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Christian Thielemann

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Christian Thielemann (born 1 April 1959, in Berlin) is a German conductor.

Career

Thielemann studied viola and piano at the Hochschule für Musik in Berlin and took private lessons in composition and conducting before becoming répétiteur aged 19 at the Deutsche Oper Berlin with Heinrich Hollreiser[1] and working as Herbert von Karajan's assistant.[2] He worked at a number of smaller German theatres including the Musiktheater im Revier in Gelsenkirchen, in Karlsruhe, Hanover, at Düsseldorf's Deutsche Oper am Rhein as First Kapellmeister and in Nürnberg as Generalmusikdirektor before returning to the Deutsche Oper Berlin in 1991 to conduct Wagner's Lohengrin.[3] During this time he also assisted Daniel Barenboim at the Bayreuth Festspielhaus.

His 1991/92 season debut in the United States, conducting a new production of Strauss' Elektra in San Francisco was soon followed by engagements at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. In 1997, he became Generalmusikdirektor of the Deutsche Oper Berlin. A report in 2000 stated that Thielemann was to leave the Deutsche Oper in 2001 over artistic conflicts with the then-incoming artistic director Udo Zimmermann.[4] Thielemann remained with the company until 2004, when he resigned over conflicts regarding Berlin city funding between the Deutsche Oper and the Staatsoper Unter den Linden.[5]

Thielemann became principal conductor and music director of the Munich Philharmonic in September 2004. He is scheduled to step down from his Munich post in 2011, after disputes with orchestra management over final approval of selection of guest conductors and programs for the orchestra.[6] In October 2009, the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden announced the appointment of Thielemann as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2012/13 season.[7]

Thielemann is a regular conductor at the Bayreuth and the Salzburg Festivals[8] and he has been guest conductor at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna, the Royal Opera House in London, the Metropolitan Opera in New York and the Vienna State Opera.[3] With the decision in September 2008 of the Richard Wagner Festival Foundation to appoint Katharina Wagner and Eva Wagner-Pasquier to succeed Wolfgang Wagner as directors of the Bayreuth Festival, Thielemann was named Musical Advisor,[9] effectively the Festival's music director.[10]

In 2003, Thielemann was awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (Bundesverdienstkreuz).[11] He is considered to be a carrier of the Austro-Germanic conducting tradition, in the manner of Wilhelm Furtwängler and Karajan.[12][13]

Recordings

For Opus Arte
For Decca
For Deutsche Grammophon
For EMI Classics
  • Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss, Arias by René Kollo, Orchestra of the Deutsche Oper Berlin, 1992

References

  1. ^ "Obituary for Heinrich Hollreiser". The Times. 28 August 2006. Retrieved 24 February 2007.
  2. ^ "Christian Thielemann. Ein Porträt". Kläre Warnecke. September 2003.
  3. ^ a b "Christian Thielemann Biography". Deutsche Grammophon. February 2007. Retrieved 4 December 2010.
  4. ^ Denis Staunton (29 October 2000). "Berlin's maestros out of tune in race rown". The Observer. Retrieved 24 March 2007.
  5. ^ Kate Connolly (18 May 2004). "Berlin opera chief quits in cash row". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 24 February 2007.
  6. ^ ""Intrigantenstadel" – Philharmoniker ausgebuht". Süddeutsche Zeitung. 16 October 2009. Retrieved 17 October 2009.
  7. ^ "Christian Thielemann Chefdirigent ab 2012" (Press release). Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden. 9 October 2009. Retrieved 4 December 2010.
  8. ^ Stephen Moss (20 July 2006). "The only star here is dead". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 February 2007.
  9. ^ "Looking back and looking forward". Bayreuther Festspiele. 28 August 2010. Retrieved 4 December 2010.
  10. ^ Roger Boyes (2 September 2008). "Wagner hits a note of peace over Bayreuth". The Times. Retrieved 2 September 2008.
  11. ^ Senatskanzlei (25 September 2003). "Wowereit überreicht Generalmusikdirektor Thielemann Bundesverdienstkreuz". Press release by the State of Berlin. Retrieved 4 December 2010.
  12. ^ Tom Service (15 October 2009). "Christian Thielemann - the power and the politics". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 December 2010.
  13. ^ Ivan Hewett (29 March 2003). "Classical choice". The Times. Retrieved 23 February 2007.

Bibliography

  • Kläre Warnecke: Christian Thielemann – Ein Porträt. Henschel Verlag Berlin 2003. ISBN 3894874651
  • Kilian Heck/Christian Thielemann (ed.): Friedrichstein. Das Schloß der Grafen von Dönhoff in Ostpreußen. Deutscher Kunstverlag, München und Berlin 2006. ISBN 3422065938
Preceded by Music Director, Deutsche Oper, Berlin
1997–2004 		Succeeded by
Renato Palumbo
Preceded by Music Director, Munich Philharmonic
2004–present 		Succeeded by
Incumbent

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