Bamberg Symphony Orchestra
The Bamberg Symphony Orchestra was established in 1946 by refugee musicians from Prague’s German Philharmonic Orchestra and from Carlsbad and Silesia. Proud guardians of Germany’s symphonic tradition, the Bambergers soon laid the foundations for an unrivalled global reputation and became the country’s most-travelled orchestra. Today they enjoy the status of ‘Bavaria’s Cultural Ambassadors’. 'Alongside the Classical and Romantic repertoire, the Orchestra pays special attention to contemporary music - premieres of newly commissioned works are a constant feature of its programmes.
The Orchestra’s first Principal Conductor was Joseph Keilberth, who kept the position until his death in 1968; he was succeeded by James Loughran and the late Horst Stein, who in 1996 was appointed Honorary Conductor for Life. The first Honorary Conductor had been Eugen Jochum, the Orchestra’s mentor for several decades and perhaps the most distinguished of the many leading conductors and composers who have directed the Bambergers and made distinctive contributions to the Orchestra’s sonic profile – the list is long and reads like a who’s who of modern music. Herbert Blomstedt, too, has enjoyed a close relationship with the Orchestra since being named Honorary Conductor in 2006.
Englishman Jonathan Nott became Principal Conductor in January 2000 and since then he has won enormous acclaim for his work with the Orchestra, both in Germany and abroad. Known for his committed support for contemporary music, he has led the Orchestra on successful visits to the world’s top festivals, including Edinburgh, Salzburg, Lucerne, St. Petersburg, Beijing, London, as well as to New York’s Lincoln Center, and they have made extended tours throughout Europe and in South America and Japan.
The achievements of Jonathan Nott’s artistic partnership with the Orchestra have won great recognition at home and internationally and are documented in an extensive series of commercial CD releases. In 2003 the Bambergers were accorded the rank of State Orchestra and since 2005 the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra / Bavarian State Philharmonic has been a charitable foundation.
High resolution picture of the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra
2009/2010 Season Highlights
If not indicated otherwise, concerts are conducted by Principal Conductor Jonathan Nott.
May 2009
17 - 23
USA tour including two concerts at the
Lincoln Center in New York City
Pierre-Laurent Aimard, soloist
June 2009
10
Concert at the Wiener Konzerthaus
Pierre-Laurent Aimard, soloist
17 / 18
Concert at the Würzburger Mozartfest
Ludovic Morlot, conductor
Arabella Steinbacher, soloist
July 2009
11
Concert at the Kissinger Sommer
17 / 18
Concerts at the Kissinger Sommer and the Rheingau Musik Festival
Herbert Blomstedt, conductor
Piotr Anderszewski, soloist
23
Gustav Mahler Musikwochen in Toblach
Performance of Symphony No. 9 on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the score’s completion in Toblach,
presentation of the new CD for Tudor and the Bavarian Radio
29
„Proms“- Concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London
Arabella Steinbacher, soloist
September 2009
20
Berliner Philharmonie
Concert as part of the Musikfest
Marisol Montalvo and
Niclas Oettermann, soloists
October 2009
10 – 21
12th Japan tour, including two concerts at the Sapporo Concert Hall and the Suntory Hall in Tokyo each
Pierre-Laurent Aimard and
Christian Tetzlaff, soloists
November 2009
Concert in Düsseldorf
Cornelius Meister, conductor
Frank Peter Zimmermann, soloist
December 2009
16 / 18
Concerts in Hamburg, Luxembourg and Stuttgart
Vadim Repin and Sergey Khachatryan,
soloists
January / February 2010
25 / 1 – 5 / 2
Spain and Andorra tour, including concerts in Barcelona, Valencia and Madrid
Horacio Gutiérrez and Sergey Khachatryan,
soloists
February / March 2010
3rd International Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition
May 2010
29
Concert at the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden
Sarah Conolly, soloist
June 2010
13
Concert at the Bachfest in Leipzig
Renaud Capuçon, soloist
19
Concert at the Frauenkirche Dresden
Herbert Blomstedt, conductor
Hanno Müller-Brachmann, soloist