Gewandhausorchester

Music lovers worldwide revere the highly individual sound palette that distinguishes the Gewandhausorchester from all other symphony orchestras. This unique sound identity, along with the extraordinarily rich diversity of the repertoire which the Gewandhausorchester performs, is cultivated in over 200 performances each year in the Orchestra's three »homes«: as concert orchestra in the Gewandhaus, orchestra of the Leipzig Opera and orchestra for the weekly performances of the cantatas of Johann Sebastian Bach with the Thomanerchor in St. Thomas's Church. No other elite symphony orchestra dedicates itself so intensively to the performance of the music of J.S. Bach. The Gewandhausorchester has toured the globe on a regular basis since 1916 and enjoys almost unparalleled presence in the media of radio, television, CD and DVD.

Few other ensembles have exerted such significant and enduring influence on the development of the symphonic music tradition as the Gewandhausorchester. Throughout its history, the Orchestra has consistently attracted the collaborative energies of the world's most eminent composers, conductors and soloists. The Gewandhausorchester performed a complete cycle of the symphonies of Beethoven during his lifetime (1825/26), as well as the first ever cycle of Bruckner's symphonies to be mounted (1919/20). Wagner's Prelude to »Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg«, Beethoven's 5th Piano Concerto Emperor, Brahms' Violin Concerto and »Deutsches Requiem« and Bruckner's 7^th Symphony are just a fraction of the wealth of the core symphonic repertoire to be given its first performance by the Gewandhausorchester. The Orchestra commissions and premieres new works each season to this day.

A decisive contribution to the development of the symphonic repertoire must be attributed to the celebrated Gewandhauskapellmeister, Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy. During his tenure from 1835 until 1847, he presided over the first performances of numerous works from his own pen, for instance the Violin Concerto, the »Scottish Symphony« and his Overture to »Ruy Blas«, as well as the world premieres of many works of other composers, including Schubert's C major Symphony »The Great« and Schumann's 1st, 2nd and 4th symphonies. Through the introduction of new programming concepts – highly innovative for the time - Mendelssohn sharpened the Gewandhaus audiences' awareness of the music of times past, most notably reviving the performance of the orchestral oeuvre of J.S. Bach.

It was on Mendelssohn's initiative that Germany's first conservatoire was founded, in Leipzig, in 1843 - the modern day University of Music and Theatre »Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy«. Following the principles established by Mendelssohn himself, the Gewandhausorchester and University collaborate in the form of the Mendelssohn Orchestra Academy, offering the most talented young musicians the opportunity to hone their skills to the level required by the world's elite orchestras. Graduates of the Orchesterakademie receive a master's degree from the University.

The CD and DVD productions released by the Gewandhausorchester since the turn of the millenium have been decorated with a plethora of international record awards, including a Golden Disc. Under the direction of Riccardo Chailly, the Decca label produced a complete cycle of Beethoven's symphonies and nine of his overtures (CD, 2007-2009) and a cycle of Brahms' symphonies (CD, 2012-2013). Riccardo Chailly also led the Orchestra in numerous acclaimed DVD recordings of the symphonies of Gustav Mahler (accentus music, 2011-2015). To mark the occasion of Herbert Blomstedt's 90th birthday in July 2017, a new complete cycle of Beethoven's symphonic oeuvre conducted by the Gewandhausorchester's Conductor Laureate was released by accentus music. This label has released two DVD productions with the Orchestra and the new Gewandhauskapellmeister, Andris Nelsons: Antonín Dvořák's 9th Szmphony »From the New World« (released in February 2018) and Alban Berg's Violin Concerto coupled with Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy's »Scottish Symphony« (released in August 2018).

In 2022 Andris Nelsons and the Gewandhausorchester completed the cycle of all symphonies of Anton Bruckner, produced on CD by Deutsche Grammophon. In 2024, the CDs of the cycle will be released as a box set, plus a recording of the symphony »Nr. 0« which will appear on CD for the first time with the Gewandhausorchestra. Under the baton of Herbert Blomstedt the last CD of the complete recording of all symphonies by Johannes Brahms was released by Pentatone in 2022 (coupled with the Tragic Overture op. 81 & Academic Festival Overture op. 80). On the occasion of Sofia Gubaidulina's 90th birthday in October 2021, Deutsche Grammophon released a CD with world premiere recordings of »Der Zorn Gottes«, »Das Licht des Endes« and the violin concerto No. 3 »Dialog: Ich und Du« under the baton of Andris Nelsons. A seven-CD box set of important symphonic works by Richard Strauss, recorded by the Gewandhausorchestra and the Boston Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Andris Nelsons will be released by Deutsche Grammophon in May 2022.

Die CD-Einspielungen, die das Orchester veröffentlicht hat, wurden mit internationalen Schallplattenpreisen und einer Goldenen Schallplatte ausgezeichnet. Mit Riccardo Chailly entstanden die Gesamteinspielungen der Beethoven-Sinfonien inklusive 9 seiner Ouvertüren (CD, Decca 2007-2009) und der Brahms-Sinfonien (CD, Decca 2012-2013) sowie umfangreiche Einspielungen der Sinfonien von Gustav Mahler (DVD, accentus music 2011-2015). Anlässlich des 90. Geburtstages von Herbert Blomstedt erschien im Juli 2017 eine neue Gesamteinspielung der Beethoven-Sinfonien (CD, accentus music), die der Ehrendirigent mit dem Gewandhausorchester realisiert hat. Unter der Leitung des neuen Gewandhauskapellmeisters Andris Nelsons entstand eine Einspielung von Antonín Dvořáks 9. Sinfonie »Aus der Neuen Welt«, die im Februar 2018 erschienen ist (DVD, accentus music). Die Einspielung von Alban Bergs Violinkonzert und Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdys »Schottischer Sinfonie« wurde am 31. August 2018 veröffentlicht (DVD, accentus music). Mit Andris Nelsons hat das Gewandhausorchester sämtliche Bruckner-Sinfonien eingespielt (CD, Deutsche Grammophon). 2024 erscheinen die Einzel-CDs des Zyklus als Box, zuzüglich einer Aufnahme der »Nullten«, die erstmals mit dem Gewandhausorchester auf CD escheinen wird.

2022 ist unter der Leitung von Herbert Blomstedt die dritte und letzte CD der Gesamteinspielung aller Sinfonien von Johannes Brahms bei Pentatone erschienen (gekoppelt mit der »Tragischen Ouvertüre« op. 81 und der »Akademischen Festouvertüre« op. 80). Anlässlich des 90. Geburtstages von Sofia Gubaidulina im Oktober 2021 veröffentlichte die Deutsche Grammophon eine CD mit Weltersteinspielungen von »Der Zorn Gottes« sowie »Das Licht des Endes« und des 3. Violinkonzerts »Dialog: Ich und Du« (Vadim Repin, Violine) unter der Leitung von Andris Nelsons.

Im Mai 2022 erscheint eine siebenteilige CD-Box mit wichtigen sinfonischen Werken von Richard Strauss, die das Gewandhausorchester und das Boston Symphony Orchestra unter der Leitung von Andris Nelsons bei Deutsche Grammophon eingespielt haben.