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 May 5, 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 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 Feb 1, 2014
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Franz Lehár: Das Land des Laechelns/Die lustige Witwe
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Jan 8, 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 May 1, 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 Jul 10, 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 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 Dec 20, 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Piano Works
Solomon, Philharmonia Orchestra, Otto Ackermann
Classical - Released by Archipel on Jan 1, 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 Sep 6, 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wagner: Das Rheingold (Richard Wagner)
Classical - Released by Archiphon on Sep 1, 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
Classical - Released by Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group on Apr 19, 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lehár Glada änkan
Otto Ackermann, Philharmonia Orchestra
Classical - Released by Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group on Feb 2, 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lehár La Veuve joyeuse
Otto Ackermann, Philharmonia Orchestra
Classical - Released by Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group on Feb 2, 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lehár La Vedova Allegra
Otto Ackermann, Philharmonia Orchestra
Classical - Released by Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group on Feb 2, 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
Classical - Released by Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group on Feb 2, 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Piano Concerto No.15 & Sonatas No. 11, 17 by Mozart
Otto Ackermann, The Philharmonia Orchestra
Classical - Released by OperaPrima-Carillon on Apr 23, 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lehár Den glade enke
Otto Ackermann, Philharmonia Orchestra
Classical - Released by Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group on Feb 2, 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf Sings Operetta
Otto Ackermann, Philharmonia Orchestra And Chorus
Classical - Released by Classically on Jul 26, 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Classical Opera: Turandot
Bern City Orchestra and Chorus, Otto Ackermann
Opera - Released by Urania RC on Mar 18, 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Grandi maestri dell'interpretazione: Clara Haskil, Vol. 1
Clara Haskil, WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, Orchestre Philarmonique de L'ORTF, Otto Ackermann, Paul Hindemith
Classical - Released by Stradivarius on Jan 1, 1988
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor, K. 491
Grant Johannesen, Otto Ackermann, Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra
Concertos - Released by Mezzoforte on Jan 24, 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo