andrea Bontempi (1656–1680) *

Carlo Pallavicini Carlo Pallavicino (Pallavicini; c. 1630 – 29 January 1688) was an Italian composer. Pallavicino was born at Salò. From 1666 to 1673, he worked at the Dresden court; from 1674 to 1685, at the '' Ospedale degli Incurabili'' (a conservatory where ...

(1666–1688) *

Nicolaus Adam Strungk Nicolaus Adam Strungk (christened 15 November 1640 in Braunschweig – 23 September 1700 in Dresden) was a German composer and violinist. Life Nicolaus Adam was the son of the organist Delphin Strungk. He studied organ under his father, then a ...

(1688–1700, ''Hofkapellmeister'') * Johann Christoph Schmidt (1697–1728, ''Hofkapellmeister'') *

Antonio Lotti Antonio Lotti (5 January 1667 – 5 January 1740) was an Italian composer of the Baroque era. Biography Lotti was born in Venice, although his father Matteo was '' Kapellmeister'' at Hanover at the time. Oral tradition says that in 1682, Lotti ...

(1717–1719) * Johann David Heinichen (1717–1729) *

Giovanni Alberto Ristori Giovanni Alberto Ristori (1692 - 7 February 1753) was an Italian opera composer and conductor. He was the son of Tommaso Ristori, the leader of an opera troupe belonging to the King of Poland and Elector of Saxony August II the Strong (based ...

(1725–1733) *

Johann Adolph Hasse Johann Adolph Hasse (baptised 25 March 1699 – 16 December 1783) was an 18th-century German composer, singer and teacher of music. Immensely popular in his time, Hasse was best known for his prolific operatic output, though he also composed a co ...

(1733–1763, ''Hofkapellmeister'') * Johann Gottlieb Naumann (1776–1801, ''Hofkapellmeister'') *

Ferdinando Paer Ferdinando Paer (1 July 1771 – 3 May 1839) was an Italian composer known for his operas. He was of Austrian descent and used the German spelling Pär in application for printing in Venice, and later in France the spelling Paër. Life and career ...

(1802–1806, ''Hofkapellmeister'') *

Francesco Morlacchi Francesco Giuseppe Baldassare Morlacchi (14 June 1784 – 28 October 1841) was an Italian composer of more than twenty operas. During the many years he spent as the royal Royal Kapellmeister in Dresden, he was instrumental in popularizing the It ...

(1810–1841, ''Hofkapellmeister'') * Carl Maria von Weber (1816–1826, ''Hofkapellmeister'') * Carl Gottlieb Reißiger (1826–1859, ''Hofkapellmeister'') *

(1843–1848, ''Hofkapellmeister'') * Carl August Krebs (1850–1880) *

Julius Rietz August Wilhelm Julius Rietz (28 December 1812 – 12 September 1877) was a German composer, conductor, cellist, and teacher. His students included Woldemar Bargiel, Salomon Jadassohn, Arthur O'Leary, and (by far the most celebrated) Sir Arthur ...

(1874–1877) * Franz Wüllner (1877–1884) *

Ernst von Schuch Ernst Edler von Schuch, born Ernst Gottfried Schuch (23 November 1846, Graz – 10 May 1914, Niederlößnitz/Radebeul Dresden) was an Austrian conductor who became famous through his working collaborations with Richard Strauss at the Dresden C ...

(1884–1914) * Fritz Reiner (1914–1921) * Fritz Busch (1922–1933) * Karl Böhm (1934–1943) * Karl Elmendorff (1943–1944) * Joseph Keilberth (1945–1950) * Rudolf Kempe (1949–1953) * Franz Konwitschny (1953–1955) *

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 ...

(1956–1958) * Otmar Suitner (1960–1964) *

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, where ...

(1964–1967) *

Martin Turnovský Martin Turnovský (29 September 1928 – 19 May 2021) was a Czech conductor whose career flourished under the guidance of George Szell, but was hampered by the communist regime. Biography Turnovský was born in Prague. As a boy, he showed pro ...

(1966–1968) *

(1975–1985) * Hans Vonk (1985–1990) *

(1992–2001) * Bernard Haitink (2002–2004) *

(2007–2010) * Christian Thielemann (2012–present) * Daniele Gatti (designate, effective 2024)

Composers-in-residence

(2007–2008) *

Bernhard Lang Bernhard Lang (born 24 February 1957 Linz, Austria) is an Austrian composer, improviser and programmer of musical patches and applications. His work can be described as contemporary classical, with roots, however, in various genres such as 20th-cen ...

(2008–2009) * Rebecca Saunders (2009–2010) * Johannes Maria Staud (2010–2011) * Lera Auerbach (2011–2012) * Hans Werner Henze (2012–2013) * Wolfgang Rihm (2013–2014) * Sofia Gubaidulina (2014–2015) * György Kurtág (2015–2016) * Sofia Gubaidulina (2016–2017) * Arvo Pärt (2017–2018) *

Péter Eötvös Péter Eötvös ( hu, Eötvös Péter, ; born 2 January 1944) is a Hungarian composer, conductor and teacher. Eötvös was born in Székelyudvarhely, Transylvania, then part of Hungary, now Romania. He studied composition in Budapest and C ...

(2018–2019) *

Aribert Reimann Aribert Reimann (born 4 March 1936) is a German composer, pianist and accompanist, known especially for his literary operas. His version of Shakespeare's ''King Lear'', the opera ''Lear'', was written at the suggestion of Dietrich Fischer-Dieska ...

(2019–2020) *

(2020–2021, posthumous) * Matthias Pintscher (2021–2022)

References

External links

Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden website

English-language history of the orchestra, official website

Homepage
of the Semperoper

of the Semperoper
"Europäische Kulturpreisverleihung am 26. April 2007 in Brüssel", European Cultural Foundation, photo posting, 31 December 2007
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sachsische Staatskapelle Dresden 1548 establishments in the Holy Roman Empire German symphony orchestras Music in Dresden Musical groups established in the 16th century Organizations established in the 1540s Tourist attractions in Dresden Herbert von Karajan Prize winners