The Bamberg Symphony (German: Bamberger Symphoniker – Bayerische Staatsphilharmonie) is a German professional orchestra that has resided in Bamberg since being founded in 1946 and regularly tours internationally.
The Bamberg Symphony was founded in 1946 by musicians who as a result of the Beneš decrees had been driven out of Bohemia, Moravia, the Czech Sudetenland as well as from German cities and had ended up in Bamberg. The "core" of the orchestra comprised former members of the German Philharmonic Orchestra Prague. The first concert of the orchestra was performed on March 20, 1946, in Bamberg. In July 1946, the orchestra was renamed the "Bamberg Symphony" (German: Bamberger Symphoniker).
The orchestra is recognized as an outstanding touring orchestra and has performed more than 7,500 concerts in 64 countries and over 530 cities in its history. It has worked with more than 500 guest conductors to date. Since 2004, it has held the title of state orchestra. The orchestra's musical roots trace back to Mahler and Mozart, and it is well known for its characteristic dark, full and resonant sound. Since the fall of 2016, the orchestra has been led by its sixth Chief Conductor, Czech-born Jakub Hrůša.
The Bamberg Symphony Orchestra is based in the Bamberg Concert Hall, which was opened in 1993 and acoustically optimized in 2008 by the Japanese acoustic designer Yasuhisa Toyota and has the nickname Sinfonie an der Regnitz (Symphony on the Regnitz). 2009 saw the concert hall undergo a comprehensive renovation and modernization following a concept by the designer Peter Schmidt.
History The link between Bamberg and Prague dates back to the 18th century: the orchestra of the Estates Theatre in Prague is regarded as the predecessor of the orchestra that performed under the directorship of Carl Maria von Weber from 1813 to 1816.Alte und neue Wurzeln. In: Prager Zeitung. 2016. Retrieved 5 December 2023. The city's German theatre was also influenced by eminent artists such as Gustav Mahler. After the German occupation, the orchestra was re-established as the German Philharmonic Orchestra Prague. This orchestra performed under the direction of Joseph Keilberth in Prague until the end of the Second World War. The musicians had to flee in May 1945 during the Prague uprising. After the end of the Second World War, a number of top German-speaking musicians from Bohemia and Moravia arrived in Bamberg, after having been expelled by the Beneš decrees. The majority of these musicians, roughly two thirds, were former members of the German Philharmonic Orchestra Prague, who formed the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra in 1946.
The founding of the orchestra was decisively due to the commitment of a Bamberg citizens' committee. The first public concert was held under the name "Bamberger Tonkünstlerorchester" before the orchestra was renamed 'Bamberger Symphoniker' shortly after. The first conductors included Hans Schneider, Konrad Lechner, Hans Knappertsbusch, Herbert Albert, Georg Ludwig Jochum and finally Joseph Keilberth, who conducted his first concert in Bamberg in 1949. This reunion with Keilberth was a momentous milestone for the orchestra.from a letter of the Bamberger Symphoniker of 11 March 1945 to Joseph Keilberth, in: Wolfgang Pfister: Die Bamberger Symphoniker. 50 Jahre Orchesterkultur in Bamberg. Verlag Fränkischer Tag, Bamberg 1996, p. 59.
In September 2016, Jakub Hrůša became the sixth Chief Conductor of the Bamberg Symphony, with an initial contract of four seasons. In June 2018, the orchestra announced the extension of Hrůša's contract as its chief conductor through the 2025–2026 season. In December 2023, the orchestra announced a further extension of Hrůša's contract as chief conductor through the 2028–2029 season.
Chief conductors Joseph Keilberth (1949–1968) James Loughran (1979–1983) Witold Rowicki (1983–1985) Horst Stein (1985–1996) Jonathan Nott (2000–2016) Jakub Hrůša (2016–present)
Joseph Keilberth A key figure in the history of the Bamberg Symphony was Joseph Keilberth, who officially took up the post of Chief Conductor in Bamberg in January 1950. His artistic work, his reputation and his stringent approach to programming could hardly be overestimated in terms of shaping the Bamberg Symphony's national and international profile. From the very beginning, Keilberth's aim was to increase the number of radio recordings with the orchestra and to go on a tour in Germany and abroad.Fränkischer Tag, Bamberg. 26 August 1950.
In May 1950, as part of a grant from the Free State of Bavaria, the administrative district of Upper Franconia and the City of Bamberg, a work agreement was also signed with the Bavarian Broadcasting (Bayerischer Rundfunk),Wolfgang Pfister: Die Bamberger Symphoniker. 50 Jahre Orchesterkultur in Bamberg. Verlag Fränkischer Tag, Bamberg 1996, p. 86. which scheduled a constant number of productions – the beginning of a media partnership that continues to this day.
During the Keilberth era, numerous renowned guest conductors were invited to conduct the "Bamberger", including Eugen Jochum, Hans Rosbaud, Fritz Lehmann, Georg Solti, Clemens Krauss, Lovro von Matačić, Heinrich Hollreiser, Robert Heger, André Cluytens, Heinz Wallberg and Rudolf Kempe.
The great concert hall of the Bamberg Concert and Congress Hall, which has been home to the Bamberg Symphony since 1993, is named after Joseph Keilberth.
