Helmut Koch
Helmut Koch was a highly respected though somewhat lesser-known conductor who, probably unwisely, chose East Germany as the base of operations for most of his career. Still, as a conductor known largely for choral and operatic music, he flourished at home and in parts of Europe. He made numerous recordings in a broad range of repertory from Bach and Monteverdi to Schoenberg and Leo Spies. For all his seeming eclecticism, though, he favored Mozart -- especially the operas and choral works -- and Handel, and worked with some of the leading singers of his time, including Peter Schreier, Theo Adam, Anna Tomowa-Sintow, Gundula Janowitz, and many others. Koch also became widely known for his arrangements of German folk music. A large number of Koch's recordings have been reissued on the Berlin Classics label, including many strictly instrumental performances.
Helmut Koch was born in Wuppertal, Germany, on April 5, 1908. Though he was attracted to music as a child, his first aspirations were to become a sound engineer for recordings and radio broadcasts. While carrying on studies in this field he also took courses in music and conducting (1926-1928), and among his teachers were some of the finest young maestros of the day, including Hermann Scherchen and Fritz Lehmann.
In the 1930s Koch worked for several different radio and recording studios as a sound engineer, but he also conducted the Berlin Schubert Choir on the side. Like many European artists his career took wing in the aftermath of World War II. In 1945 he founded the Kammerorchester Berlin, an ensemble he would lead in countless performances and recordings until his death in 1975. In 1948 Koch founded the Berlin Radio Choir and soon was regularly making recordings. Among his first important efforts was the 1949 recording of Monteverdi's L'Orfeo.
Among other significant early recordings was his Brahms Requiem (1958-1959) with Tomowa-Sintow and Günther Leib. In 1963 Koch was appointed director of the Berlin Singakademie, a position he held concurrently with his other two Berlin posts. In the 1960s and early '70s Koch made a number of important Mozart recordings, including the 1964 Mass in C minor (with Theo Adam), the 1965 Bastien und Bastienne, and the 1968 Der Schauspieldirektor (both with Peter Schreier). Koch also turn out acclaimed recordings of works by Haydn (The Creation), Bach (Brandenburg Concertos), Telemann and Vivaldi (various concertos), and scores of others.
© TiVo
-
Bach: Die Brandenburgischen Konzerte
Helmut Koch, Bachorchester des Gewandhauses zu Leipzig
Klassik - Erschienen bei Eterna am 14.01.2022
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Haydn: Missa in Angustiis (Nelson-Messe)
Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Rundfunkchor Berlin, Solistenvereinigung des Berliner Rundfunks, Helmut Koch
Klassik - Erschienen bei Eterna am 01.01.1974
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
BEETHOVEN, L. van: Choral Music (Grosser Chor des Berliner Rundfunks)
Rundfunkchor Leipzig, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Rundfunkchor Berlin, Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Franz Konwitschny, Helmut Koch
Vokalmusik (weltlich und geistlich) - Erschienen bei Eterna am 01.01.1970
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Weihnachtslieder
Solistenvereinigung des Berliner Rundfunks, Helmut Koch
Weihnachtsmusik - Erschienen bei Eterna am 12.11.2021
24-Bit 88.2 kHz - Stereo -
Telemann: Die Tageszeiten (Stereo Version)
Kammerorchester Berlin, Helmut Koch, Solistenvereinigung des Berliner Rundfunks
Verschiedenes - Erschienen bei BNF Collection am 01.01.1962
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Leopold Mozart: Kindersinfonie / Die Bauernhochzeit / Die musikalische Schlittenfahrt
Kammerorchester Berlin, Helmut Koch
Symphonieorchester - Erschienen bei Eterna am 01.01.1970
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Händel: Der Messias
Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Rundfunkchor Berlin, Solistenvereinigung des Berliner Rundfunks, Peter Schreier, Theo Adam, Helmut Koch
Klassik - Erschienen bei Eterna am 01.01.1976
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Unknown Masterworks, Vol. 3 (Volume 3)
Karl Suske, Matthias Pfaender, Klaus Peters, Helmut Koch, Kammerorchester Berlin
Symphonieorchester - Erschienen bei Berlin Classics am 22.11.2019
24-Bit 88.2 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Requiem D Minor & Missa C Minor
Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Solistenvereinigung des Berliner Rundfunks, Helmut Koch, Theo Adam
Klassik - Erschienen bei Eterna am 01.01.1965
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
TELEMANN, G.P.: Pimpinone [Opera] (Intermezzi) (Suss)
Staatskapelle Berlin, Helmut Koch, Erna Roscher, Reiner Süss
Gesamtaufnahmen von Opern - Erschienen bei Eterna am 01.01.1965
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Berühmte Trompetenkonzerte des 18. Jahrhunderts
Willi Krug, Kammerorchester Berlin, Helmut Koch
Klassik - Erschienen bei Eterna am 01.01.1971
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
HAYDN, F.J.: Schopfung (Die) (The Creation) (Koch) (Franz Joseph Haydn - Gottfried van Swieten)
Klassik - Erschienen bei Corona Classics Collection am 01.01.1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
HAYDN, F.J.: Schopfung (Die) (The Creation) [Oratorio] (Koch)
Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Rundfunkchor Berlin, Solistenvereinigung des Berliner Rundfunks, Peter Schreier, Helmut Koch
Klassik - Erschienen bei Eterna am 01.01.1976
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
HANDEL, G.F.: Messiah (Sung in German) (Koch) (George Frideric Handel)
Klassik - Erschienen bei Berlin Classics am 01.01.1976
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Händel: Der Messias (Ausschnitte)
Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Rundfunkchor Berlin, Solistenvereinigung des Berliner Rundfunks, Peter Schreier, Theo Adam, Helmut Koch
Klassik - Erschienen bei Eterna am 18.08.2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
BACH, J.S.: Overtures (Suites) Nos. 1-3 (Berlin Chamber Orchestra, Koch) (Johann Sebastian Bach)
Klassik - Erschienen bei Corona Classics Collection am 01.01.1974
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Handel: Judas Maccabaeus (Sung in German)
Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Rundfunkchor Berlin, Solistenvereinigung des Berliner Rundfunks, Peter Schreier, Helmut Koch
Klassik - Erschienen bei Eterna am 25.02.1967
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
HAYDN, F.J.: Schopfung (Die) (The Creation) [Oratorio] (Koch) (Franz Joseph Haydn - Gottfried van Swieten)
Klassik - Erschienen bei Berlin Classics am 01.01.1976
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
HANDEL, G.F.: Oratorio Choruses (Koch)
Klassik - Erschienen bei Berlin Classics am 02.03.2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
MOZART, W.A.: Bastien und Bastienne [Opera] (Koch)
Gesamtaufnahmen von Opern - Erschienen bei Berlin Classics am 12.11.1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vivaldi, Nardini & Viotti: Italian Violin Concertos
Manfred Scherzer, Kammerorchester Berlin, Helmut Koch
Klassik - Erschienen bei Eterna am 01.01.1971
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo