Jürgen Jürgens (5 October 1925 – 4 August 1994
) was a German choral conductor and academic teacher. He founded and directed the
Monteverdi-Chor Hamburg, a pioneering ensemble for Monteverdi's music.
Biography
Born in
Frankfurt am Main
Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...
, Jürgens received his musical training at the
Musisches Gymnasium Frankfurt with
Kurt Thomas.
Jürgens studied singing and choir direction with at the
Musikhochschule Freiburg.
In 1955, he founded the award-winning
Monteverdi-Chor Hamburg.
They recorded for
Archiv Produktion
Archiv Produktion is a classical music record label of German origin. It originated in 1948 as a classical label for the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft (DGG), and in 1958 Archiv was established as a subsidiary of DGG, specialising in recordin ...
, focussing on works of
Claudio Monteverdi
Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi (baptized 15 May 1567 – 29 November 1643) was an Italian composer, choirmaster and string instrument, string player. A composer of both Secular music, secular and Church music, sacred music, and a pioneer ...
. Later the choir became involved in the Telefunken/Teldec
Bach cantatas project with the
Leonhardt-Consort. From 1961 to 1993, Jürgens was University Music Director of the Choir and Orchestra at the
University of Hamburg
The University of Hamburg (, also referred to as UHH) is a public university, public research university in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded on 28 March 1919 by combining the previous General Lecture System ('':de:Allgemeines Vorlesungswesen, ...
.
and was appointed professor at the University of Hamburg in 1973.
He died in
Hamburg
Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
and was buried at the
Ohlsdorf Cemetery
Ohlsdorf Cemetery ( or (former) ) in the Ohlsdorf, Hamburg, Ohlsdorf quarter of the city of Hamburg, Germany, is the biggest rural cemetery in the world and the fourth-largest cemetery in the world. Most of the people buried at the cemetery are c ...
.
Awards
* 1985
Biermann Ratjen Medal
* 1991
Johannes Brahms Medal
Discography
*
Heinrich Schütz
Heinrich Schütz (; 6 November 1672) was a German early Baroque music, Baroque composer and organ (music), organist, generally regarded as the most important German composer before Johann Sebastian Bach and one of the most important composers of ...
: ''St. Luke Passion'',
Max van Egmond
Max van Egmond (born 1 February 1936 in Semarang) is a Dutch bass and baritone singer. He has focused on oratorio and Lied and is known for singing works of Johann Sebastian Bach. He was one of the pioneers of historically informed performance of ...
, Peter-Christoph Runge – Jürgen Jürgens, 1966.
* Monteverdi: ''
Lamento d'Arianna
' ( SV 291, ''Ariadne'') is the lost second opera by Italian composer Claudio Monteverdi. One of the earliest operas in general, it was composed in 1607–1608 and first performed on 28 May 1608, as part of the musical festivities for a royal we ...
'', Jürgen Jürgens, Monteverdi-Chor Hamburg, 1973.
*
Alessandro Scarlatti
Pietro Alessandro Gaspare Scarlatti (2 May 1660 – 22 October 1725) was an Italian Baroque music, Baroque composer, known especially for his operas and chamber cantatas. He is considered the most important representative of the Neapolitan sch ...
: ''Madrigale'', Hamburg, 1975.
* Schütz: ''Die italienischen Madrigale'', 1976.
*
Anton Bruckner
Joseph Anton Bruckner (; ; 4 September 182411 October 1896) was an Austrian composer and organist best known for his Symphonies by Anton Bruckner, symphonies and sacred music, which includes List of masses by Anton Bruckner, Masses, Te Deum (Br ...
''Music of the St. Florian Period'', 1984 – CD: BSVD-0109, 2011 (Bruckner Archive Production).
*
References
Further reading
*
External links
Monteverdi ChorBach Cantatas Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jurgens, Jurgen
1925 births
1994 deaths
German male conductors (music)
Musicians from Frankfurt
20th-century German conductors (music)
20th-century German male musicians
Academic staff of the University of Hamburg