Hans von Benda

Hans Robert Gustav von Benda (* November 22, 1888 in Strasbourg, † August 13, 1972 in Berlin) was a German conductor, music editor and officer.

Life

Hans von Benda was a late descendant of Franz Benda, and thus belonged to the family of musicians Benda. In 1905 he came to Hauptkadettenanstalt Berlin light field and founded and conducted there a cadet orchestra. After graduation in 1910, he studied at the Stern Conservatory in Berlin, besides also musicology with Hermann Kretzschmar and Max Friedlander at the Friedrich- Wilhelms- University and later at the University of Munich with Theodor Kroyer and Adolf Sandberger.

At first he was on duty as an officer and from 1918 he was commercially active. 1926-1933 he was director of the concert department of radio - hour Berlin, where he campaigned for contemporary composers. In contradiction to this, however, was his membership in the nationalist -minded, anti -Semitic League of Struggle for German Culture. In 1935, Benda became Artistic Director of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1939, he had these items, after differences to an invitation of Herbert von Karajan, give up. 1939-1945 he was the founder and director of the Berlin Chamber Orchestra. In 1937 he was appointed by Hitler as music director.

From 1948 to 1952 Benda served as music director of the Orquesta Sinfonica de Valencia and other Spanish orchestra as conductor. In 1952 he founded the Berlin Chamber Orchestra new. It was composed of musicians from the RIAS Symphony Orchestra and Benda took until 1967 comprehensive on behalf of the Foreign Office travel through five continents, 56 countries and 367 cities. From 1954 to 1958 he was also the head of the Music Department at the Sender Freies Berlin. 1958 Benda was awarded the Grand Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic. He is buried in the family tomb of Benda's at the cemetery in Berlin- Rudow.

Audio

From 1933 onwards, numerous recordings, initially for Electrola (Hans von Benda with his chamber orchestra), later also for the Telefunkenplatte ( with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra ) and the German Gramophone Company. In 1968 he conducted in Prague vinyl recording of the comic opera The Dorfjahrmakt by Georg Anton Benda.