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 Originally made up of 16 musicians, its performances were held in private residences until its reputation grew to the point of necessitating a permanent home.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
-
Bruckner: Sinfonie No. 1 (Linz Version 1865)
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Václav Neumann
Classical - Released by Eterna on Jan 1, 1966
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Reger: Hiller-Variationen
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Franz Konwitschny
Symphonic Music - Released by Eterna on Jan 5, 1962
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Overtures
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig & Franz Konwitschny
Classical - Released by Berlin Classics on Sep 14, 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Orfeo ed Euridice
Classical - Released by Brilliant Classics on Jan 1, 1967
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Eisler: Fünf Orchesterstücke / Langer Marsch / Kammersinfonie / Scherzo mit Solovioline
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Max Pommer
Classical - Released by Eterna on Apr 19, 1975
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Händel: Orgelkonzerte II
Johannes-Ernst Kohler, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Kurt Thomas
Classical - Released by Eterna on Jan 1, 1961
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mahler: Sinfonie No. 5
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Václav Neumann
Symphonic Music - Released by Eterna on Jan 1, 1966
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: The Symphonies, Vol. 1
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Kurt Masur
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Saint-Saëns: Carnival of the Animals (Narrated by Jimmy Fallon)
Lang Lang, Gina Alice, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Andris Nelsons, Jimmy Fallon
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Mar 1, 2024
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Festliche Weihnachten in Leipzig
Hannes Kastner, Thomanerchor Leipzig, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Peter Schreier
Stories and Nursery Rhymes - Released by Berlin Classics on Nov 18, 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
George Gershwin : Rhapsody in Blue - Piano Concerto...
Stefano Bollani, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Riccardo Chailly
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 2010
Gramophone: Recording of the Month16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The World's Greatest Orchestras - Gewandhausorchester Leipzig
Classical - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on Jan 9, 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 7 & 8
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Riccardo Chailly
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto Op.64; Piano Trio Op.49; Violin Sonata in F major (1838)
Anne-Sophie Mutter, André Previn, Lynn Harrell, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Kurt Masur
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Jan 1, 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach, J.S.: Weihnachts Oratorium
Dresdner Kammerchor, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Riccardo Chailly
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Symphonies Nos.5 & 6
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Riccardo Chailly
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert: Symphonies Nos. 8 "Unfinished" & 9 "The Great"
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Herbert Blomstedt
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Jul 8, 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Symphony No.9
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Riccardo Chailly
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bruckner: Symphony No. 7 / Wagner: Siegfried's Funeral March
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Andris Nelsons
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Apr 6, 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach, J.S.: 5 Klavierkonzerte
Ramin Bahrami, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Riccardo Chailly
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tchaikovsky: Symphonies Nos. 1 - 6, Piano Concertos Nos. 1 - 3 & Famous Works
Kurt Masur, Elisabeth Leonskaja, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, New York Philharmonic
Classical - Released by Warner Classics International on Jan 1, 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo