Gewandhausorchester Leipzig
One of the world's oldest permanent orchestras, the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra can trace its roots back to the 15th century. The orchestra has been led by some of history's most significant composers and conductors, including Mozart and Mendelssohn. It has premiered works by such composers as Brahms, Schumann, and Wagner that are now very much part of the standard repertoire, highlighting the quality of the orchestra throughout its storied history. Along with a substantial symphony concert schedule, the Gewandhaus Orchestra also serves as the orchestra of the Leipzig Opera as well as Leipzig's St. Thomas Church.
The Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra's origins date back to the hiring of a small group of municipal musicians in 1479. The orchestra was established in 1743 as the Großes Concert and comprised musicians from the public and the nobility and was without a stable performing venue. Originally made up of 16 musicians, its performances were held in private residences until its reputation grew to the point of necessitating a permanent home. For more than 30 years, it performed in the hall at Zu Den Drei Schwanen. During this time, it also began performing as a theatrical orchestra, with the Komödienhaus opening in 1766 (the space didn't have its own ensemble). A new performance space was converted and made available for the growing orchestra at the Gewandhaus in 1780, and the first concert took place in November of 1781. The orchestra was renamed the Gewandhaus und Theatre Orchestra or Gewandhaus Orchestra. Its duties grew into services for two of Leipzig's major churches, expanding its repertoire to include sacred music and a partnership with the Thomanerchor.
Significant advances in popularity and prestige came over the next era of the orchestra: Mozart conducted a concert with the orchestra in 1789, it became the first orchestra to perform a complete cycle of Beethoven's symphonies, and in 1835, welcomed Mendelssohn as its Gewandhauskapellmeister (music director). During Mendelssohn's reign, the orchestra premiered several very important works, including his Scottish Symphony and Schubert's Great Symphony. Mendelssohn held this position, in conjunction with several others, until his death in 1847. Carl Reinecke later served as the music director from 1860-1895, overseeing the opening of a new opera house in 1868, and the Neues Gewandhaus, in 1888. The Gewandhaus Orchestra welcomed several major composers to conduct their works during this time, including Brahms, Tchaikovsky, and Richard Strauss.
Some very notable names followed Reinecke's tenure as music director: Arthur Nikisch (1895-1922), who took the orchestra on its first international tour, Wilhelm Furtwängler (1922-1928), and Bruno Walter (1929-1933). The Nazi Party removed Walter in 1933 because he was Jewish and replaced him with Hermann Abendroth (1933-1945). The opera and concert houses were both destroyed by bombings during World War II, so the orchestra and opera company were without a permanent home until a new opera house was completed in 1960 and the second Neues Gewandhaus opened in 1981. Music directors after the war were Herbert Albert (1946-1948), Franz Konwitschny (1949-1962), Václav Neumann (1962-1968), Kurt Masur (1970-1996), Herbert Blomstedt (1998-2005), and Riccardo Chailly (2005-2016). Following guest conductor appearances beginning in 2011, Andris Nelsons became the music director in 2018.
The Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra made its first recording in 1929 with Weber's Der Freischütz Overture, but began in earnest in the 1940s. It has recorded for many labels, including Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, Berlin Classics, Querstand, and many others. Recording accelerated for the orchestra in the 1960s and has continued on a serious clip since, with credits for the orchestra numbering in the hundreds. Among these are several albums released in 2019, including Nelsons leading a Deutsche Grammophon recording of music by Bruckner and Wagner, and an Accentus recording of Bach's Christmas Oratorio, with the Thomanerchor, conducted by Gotthold Schwarz.
© Keith Finke /TiVo
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Beethoven: Konzert für Klavier und Orchester D-Dur
Amadeus Webersinke, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Kurt Masur
Klassik - Erschienen bei Eterna am 01.01.1972
24-Bit 88.2 kHz - Stereo -
Weihnachtssingen des Thomanerchores
Thomanerchor Leipzig, Günther Ramin, Hannes Kastner, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig
Weihnachtsmusik - Erschienen bei Eterna am 24.12.1962
24-Bit 88.2 kHz - Stereo -
Richard Strauss: Don Quixote; Till Eulenspiegel; Romance For Cello & Orchestra
Kurt Masur, Heinrich Schiff, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig
Klassik - Erschienen bei Decca Music Group Ltd. am 01.01.1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach: Violinkonzert D-Moll & Vivaldi: Concerto grosso
David Oïstrakh, Igor Oïstrakh, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Franz Konwitschny
Klassik - Erschienen bei Eterna am 01.01.1971
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Anton Bruckner: Sinfonie Nr. 7 E-Dur
Klassik - Erschienen bei Verlag Klaus-Jürgen Kamprad am 20.05.2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
LEIPZIG GEWANDHAUS ORCHESTRA - Legendary Masterworks Recordings
Klassik - Erschienen bei Berlin Classics am 14.10.2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Liszt: Works for Piano and Orchestra. Concertos, Totentanz, Hungarian Fantasy...
Michel Béroff, Kurt Masur, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig
Klassik - Erschienen bei Warner Classics am 01.01.1980
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bruckner: Symphonies Nos. 6 & 9 – Wagner: Siegfried Idyll / Parsifal Prelude
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Andris Nelsons
Klassik - Erschienen bei Deutsche Grammophon (DG) am 03.05.2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Sinfonie No. 3, "Eroica"
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Franz Konwitschny
Symphonieorchester - Erschienen bei Eterna am 01.01.1964
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bruckner: Sinfonie No. 5
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Franz Konwitschny
Symphonieorchester - Erschienen bei Eterna am 01.01.1962
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Peter Schreier: Arien aus Kantaten von Johann Sebastian Bach
Peter Schreier, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Erhard Mauersberger
Verschiedenes - Erschienen bei Eterna am 15.10.2021
24-Bit 88.2 kHz - Stereo -
Dvorák: Slawische Tänze
Kurt Masur, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig
Klassik - Erschienen bei Decca am 01.01.2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5
Dieter Zechlin, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Kurt Sanderling
Instrumentalmusik - Erschienen bei Eterna am 01.01.1995
24-Bit 88.2 kHz - Stereo -
Bruckner: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 8 / Wagner: Meistersinger Prelude
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Andris Nelsons
Klassik - Erschienen bei Deutsche Grammophon (DG) am 05.02.2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach: Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott / Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme
Peter Schreier, Theo Adam, Thomanerchor Leipzig, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Erhard Mauersberger
Geistliche Kantaten - Erschienen bei Eterna am 01.01.1968
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Great Sacred Arias
Uwe Heilmann, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Peter Schreier
Klassik - Erschienen bei Decca Music Group Ltd. am 08.12.1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Serenades
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Riccardo Chailly
Klassik - Erschienen bei Decca Music Group Ltd. am 02.02.2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Klavierkonzert No. 4
Amadeus Webersinke, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Franz Konwitschny
Klassik - Erschienen bei Eterna am 01.01.1963
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Sinfonie No. 2 & 9
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Franz Konwitschny
Symphonieorchester - Erschienen bei Eterna am 01.01.1964
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Richard Strauss: Eine Alpensinfonie; Horn Concerto No. 2
Kurt Masur, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig
Klassik - Erschienen bei Decca Music Group Ltd. am 01.07.1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bruckner: Symphony No. 3 / Wagner: Tannhäuser Overture
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Andris Nelsons
Klassik - Erschienen bei Deutsche Grammophon (DG) am 05.05.2017
5 Sterne Fono Forum Klassik16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo