Otto Gerdes

Otto Gerdes ( born January 20, 1920 in Cologne, † 15 June 1989), was a German conductor and music producer.

He studied at the Musikhochschule in Cologne. Mid- 1946, Otto Gerdes in Cologne a dance orchestra consisting of 15 musicians, which then stood as the NWDR Cologne " Cologne Radio Orchestra Dance " is available, which was the low point of the resident in Hamburg NWDR then and one medium wave operation. Since the competent authorities within NWDR Cologne apparently the lively music of this band did not appeal, the orchestra was disbanded in the fall of 1947.

Otto Gerdes took the chance was, at the sender Koblenz of the emerging Südwestfunks (SWF) to take the place of the conductor entertainment orchestra. As a result of the move of the state government of Rhineland -Palatinate from Koblenz to Mainz also resulted in the transmitter Koblenz changes.

Otto Gerdes later took over conducting engagements with other orchestras, but now, in contrast to Cologne activity always in the E- region, ie the so-called "serious" music. He was active as a conductor, producer and artistic director at opera houses in Berlin and Munich, then went in 1956 in the same capacity for Deutsche Grammophon. So a recording of Wagner's Tannhauser from 1968/1969 was published in 2002 as a new complete recording on 3 CDs.

The music critic Norman Lebrecht reported in one of his books, Otto Gerdes had been dismissed from the service of the record company, shortly after he had morning Maestro Herbert von Karajan jovially greeted with " Mr ".

With the radio symphony orchestras in Berlin and Leipzig, he played for the East German label Eterna a different title and was reportedly also working for the Czech Supraphon.

Otto Gerdes received in 2001 posthumously the medal of honor of the free musicians Lodge Baden -Baden for his life's work.