Günter Wand (7 January 1912, in
Elberfeld
Elberfeld is a municipal subdivision of the Germany, German city of Wuppertal; it was an independent town until 1929.
History
The first official mentioning of the geographic area on the banks of today's Wupper River as "''elverfelde''" was ...
, Germany – 14 February 2002, in Ulmiz near
Bern
Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...
, Switzerland) was a German orchestra
conductor and
composer
A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music.
Etymology and def ...
. Wand studied in
Wuppertal
Wuppertal (; ) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, in western Germany, with a population of 355,000. Wuppertal is the seventh-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia and List of cities in Germany by population, 17th-largest in Germany. It ...
,
Allenstein and
Detmold. At the Cologne Conservatory, he was a composition student with
Philipp Jarnach and a piano student with
Paul Baumgartner.
He was a conducting pupil of Franz von Hoesslin in Munich, but was otherwise largely self-taught as a conductor.
During his 65-year-long career as a conductor, he was particularly revered for his
Schubert
Franz Peter Schubert (; ; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical period (music), Classical and early Romantic music, Romantic eras. Despite his short life, Schubert left behind a List of compositions ...
and
Bruckner, and was honoured with many significant awards, including the
German Record Award and the internationally important
Diapason d'Or.
Career
In February 1924, aged 12, Wand attended a performance of
Der Zigeunerbaron at the Thalia Theatre in Wuppertal-Elberfeld, and was so entranced he decided to become a conductor. The role of Sandor Barinkay that evening was sung by
Richard Tauber.
Cologne
Wand started his career in
Cologne
Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...
, where he was to stay for several decades, as a conductor of the Cologne Opera in 1939. After World War II his position in Cologne was consolidated as he became ''Generalmusikdirektor'' in charge of both the opera and the Gürzenich Orchestra, which he conducted until 1974.
In 1948, he also started teaching conducting at a music school in Cologne. From the early 1950s he guest-conducted a number of orchestras, making his London debut in 1951 with the
London Symphony Orchestra
The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...
. Other orchestras who invited him included the
WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne and
Munich Philharmonic Orchestra
The Munich Philharmonic () is a German symphony orchestra located in the city of Munich. It is one of Munich's four principal orchestras, along with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Munich Radio Orchestra and the Bavarian State Orches ...
.
After several recordings of
Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...
,
Haydn
Franz Joseph Haydn ( ; ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...
and
Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...
with the Gürzenich for a French subscription collection in the mid-1950s, he made no studio recordings for nearly two decades with the exception of an appearance with the
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Vienna Philharmonic (VPO; ) is an orchestra that was founded in 1842 and is considered to be one of the finest in the world.
The Vienna Philharmonic is based at the Musikverein in Vienna, Austria. Its members are selected from the orchestra of ...
on
Decca Records
Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...
, accompanying
Wilhelm Backhaus in
Robert Schumann
Robert Schumann (; ; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and music critic of the early Romantic music, Romantic era. He composed in all the main musical genres of the time, writing for solo piano, voice and piano, chamber ...
's
Piano Concerto
A piano concerto, a type of concerto, is a solo composition in the classical music genre which is composed for piano accompanied by an orchestra or other large ensemble. Piano concertos are typically virtuosic showpieces which require an advance ...
(his only recording with that orchestra). In the 1970s and early 1980s, he recorded the complete symphonies of
Franz Schubert
Franz Peter Schubert (; ; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical period (music), Classical and early Romantic music, Romantic eras. Despite his short life, Schubert left behind a List of compositions ...
and
Anton Bruckner
Joseph Anton Bruckner (; ; 4 September 182411 October 1896) was an Austrian composer and organist best known for his Symphonies by Anton Bruckner, symphonies and sacred music, which includes List of masses by Anton Bruckner, Masses, Te Deum (Br ...
with the
WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne.
Hamburg and late years
In 1982, Wand became chief conductor of the
NDR Symphony Orchestra. With the latter ensemble, he was able to record the complete symphonies of Beethoven and
Brahms as well as works by Mozart,
Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer during the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most popular ...
,
Debussy
Achille Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionism in music, Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influe ...
