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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Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 7 - Dvořák: Symphony No. 9 & Cello Concerto
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Paul Tortelier, Otto Ackermann
Classical - Released by Datum on 5 May 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf Sings Operetta (Stereo Version)
Philharmonia Orchestra, Otto Ackermann, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1960
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Grieg: Concerto pour piano, Op. 16 - Schumann: Concerto pour piano, Op. 54 (Mono Version)
Benno Moiseiwitsch, Otto Ackermann, Philharmonia Orchestra
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1955
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Richard Strauss: Don Juan, Tod und Verklärung, Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche & Vier letzte Lieder
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Otto Ackermann, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra
Classical - Released by Praga Digitals on 1 Feb 2014
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Grieg: Concerto pour piano, Op. 16 - Rachmaninoff: Rhapsodie sur un thème de Paganini, Op. 43 (Mono Version)
Benno Moiseiwitsch, Otto Ackermann, Philharmonia Orchestra
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1958
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Franz Lehár: Das Land des Laechelns/Die lustige Witwe
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 8 Jan 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Johann Strauss II: Die Fledermaus
Otto Ackermann, Soloists, Philharmonia Orchestra And Chorus
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 1 May 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1, Op. 11 & 2 Études
Dinu Lipatti, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Otto Ackermann
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 10 Jul 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dinu Lipatti in Zurich
Dinu Lipatti, Antonio Janigro, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Otto Ackermann
Chamber Music - Released by Archiphon on 2 Dec 2014
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Sinfonia concertante in E-Flat Major, K. 364 – Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 11
Kölner Rundfunk Sinfonie Orchester, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Otto Ackermann, Arthur Grumiaux, Dinu Lipatti, William Primrose
Classical - Released by Archipel on 20 Dec 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Johann Strauss II : Le Baron tzigane
Operettas - Released by Naxos on 15 Mar 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tchaikovsky: Valse de Eugène Onéguine - Dvořák: Danse slave, Op. 46 No. 8 - Khachaturian: Danse du sabre (Mono Version)
Gürzenich-Orchester Köln, Otto Ackermann
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1958
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Wagner: Préludes des Maîtres chanteurs de Nuremberg & Ouverture de Tannhäuser (Mono Version)
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Otto Ackermann
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1955
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Lehár: Le pays du sourire, extraits (Mono Version)
Nicolai Gedda, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Otto Ackermann, Philharmonia Orchestra
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1958
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Rachmaninoff: Concerto pour piano No. 2, Op. 18 - Chopin: Nocturne, Op. 27, No. 2 (Mono Version)
Evgeny Malinine, Philharmonia Orchestra, Otto Ackermann
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1958
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Piano Works
Solomon, Philharmonia Orchestra, Otto Ackermann
Classical - Released by Archipel on 1 Jan 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Symphonies Nos. 1, 39 & 41
WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne, Orchestra Rai Di Milano, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Erich Kleiber, Sergiù Celibidache, Otto Ackermann
Classical - Released by Stradivarius on 6 Sep 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lehár: La veuve joyeuse (Mono Version)
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Nicolai Gedda, Philharmonia Orchestra, Otto Ackermann
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1954
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 24 (Mono Version)
Grant Johannesen, Otto Ackermann, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1956
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Concerto pour flûte No. 2 & concerto pour cor No. 4 (Mono Version)
Aurèle Nicolet, Jan Zwagerman, Otto Ackermann
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1955
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Airs d'opéras (Mono Version)
Régine Crespin, Théâtre national de l'Opéra de Paris, Otto Ackermann
Classical - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1958
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo