Bamberg Symphony Orchestra
The Bamberg Symphony Orchestra was established in 1946, when refugee musicians from the German Philharmonic Orchestra in Prague and from Carlsbad and Silesia settled in the medieval city of Bamberg, which had survived the war unscathed. Since then the Orchestra has been a proud guardian of Germany’s symphonic tradition and, as the country’s most-travelled orchestra, its touring ambassador; it was the first German orchestra to tour Europe, the USA, Asia and Africa after World War II.
Noted for its warm sound and singing style, the orchestra is a leading interpreter not only of the Classical and Romantic repertory but also of some of the most challenging and rewarding contemporary works, including its own commissions.
The first Principal Conductor was Joseph Keilberth, formerly the General Music Director of the German Philharmonic in Prague, who retained the position until his death in 1968; he was succeeded by James Loughran and Horst Stein, who is now Honorary Conductor for Life.
Among the leading conductors who have collaborated with the Orchestra are Herbert Blomstedt, Eugen Jochum, Rudolf Kempe, Hans Knappertsbusch, Clemens Krauss, Georg Solti, Gerd Albrecht, Christoph von Dohnányi, Semyon Bychkov, Mariss Jansons, Günter Wand, Ingo Metzmacher and Wolfgang Sawallisch. In 2006 Herbert Blomstedt was given the title of Honorary Conductor.
Jonathan Nott has been the orchestra’s Principal Conductor since 2000 and in that time he has regularly performed with the orchestra both throughout Germany and abroad. In 2003 they made their debut together at the Edinburgh International Festival and were immediately re-invited to give a five concert Residency at the 2005 Festival with programmes which ranged from Wagner to Widmann.
In 2004, Jonathan Nott and the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra embarked on their first tour of Japan together. In the same year they made their debut at the Salzburg Festival. Major concerts at the Lincoln Center, New York followed in May 2005 which reaffirmed the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra’s international status on both sides of the Atlantic. 2006 saw extensive touring throughout Europe including performances in Paris, Madrid, Brussels, Vienna, Luxembourg and London as well as a second high-profile tour of Japan.
In 2007 Jonathan Nott and the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra continued what has been seen as a visionary partnership with important projects both at home and abroad; in April 2007 the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra hosted the Second International Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition; in June the orchestra performed at the St Petersburg White Night’s Festival; in July they were the focus of a Residency at the prestigious Lucerne Festival, where Jonathan Nott was “artiste étoile”. Shortly before that the orchestra and its Principal Conductor had performed a concert in honour of Pope Benedikt XVI. to celebrate “1000 years of the Bamberg diocese” at the Pope’s summer residence Castel Gandolfo.
In the 2008/2009 season, the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra welcomes another excellent artist as its “artist in residence”: French master pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard. The season focuses on large scale works of the 19th century and 20th century modern classics. Additionally, the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra and Jonathan Nott will continue their successful series of world premieres and German first performances. Two works by Chinese composers will introduce the audience to a world of music beyond the borders of Europe, while the orchestra will explore one of the most important works from the Baroque era: Bach’s Mass in B minor. Honorary Conductor Herbert Blomstedt will also conduct the orchestra at home in Bamberg as will Christoph Eschenbach and Roger Norrington – both treasured guests of the orchestra.
Just as in previous years, the new season holds prestigious guest appearances for the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra and Jonathan Nott both in Germany and abroad. Together with Pierre-Laurent Aimard the orchestra will perform in New York, Brussels, Luxembourg and Vienna, amongst other cities. For their Residency at Cologne's Philharmonie Jonathan Nott and the orchestra will explore the works of Franz Schubert and they will also travel to Switzerland to participate in a special anniversary, the renowned series of the “Klubhaus-Konzerte” which celebrates its 60th anniversary.
Alongside its activities on-stage, the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra enjoys a recording contract with the Swiss label Tudor which, in co-operation with Bavarian Radio, has recorded and released 9 CDs to date with music ranging from Schubert, Bruckner, Mahler, Janacek to Henze and Rihm.