, Schubert and Schumann. He also remade Bruckner's symphonies 3 to 9.
In January 1982, Wand conducted the
BBC Symphony Orchestra
The BBC Symphony Orchestra (BBC SO) is a British orchestra based in London. Founded in 1930, it was the first permanent salaried orchestra in London, and is the only one of the city's five major symphony orchestras not to be self-governing. The ...
for the first time,
and was appointed principal guest conductor of the orchestra that same year. Wand was noted for demanding considerable rehearsal time, a minimum of 5 to 8 rehearsals, for his London concerts.
On 9 September 1990 his UK Promenade Concert of Bruckner's 5th Symphony with the BBC Symphony was recorded and subsequently released in 2011 on DVD by the BBC/ICA (ICAD 5049). For his first appearance with a US orchestra, the
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by Theodore Thomas in 1891, the ensemble has been based in the Symphony Center since 1904 and plays a summer season at the Ravinia F ...
in 1989, he asked for and received 11 hours of rehearsal time.
Wand subsequently recorded the Brahms
Symphony No. 1, part of that first U.S. program, with the
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by Theodore Thomas in 1891, the ensemble has been based in the Symphony Center since 1904 and plays a summer season at the Ravinia F ...
.
The highlights of Wand's late career were his annual guest appearances with the
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
The Berlin Philharmonic () is a German orchestra based in Berlin. It is one of the most popular, acclaimed and well-respected orchestras in the world.
Throughout the 20th century, the orchestra was led by conductors Wilhelm Furtwängler (1922� ...
, which he conducted in Schubert's
"Unfinished" and
"Great" symphonies (1995) and Bruckner's
Fifth (1996),
Fourth (1998),
Ninth
In music, a ninth is a compound interval consisting of an octave plus a second.
Like the second, the interval of a ninth is classified as a dissonance in common practice tonality. Since a ninth is an octave larger than a second, its ...
(1998),
Seventh (1999) and
Eighth (2001) symphonies.
Artistic style
As a conductor, Wand was a deep believer in the originality of music, aiming to perform works exactly as annotated. His art was marked by straightforward adherence to the score.
As still a young conductor, a journalist asked him how he'd consider interpreting
Beethoven's ninth symphony
The Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Opus number, Op. 125, is a choral symphony, the final complete symphony by Ludwig van Beethoven, composed between 1822 and 1824. It was first performed in Vienna on 7 May 1824. The symphony is regarded by many criti ...
, more like
Arturo Toscanini
Arturo Toscanini (; ; March 25, 1867January 16, 1957) was an Italian conductor. He was one of the most acclaimed and influential musicians of the late 19th and early 20th century, renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orche ...
or rather like
Wilhelm Furtwängler
Gustav Heinrich Ernst Martin Wilhelm Furtwängler ( , ; ; 25 January 188630 November 1954) was a German conductor and composer. He is regarded as one of the greatest Symphony, symphonic and operatic conductors of the 20th century. He was a majo ...
. Wand answered laconically: "Like Beethoven".
[The German Wikipedia refers to this source: Eduard Prüssen (Linolschnitte), Werner Schäfke und Günter Henne (Texte): ''Kölner Köpfe.'' 1. Auflage. Univ.- und Stadtbibliothek, Köln 2010, , S. 86.]
Repertoire
In his late years, Wand restricted his repertoire almost exclusively to the symphonies of Anton Bruckner (which he had never conducted until he was over 60), Schubert, Brahms, Beethoven and Mozart. Earlier in his career, however, he was a devoted interpreter of the
contemporary music Contemporary music is whatever music is produced at the current time. Specifically, it could refer to:
Genres or audiences
* Adult contemporary music
* British contemporary R&B
* Christian adult contemporary
* Christian contemporary hit radio
* Con ...
of such composers as
Frank Martin,
György Ligeti
György Sándor Ligeti (; ; 28 May 1923 – 12 June 2006) was a Hungarian-Austrian composer of contemporary classical music. He has been described as "one of the most important avant-garde music, avant-garde composers in the latter half of the ...
