Otto Ackermann
Otto Ackermann was one of the most widely acclaimed conductors of opera and operetta, both in concert and on record. Born in Bucharest, he studied at that city's Royal Academy, and later at the Berlin Hochschule fur Musik. His first major post was as Kapellmeister at the Dusseldorf Opera House, and in 1932 he was appointed Chief Kapellmeister of the German Theater in Brno. From 1935 through 1947, he served as chief Kapellmeister of the Municipal Theater of Berne, and from 1949 until 1955 he served as a conductor at the Zurich Opera House. Ackermann returned to Germany in 1955 as music director of the Cologne Opera House, and also became a popular guest conductor at the Vienna State Opera during this period, as well as at opera houses in Monaco and Italy. He returned to the Zurich Opera in 1958, but he became seriously ill late in the following year, and died early in 1960.
Ackermann's best-known recordings were the operettas he recorded under the auspices of EMI Classical chief Walter Legge during the years 1955 through 1959. His recordings of Johann Strauss' The Gypsy Baron and A Night in Venice, both starring Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, have near-legendary status among even casual listeners. Alas, his June/July 1959 recording of Strauss' Die Fledermaus -- Ackermann's last major work -- is somewhat lesser-known, for it stands in the shadow of EMI's 1955 recording of Fledermaus under the baton of Herbert Von Karajan, with Schwarzkopf. Surprisingly, for the work of a renowned operatic specialist, Ackermann's 1950 recording of Weber's Der Freischutz is not well-regarded. By contrast, his conducting on Schwarzkopf's recording of Richard Strauss' Four Last Songs is stunning in its sensitivity and passion, and Ackermann also superbly conducted the accompaniment to Solomon's performance of the Mozart Piano Concerto No. 15, and was a noted interpreter of Mozart's operas, although these are not represented on record. His work with the mainstream German/Austrian repertory, including the Beethoven symphonies, was also very popular, but has been supplanted by other conductors' recordings.
© Bruce Eder /TiVo
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Wagner: Das Rheingold (Richard Wagner)
Classica - Pubblicato da Archiphon il 1 set 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Meine Lippen, sie küssen so heiß: das Schönste der Operette
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Otto Ackermann, Philharmonia Orchestra
Classica - Pubblicato da Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group il 19 apr 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tchaikovsky: Symphonie No. 6 "Pathétique" (Mono Version)
Otto Ackermann, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich
Classica - Pubblicato da BNF Collection il 1 gen 1955
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Dvořák: Symphony No. 9 "From the New World" (Mono Version)
Otto Ackermann, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich
Generi vari - Pubblicato da BNF Collection il 1 gen 1955
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Symphonie No. 3 (Mono Version)
Otto Ackermann, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich
Generi vari - Pubblicato da BNF Collection il 1 gen 1955
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Concerto pour piano No. 3 (Mono Version)
Artur Balsam, Otto Ackermann, Winterthur Symphony Orchestra
Generi vari - Pubblicato da BNF Collection il 1 gen 1961
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Lehár Glada änkan
Otto Ackermann, Philharmonia Orchestra
Classica - Pubblicato da Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group il 2 feb 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
J. Strauss II: Une nuit à Venise, chanté en allemand (Mono Version)
Philharmonia Orchestra, Otto Ackermann, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Nicolai Gedda
Generi vari - Pubblicato da BNF Collection il 1 gen 1958
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Symphonie No. 5 (Mono Version)
Otto Ackermann, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich
Generi vari - Pubblicato da BNF Collection il 1 gen 1955
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Dvořák: Cello Concerto, Op. 104 (Mono Version)
Paul Tortelier, Otto Ackermann, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich
Generi vari - Pubblicato da BNF Collection il 1 gen 1955
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Ferruccio Busoni: Turandot
Chor des Stadttheaters Bern, Orchester des Stadttheaters Bern, Otto Ackermann
Classica - Pubblicato da Cantus Classics il 1 gen 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Haskil in Performance
Clara Haskil, Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Otto Ackermann, Charles Munch
Classica - Pubblicato da Music and Arts Programs of America il 1 ott 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lehár La Veuve joyeuse
Otto Ackermann, Philharmonia Orchestra
Classica - Pubblicato da Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group il 2 feb 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lehár La Vedova Allegra
Otto Ackermann, Philharmonia Orchestra
Classica - Pubblicato da Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group il 2 feb 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
レハール 喜歌劇「メリー・ウィドウ」
Otto Ackermann, Philharmonia Orchestra
Classica - Pubblicato da Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group il 2 feb 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 15 in B Major, K. 450 - Piano Sonata No. 11 in A Major, K. 331 (Album of 1955)
Solomon, London Symphony Orchestra, Otto Ackermann
Classica - Pubblicato da Goldberg il 31 ago 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Strauss: Fledermaus Highlights (Album of 1960)
Otto Ackermann, Philharmonia Orchestra
Pop - Pubblicato da Festive Music il 30 nov 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
J. Strauss II: The Gypsy Baron (Mono Version)
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Nicolai Gedda, Philharmonia Orchestra, Otto Ackermann
Generi vari - Pubblicato da BNF Collection il 1 gen 1960
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Strauss: Till Eulenspiegel & Don Juan (Mono Version)
Sinfonie-Orchester des Hessischen Rundfunks, Otto Ackermann
Generi vari - Pubblicato da BNF Collection il 1 gen 1959
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Hummel: Piano Concerto No. 2 - Mendelssohn: Capriccio brillant, Op. 22 & Serenade and Allegro giojoso, Op. 43 (Mono Version)
Artur Balsam, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Otto Ackermann
Generi vari - Pubblicato da BNF Collection il 1 gen 1962
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo