Walter Hagen-Groll (15 April 1927 – 3 November 2018) was a German choral conductor, conductor and pianist. He was known as chorus director for decades at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and the Salzburg Festival. He was professor at the Mozarteum in Salzburg.
Life and career Walter Hagen-Groll was born in Chemnitz on 15 April 1927, the son of Alfred Hagen-Groll, an apothecary, and his wife Margarete née Wenzel. During his schooling, he took lessons in piano and organ from Eugen Richter from 1934 to 1944, achieving an Organistenzeugnis of the Protestant church in Saxony. After the Abitur, he studied piano with Josef Pembaur in Munich, interrupted by military service and being held as a prisoner of war. He studied further at the Musikhochschule Stuttgart from 1947 to 1952, piano with Jürgen Uhde and Hubert Giesen, conducting with Koslik and Walter Aign for conducting, and musicology with ; he graduated with a diploma as music teacher and conductor.
Hagen-Groll worked from 1952 to 1957 as répétiteur and deputy choral director at the Stuttgart State Opera, and then to 1961 as choral conductor and kapellmeister at the Theater Heidelberg. He assisted Wilhelm Pitz at the Bayreuth Festival from 1960 to 1962.
Hagen-Groll was director of the chorus of the Deutsche Oper Berlin from 1961 to 1984. He had the ambition to form the largest opera chorus of Europe, of 120 singers, also the best, and achieved it over many years, as Die Welt acknowledged. In 1962 he became choral conductor at the Salzburg Festival, and chorus director there from 1965 to 1988. He collaborated with conductors such as Herbert von Karajan, Karl Böhm and Giuseppe Sinopoli, also for recordings.
He was artistic director of the New Philharmonia Chorus in London from 1971 to 1975. He was chorus director at the Vienna State Opera from 1984 to 1986 and from then on with a guest contract. In the 1987/88 season, he also directed the Wiener Singakademie
Hagen-Groll headed the class of choral conducting at the Mozarteum in Salzburg from 1986. He was recognised as an influential trainer of singers and students.
Personal life Hagen-Groll was married to Renate née Offenhäußer.
Hagen-Groll died in Salzburg on 3 November 2018, at the age of 91.
Awards 1966 Deutscher Kritikerpreis 1976 Grammy nomination 1981 1984 Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany 1987 Clemens Krauss Medal of the Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor 2001 Honorary member of the Deutsche Oper Berlin 2003 Honorary member of the Salzburger Gesellschaft für zeitgenössische Musik
Recording Hagen-Groll was involved in almost 80 recordings, collaborating with conductors such as Claudio Abbado, Christoph von Dohnányi, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Eugen Jochum, Lorin Maazel, Riccardo Muti, Giuseppe Sinopoli and Robert Stolz, including: Wagner's Götterdämmerung, Karajan, Deutsche Grammophon 1970 Wagner's Tristan und Isolde, Karajan, Angel Records 1972 Haydn's The Seasons, Karajan, 1974 Verdi's Otello, Karajan, Angel Records 1974 Beethoven's Missa solemnis, Giulini, EMI 1977 Verdi's Il trovatore, Karajan, EMI 1978 Verdi's Nabucco, Sinopoli, Deutsche Grammophon 1983 Mozart's Great Mass in C minor, Harnoncourt, Teldec 1985 Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Abbado, Deutsche Grammophon 1987 Mozart's Così fan tutte, Muti, EMI 1997
Two recordings earned a nomination for a Grammy Award.
References Hagen-Groll, Walter. In: Walter Habel (ed.): 24th ed.. Schmidt-Römhild, Lübeck 1985, , p. 441.
Further reading
External links
Walter Hagen-Groll BMLO Hagen-Groll, Walter 1927- Bildarchiv Austria