Eugen Jochum – James Loughran – Horst Stein After Keilberth's death in 1968, Eugen Jochum took over the artistic responsibility for the orchestra. Jochum's worldwide recognition as a Bruckner interpreter and his successes at the Würzburg Mozart Festival had cemented his reputation.Wolfgang Pfister: Die Bamberger Symphoniker. 50 Jahre Orchesterkultur in Bamberg. Verlag Fränkischer Tag, Bamberg 1996, p. 134. In 1971, Jochum took over the position of Chief Conductor, and from 1973 he remained in close contact with the orchestra as a guest conductor. On the occasion of his 76th birthday, the Bamberg Symphony awarded Jochum the title of Honorary Conductor in November 1978.Wolfgang Pfister: Die Bamberger Symphoniker. 50 Jahre Orchesterkultur in Bamberg. Verlag Fränkischer Tag, Bamberg 1996, p. 169. As Jochum's successor, the Hungarian István Kertész was introduced, but died in a swimming accident on the beach in Tel Aviv a few months before taking up his post, on 16 April 1973.
In the following 1973/1974 season, nine guest conductors took the baton in Bamberg, as the position of Chief Conductor was still vacant. On 1 April 1977, the Scotsman James Loughran finally introduced himself to the Bamberg Symphony as guest conductor. Like some of his predecessors, he drew public attention to the need for a suitable venue for the orchestra. On 4 February 1984, Loughran conducted his last concert with the Bamberg Symphony and the collaboration ended by mutual agreement on 31 August 1983. The Polish conductor Witold Rowicki took over as interim artistic director until his successor took office. The collaboration with him lasted until his death in 1989.
Horst Stein became the orchestra's Chief Conductor in 1985. His debut on the podium was followed by a partnership agreement between the orchestra and the Ariola record label. One of the milestones was the complete recording of Schubert's symphonies in collaboration with the Bayerischer Rundfunk in 1986. Together with Horst Stein, the Bamberg Symphony travelled through Germany and to the major European music capitals as well as several times to Asia and South America, for example. The Bamberg Symphony's first concert in Prague, the city of its historical roots, also took place under his baton in 1991. After the ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of the new concert hall on 25 November 1989, Stein conducted the opening concert in the newly erected Bamberg Concert Hall in September 1993 with Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 8, the "Symphony of a Thousand". Stein held his post until 1996 and was appointed Honorary Conductor of the Bamberg Symphony.
Jonathan Nott From January 2000, Jonathan Nott was Chief Conductor in Bamberg and took over the baton from his predecessors with enormous success. With him, a new profiling of the orchestra began, which involved turning more towards 20th century and contemporary music. In September 2011, Jonathan Nott extended his contract in Bamberg until 2016.
Jonathan Nott regularly performed with the Bamberg Symphony at all the major national and international festivals and went on numerous concert tours domestic and abroad. The performance in Castel Gandolfo in honour of Pope Benedict XVI on the occasion of the 1,000th anniversary of the diocese in Bamberg is one of the outstanding milestones of his era.
During his tenure, Jonathan Nott focused on the symphonies of Franz Schubert, Ludwig van Beethoven and Johannes Brahms, the classical modernism of Béla Bartók and Igor Stravinsky, as well as the works of György Ligeti. Works by Jörg Widmann, Wolfgang Rihm, Mark-Anthony Turnage and Bruno Mantovani received their world or German premieres in concerts of the Bamberg Symphony under Jonathan Nott, who was also responsible for concert performances of Beethoven's "Fidelio" and Richard Wagner's "Ring des Nibelungen" and "Tristan und Isolde".
Finally, the orchestra began focussing on the music of Mahler. The Bamberg Symphony has long been recognised as one of the world's leading Mahler orchestras.Das Orchester, edition Dezember 2009. In 2013, they completed the CD cycle of all of Gustav Mahler's symphonies – a complete recording whose individual recordings have repeatedly been honoured with prestigious awards over the years, such as the MIDEM Classical Award or the International Record Prize "Toblacher Komponierhäuschen".
Jakub Hrůša In autumn 2016, Jakub Hrůša succeeded Jonathan NottSüddeutsche Zeitung, 4 October 2016 and Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 6 October 2016. and became the sixth Chief Conductor in the history of the Bamberg Symphony. It is the first time that a Czech has been appointed Chief Conductor of the orchestra. Hrůša cultivates the distinctive "Bohemian sound" and focuses on masterpieces of music history as well as world premieres and discoveries in his programming. In May 2019, the Bamberg Symphony opened the 74th Prague Spring Music Festival with him with the famous symphonic poem "Má vlast" from their Bohemian homeland.
Their first CD together was released shortly after Hrůša took office in October 2016, with Bedrich Smetana's "Má vlast" (My Fatherland) on the label Tudor. Since then, the orchestra and its conductor have been working on a Brahms-Dvořák edition in addition to other projects. On each of the four CDs already released as part of the project, a symphony by Brahms is paired with a symphony by Dvořák. Another important work is the symphony cycles by Beethoven, Bruckner, Mahler and Martinů. The intention is to discover the German-Czech musical tradition.