,
Edgard Varèse
Edgard Victor Achille Charles Varèse (; also spelled Edgar; December 22, 1883 – November 6, 1965) was a French and American composer who spent the greater part of his career in the United States. Varèse's music emphasizes timbre and rhythm; h ...
,
Olivier Messiaen
Olivier Eugène Prosper Charles Messiaen (, ; ; 10 December 1908 – 27 April 1992) was a French composer, organist, and ornithology, ornithologist. One of the major composers of the 20th-century classical music, 20th century, he was also an ou ...
, and initially
Bernd Alois Zimmermann
Bernd Alois Zimmermann (20 March 1918 – 10 August 1970) was a German composer. He is perhaps best known for his opera ''Die Soldaten'', which is regarded as one of the most important German operas of the 20th century, after those of Berg. Hi ...
as well.
Wand regarded Bruckner as the "most important symphonist after Beethoven". Wand's biographer
Wolfgang Seifert wrote that "it is no exaggeration to say that Günter Wand has made an indispensable contribution toward the understanding of Bruckner in our time."
Compositions
Wand also composed music, mostly songs with orchestral accompaniment and music for ballet. One composition was his concertino "Odi et amo", for soprano and chamber orchestra, which Wand wrote for his wife, the soprano Anita Westhoff.
Anita Wand (Westhoff) died on 29 December 2009 at Ulmiz (CH), at the age of 89 years.
Awards
During his over 65-year-long career as conductor, Günter Wand received several important prizes, including
German Record Award, the
German Record Critic's Prize, the
Echo Award
Echo Music Prize (stylised as ECHO, ) was an accolade by the , an association of recording companies of Germany to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry. The first ECHO Awards ceremony was held in 1992, and was set up to honor ...
and twice the internationally significant
Diapason d'Or, which he received for his Schubert and Bruckner recordings with the
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
The Berlin Philharmonic () is a German orchestra based in Berlin. It is one of the most popular, acclaimed and well-respected orchestras in the world.
Throughout the 20th century, the orchestra was led by conductors Wilhelm Furtwängler (1922� ...
. In 1996 Wand received the rarely awarded
Hans von Bülow Medal.
Discography (sel.)
*With NDR-Sinfonieorchester:
**Beethoven:
***Sinfonie Nr. 3 & Leonoren Ouvertüre Nr. 3 CD RD60755 (03/1991)
***Sinfonien Nr. 5 & 6 CD 09026 61930 2 (10/1993)
***Sinfonien Nr. 1 & 2 CD 74321 66458 2 (04/2001)
***Sinfonie Nr.1 & Nr.6 Nr.74321891082(11/2001)
***Sinfonie Nr.2 & Nr.7 Nr.74321891072(11/2001)
***Sinfonie Nr.3 & Nr.8 Nr.74321891062(11/2001)
***Sinfonie Nr.4 & Nr.5 Nr.74321891052(11/2001)
***Sinfonie Nr.9 Nr.74321891042 (11/2001)
***Sinfonien Nr. 1-9 74321891092 (11/2001)
***Sinfonie Nr.4 Nr.74321897172 (01/2002)
**Brahms:
***Sinfonie Nr. 1 CD 09026 68889 2 (02/1998)
***Sinfonien Nr. 2 & 3 CD 09026 68888 2 (02/1998)
***Sinfonien Nr. 1-4 3CD 09026 63348 2 (01/1999)
***Sinfonie Nr. 4 CD 09026 63244 2 (01/1999)
***Sinfonien Nr.1 & Nr.3 Nr.74321891022 (11/2001)
***Sinfonien Nr.2 & Nr.4 Nr.74321891012 (11/2001)
***Sinfonien Nr.1-4 Nr.74321891032 (11/2001)
**Bruckner:
***Sinfonie Nr. 5 (Originalfassung) CD RD60361 (06/90)
***Sinfonie Nr. 4 „Romantische“ CD RD60784 (04/1991)
***Sinfonie Nr. 4 2CD 74321930412
***Sinfonie Nr. 7 (Originalfassung) CD 09026 61398 2 (03/1993)
***Sinfonie Nr. 9 (Originalfassung) CD 09026 62650 2 (06/1994)
***Sinfonie Nr. 8 2CD 09026 68047 2 (04/1995)
***Sinfonie Nr. 6 (Originalfassung) CD 09026 68452 2 (06/1996)
**Debussy: Le Martyre de Saint Sébastien; CD 74321 75583 (05/2000)
**Fortner: Bluthochzeit – Zwischenspiele für Orchester; CD RD60827 (12/1991)
**Martin: Petite Symphonie concertante;
**Mozart:
***Sinfonie Nr.36
***Sinfonien Nr. 39 & 41 „Jupiter“ CD RD60714 (12/1990)
***Sinfonie Nr. 40;
***Posthornserenade Nr.74321897172
**Mussorgsky: Bilder einer Ausstellung
**Schubert
***Sinfonie Nr. 5
***Sinfonie Nr. 8 „Unvollendete“; CD RD60826 (12/1991)
***Sinfonie Nr. 9 „Große C-Dur“ CD RD60978 (12/1991)
**Schumann: Sinfonie Nr. 4
**Stravinsky
***Concerto in Es (Dumbarton Oaks);
***Pulcinella Suite; CD 09026 61190 2 (10/1992)
**Tchaikovsky
***Sinfonie Nr. 5 CD 09026 68032 2 (11/1994)
***Sinfonie Nr. 6 „Pathétique“
**Webern: 5 Stücke für Orchester, op.10
*NDR Live-Recordings 1989-1995:
**Beethoven, Bruckner, Mozart, Tschaikowsky, Schubert 17 CD Box 74321 34162 2 (09/1996)
*With Kölner Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester:
**Bruckner:
***The 9 Symphonies 10CD 09026639302 (08/1989)
***Symphony No. 1 (Wiener Fassung) CD 09026639312 (12/1989)
***Symphony No. 2 CD 09026639322 (12/1989)
***Symphony No. 3 CD 09026639332 (12/1989)
***Symphony No. 4 „Romantische“ CD 09026639342 (12/1989)
***Symphony No. 5 CD 09026639352 (12/1989)
***Symphony No. 6 CD 09026639362 (12/1989)
***Symphony No. 7 CD 09026639372 (12/1989)
***Symphony No. 8 & 9 CD 09026639382 (12/1989)
**Schubert:
***The Complete Symphonies 5CD 09026639402 (08/1989)
***Symphony No. 1 & 2 CD 09026639412
***Symphony No. 3 & 6 CD 09026639422
***Symphony No 4 & 8 CD 09026639432
***Symphony No 5 (Selections from Rosamunde) CD 09026639442
***Symphony No. 9 CD 09026639452
*With Berliner Philharmoniker:
**Bruckner:
***Sinfonie Nr. 5 (Originalfassung)CD 09026 68503 2 (12/1996)
***Sinfonie Nr. 4 „Romantische“ (Haas-Fassung) CD 09026 68839 2 (08/1998)
***Sinfonie Nr. 9 (Originalfassung) CD 74321 63244 2 (08/1999)
***Sinfonie Nr. 7 CD 74321 68716 2 (10/2000)
***Sinfonie Nr.8 CD Nr.743218 28662 (11/2001)
**Schubert:
***Sinfonie Nr. 8 „Unvollendete“ & 9 „Große C-Dur“; 2CD 09026 68314 2 (08/1995)
Literature
*Wolfgang Seifert: ''Günter Wand: so und nicht anders. Gedanken und Erinnerungen.'' Hoffmann und Campe, Hamburg 1998,
References
External links
Günter Wand's website
*
ttp://www.bruceduffie.com/wand.html Interview with Günter Wand 23 January 1989
Last interview with Günter Wand (in German) 2002. Günter Wand makes some essential notes to 5th and 9th symphony of Bruckner
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wand, Gunter
1912 births
2002 deaths
German male conductors (music)
German classical composers
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Musicians from the Rhine Province
Musicians from Wuppertal
Grand Crosses with Star and Sash of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
20th-century German conductors (music)
20th-century German male musicians
BBC Orchestras people
Kapellmeisters of the Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne
Chief conductors of the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra