Meiningen Court Orchestra

The Meiningen Court Orchestra is one of the oldest and most traditional orchestras in Europe. The circle in the Thuringian town of Meiningen -based, over 300 years old orchestra is affiliated with the Meiningen Theatre since 1952 and now has 65 members. Music Director is since the season 2010/2011 Philippe Bach, first Kapellmeister and Deputy Music Director ( GMD) since the season 2012/2013 Leo McFall, 2nd Kapellmeister since the season 2013/2014 Arturo Alvarado.

History

The chapel was founded soon after the establishment of the Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen by Duke Bernhard I. in 1690. The initially small ensemble consisted at first of a few instrumentalists and singers who should satisfy the growing cultural needs in the fledgling residence. Modern zeitgeist dominated the court orchestra from the beginning, because early attempts were made to unite courtly and church music to a bourgeois concert life.

One of the first conductor was 1702-1707 Georg Caspar Schürmann. From 1711 to 1731 Johann Ludwig Bach led the chapel. He was followed by his descendants Gottlieb Friedrich Bach and Johann Philipp Bach, which he presented as the church music. High earnings earned after the conductor J. M. Feiler (1778-1814), who called besides demanding opera performances and subscription concerts to life. In 1800, the court orchestra accompanied the opening ceremony of the first theater in the duchy in Bad Love Stone. 1829 took over the previous concertmaster Eduard reason, the rod guide and opened with "Fra Diavolo " in 1831, the new theater building until it was replaced in 1857 by his colleagues Violin Johann Joseph Bott. Among the latter two conductors the symphony gained an increased importance. The next bandmaster followed from 1865 to 1880 Emil Adolf Buchner.

Franz Liszt organized in 1867 in Meiningen Court Orchestra, together with the the festival of "General German music club," came to the show at the new works by Liszt, Billow, Damrosch, Lassen, Draeseke and Volkmann. 1876 ​​presented the court orchestra at the request of Richard Wagner the main contingent of the Festival Orchestra at the first Bayreuth Festival. The Meininger musician had then several years at the Festival.

With the arrival of Hans von Bülow as court conductor in early October 1880, the most successful period of the chapel, which he developed with a reform of the symphonic concert to a European elite orchestra began. The 1866 reigning duke George II and Bülow could win -known composers such as Richard Wagner and Johannes Brahms to participate in the court orchestra. The premiere of the Symphony No. 4 by Brahms took place in Meiningen. In keeping with the theater company " Meininger " went the chapel from 1881 increasingly traveling. Under Bulow found a total of 200 public concerts throughout Germany and much of Europe. Brahms also conducted several times the court orchestra.

1885 took over the then 21 - year-old Richard Strauss the conductor's baton. He was followed by Fritz Steinbach (1886-1903) and Wilhelm Berger (1903-1911), who continued the legacy of Bulow's and went to the chapel on tours in Holland, Switzerland, Denmark, England and Bohemia.

The host cities for the Meiningen Court Orchestra were in this era: Gotha, Erfurt, Würzburg, Bayreuth, Nuremberg, Munich, Magdeburg, Berlin, Leipzig, Dresden, Breslau, Prague, Szczecin, Gdansk, Kaliningrad, Vienna, Graz, Budapest, Baden -Baden, Strasbourg, Basel, Stuttgart, Karlsruhe, Darmstadt, Mainz, Frankfurt, Marburg, Cologne, Dusseldorf, Barmen (Wuppertal ), Bremen, Hamburg, Odense, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht, Brussels and London.

From 1911 to 1914 Max Reger conducted the court orchestra. Before he took office, he formulated this sentence, quote: " There is only one band that I want to have: . Meiningen " Reger played very often on the organ of Meininger City church and encouraged their reconstruction and expansion, which in 1932 than Reger organ was inaugurated. Today you can visit the Max -Reger -Archiv with his artistic estate in the Meiningen Museums in Elizabeth Castle.

The First World War ended this period of prosperity. In 1921 the chapel was under the new name Landesorchester the State of Thuringia. Conductor was at this time including Heinz Bongartz ( 1926-1930 ). On June 16, 1945 Peter Schmitz conducted the first concert after the Second World War.

1952, the orchestra became affiliated with the Meininger Theater and called himself since Orchestra of the Meiningen Theatre. From 1952 to 1956 Ulrich Haverkamp led the chapel. This was followed from 1956 to 1961 Rolf Reuter, who put a special emphasis on performances of Mozart and Strauss. In contrast, his successor Olaf Koch (1961-1967) felt particularly obliged the Italian opera and the works of Shostakovich. 1967 Wolfgang squat became the longtime musical Oberleiter, a position he held until 1995.

In the season 1995/96 for the first time there was a woman at the helm of the Meiningen orchestra: The Swiss Marie -Jeanne Dufour led the orchestra until 1999 It was followed by 2004 Kirill Petrenko as General Music Director and conductor of the orchestra and led it to a nationally respected quality improvement.. Petrenko was then superseded by the still young Kazakhs Alan Buribayev, who was Chief Conductor of the Astana Symphony Orchestra at the same time.

As part of the celebrations for the 175th anniversary of the Meiningen Theatre on 17 December 2006, the orchestra got its original name back Meiningen Court Orchestra. With the season 2007/2008 Hans Urbanek took over the court orchestra. He was replaced in 2010 by the Swiss Philippe Bach.

Each season invites the Meiningen Court Orchestra in addition to their performances at music performances regularly to symphony concerts, youth concerts and a foyer concerts.

Structure

• Kapellmeister ( 3)
• 1st Violin (10 )
• 2nd violin (9 )
• Viola ( 6)

• Cello ( 5)
• Bass ( 4)
• Flute ( 3)
• Harp ( 1)

• Oboe ( 3)
• Clarinet ( 3)
• Horn ( 5)
• Bassoon ( 3)

• Trumpet ( 3)
• Trombone ( 3)
• Timpani / Percussion ( 3)
• Tuba ( 1)

• Orchestra waiting ( 3)
• Note librarian ( 1)

(In brackets: number of musicians / Stand season 2013/2014 )

Individual members of the Meiningen Court Orchestra

• Mühlfeld, best-known and most successful clarinetist of his time.
• Franz Hanika, studied at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Leipzig, was from 1898 double bass player in the Meiningen Court Orchestra and in 1917 was appointed chamber musician ..