Hansjörg Albrecht & Konzerthausorchester Berlin


Biography Hansjörg Albrecht & Konzerthausorchester Berlin

Hansjörg Albrecht & Konzerthausorchester Berlin
Hansjörg Albrecht
conductor, organist and harpsichordist, is Artistic Director of the Munich Bach Choir & Bach Orchestra (founded by the legendary Karl Richter). Besides he regularly conducts the Bach Collegium Munich, the Orchestra del Teatro di San Carlo Naples and the C.P.E.-Bach-Choir Hamburg. With these ensembles as well as in collaboration with guest orchestras he has developed new programmatic profiles and is regular guest at major music centres and European festivals.

As conductor he worked with such artists as Dorothee Oberlinger, Arabella Steinbacher, Fazil Say, Vesselina Kasarova, Simone Kermes, Michael Volle und Klaus Florian Vogt and with ensembles like Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI Turin, Orchestra delle Toscana Florence, Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana, Prague Philharmonia, Bavarian State Orchestra, Münchner Rundfunkorchester, Staatskapelle Weimar, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Hamburger Symphoniker, Deutsche Radio Philharmonie, Brussels Chamber Orchestra, Baroque Orchestra Moscow, Elbipolis Baroque Orchestra and the ensembles of the Stuttgart Bach Academy.

Besides his engagements as conductor (in Munich, Hamburg, Berlin, Dresden, Salzburg, Rome, Naples, Warsaw, St. Petersburg, Moscow, Tokyo and other towns) he appears as a soloist and in chamber music (in the past with artists like Albrecht Mayer, Yaara Tal & Andreas Groethuysen and Jean Guillou).

Concerts as organist have taken Hansjörg Albrecht to a number of great concert halls and cathedrals in Europe and Russia as well as to Japan and the USA. He also guested with renowned orchestras such as Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Los Angeles Opera Orchestra, St. Luke’s Chamber Orchestra New York, Orchestre de la Swisse Romande, Orchestra Sinfonica di Santa Cecilia Rome, Camerata Salzburg, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Kremerata Baltica and Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra.

Hansjörg Albrecht was born in Freiberg/Saxony and received his first musical education as a member of the Dresden Kreuzchor. Afterwards he studied conducting and organ in Hamburg, Lyon and Cologne. While studying he became assistant organist at Hamburg’s main church St. Michaelis and held this position for seven years. Later he worked closely with the singer and conductor Peter Schreier as his assistant, organist and harpsichordist for several years.

Although Hansjörg Albrecht has achieved an excellent reputation especially for his Bach interpretations his concert schedule shows a great variety of programs with a predilection for unusual cross-connections. His interest in new music is documented by a number of first performances of works by Thierry Escaich, Enjott Schneider, Philipp Maintz, Xiaogang Ye, Rodion Schtschedrin and others.

Since 2006 Hansjörg Albrecht holds an agreement with the label OehmsClassics and recorded as conductor several highly acclaimed CDs. The recording of Poulenc’s Organ Concerto in which he assumed the dual role of conductor and soloist has been regarded by American critics as equal in quality to the reference recordings of Charles Dutoit, Georges Prêtre and Christoph Eschenbach. In his own organ series “The Art of Organ Transcription” Hansjörg Albrecht illuminates the rich facets of the organ. In 2013, he has been nominated for a GRAMMY Award in the category “Best Classical Instrumental Solo” for his recording of Gustav Holst’s work “The Planets”.

Das Konzerthausorchester Berlin
can now look back on a history spanning more than 60 years. Founded in 1952 as a state ensemble, it gained international acclaim under the direction of Kurt Sanderling, Chief Conductor from 1960 to 1977. Countless renowned musicians routinely performed with the orchestra, such as violinist David Oistrach and pianist Emil Geilers. Unfortunately at that time, the Berliner Sinfonie-Orchester (BSO), as it was called back then, had to travel between several concert venues. Nevertheless, the phenomenal conductor, Kurt Sanderling, managed to create a number of successful subscription series and build a large audience following as a result.

Günter Herbig became Chief Conductor in 1977, followed by Claus Peter in 1984. The orchestra also received its own, long-awaited hall in which to perform at this time. The famous theater at Gendarmenmarkt, an impressive structure designed by Karl Friedrich Schinkel, was renovated and became the Konzerthaus, finally giving the Berliner Sinfonie-Orchester a permanent home. From there, the orchestra embarked on numerous international tours, further solidifying an international reputation of excellence for the ensemble.

During Michael Schønwandt's time in office (1992-1998), the BSO officially became the house orchestra at Konzerthaus Berlin. Under the next conductor, Eliahu Inbal, the Berliner Sinfonie-Orchester went on an exceptionally successful tour to Japan, performing 15 concerts in 13 cities. Further international tours to Spain, China and Korea followed.

2006 brought the beginning of a new chapter in the orchestra's history. Not only did the orchestra get a new Chief Conductor, Lothar Zagrosek, it also received a new name: the Berliner Sinfonie-Orchester became the Konzerthausorchester Berlin. The name reflects the deep connection between the ensemble and it's house. With nearly 100 concerts per season, it has a significant influence on the over all concert schedule at Konzerthaus Berlin. The ensemble's repertoire and range of styles in continuously being expanded, with music from Monteverdi to Lachenmann being performed with equal competence. The orchestra is continually rejuvenating itself by accepting new musicians to its ranks. By founding the Orchestra Academy in 2010, the house also took a large step towards developing musicians for the next generation.

Iván Fischer became the new Chief Conductor of Konzerthausorchester Berlin in the 2012/13 season. Dmitrij Kitajenko serves as the primary guest conductor.

The first honorary guest conductor and honorary member of the orchestra is Michael Gielen. Kurt Sanderling, who passed away on September 18, 2011, is the honorary conductor and is also an honorary member of the orchestra. Eliahu Inbal was also named honorary member of the orchestra.

Today the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, with over 12,000 subscription patrons, has one of the largest subscribing audience bases of any ensemble in Germany.

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