Frieder Bernius (born 22 June 1947) is a German conductor, the founder and director of the chamber choir Kammerchor Stuttgart, founded in 1968. They became leaders for

historically informed performance Historically informed performance (also referred to as period performance, authentic performance, or HIP) is an approach to the performance of Western classical music, classical music which aims to be faithful to the approach, manner and style of ...

s. He founded the Stuttgart festival of Baroque music, Internationale Festtage Alter Musik, in 1987, and is a recipient of the Edison Award (1990), Diapason d'Or (1990) and the

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (, or , BVO) is the highest state decoration, federal decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It may be awarded for any field of endeavor. It was created by the first List of president ...

(1993).

Career

Frieder Bernius was born in

Ludwigshafen Ludwigshafen, officially Ludwigshafen am Rhein (; meaning "Ludwig I of Bavaria, Ludwig's Port upon the Rhine"; Palatine German dialects, Palatine German: ''Ludwichshafe''), is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in the German state of Rh ...

-Oppau, the second child of the Protestant minister Helmut Bernius and his wife Inge, a church musician. After his

Abitur ''Abitur'' (), often shortened colloquially to ''Abi'', is a qualification granted at the end of secondary education in Germany. It is conferred on students who pass their final exams at the end of ISCED 3, usually after twelve or thirteen year ...

at the Karl-Friedrich-Gymnasium in

Mannheim Mannheim (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (), is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, second-largest city in Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, the States of Ger ...

he studied music and musicology at the

Musikhochschule Stuttgart The State University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart is a professional school for musicians and performing artists in Stuttgart, Germany. Founded in 1857, it is one of the oldest schools of its kind in Germany. It is one of the oldest and ...

and at the

University of Tübingen The University of Tübingen, officially the Eberhard Karl University of Tübingen (; ), is a public research university located in the city of Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The University of Tübingen is one of eleven German Excellenc ...

. In 1968, his first year at the Musikhochschule, he founded the Kammerchor Stuttgart (Stuttgart chamber choir). They first concentrated on

a cappella Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...

music of the 19th and 20th century, but expanded their repertoire. Since 1977, Bernius has collaborated with leading German orchestras and conducted the choirs of broadcasters, such as the SDR and WDR, the NDR Chor and the RIAS Kammerchor. In 1985 the choir decisively turned to early music, and Bernius became known as a conductor of historically informed performance. He has continued in Bach's music the several-voice-to-a-part approach, as opposed to the one-voice-per-part approach advocated by Andrew Parrott and Joshua Rifkin. The Historical Dictionary of Choral Music says that it the choir is "recognized for high musical standards and stylistic flexibility, winning many international awards." ''Classical'' cites Bernius as leading "lively and intelligent performances." He has collaborated with the Musica Fiata of

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

, the La Grande Écurie et la Chambre du Roy of Paris and the Tafelmusik of

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

. In 1985/1987, he was instrumental in founding the Barockorchester Stuttgart and the Stuttgart festival of Baroque music, Internationale Festtage Alter Musik (now "Stuttgart Barock"). In 1988, Bernius, the Kammerchor Stuttgart and the Barockorchester Stuttgart performed the first concert of the first season of the Rheingau Musik Festival at Eberbach Abbey. On 23 June they performed two works by C. P. E. Bach, his ''

Magnificat The Magnificat (Latin for "y soulmagnifies he Lord) is a canticle, also known as the Song of Mary or Canticle of Mary, and in the Byzantine Rite as the Ode of the Theotokos (). Its Western name derives from the incipit of its Latin text. This ...

'' and the oratorio '' Die Israeliten in der Wüste'', with soloists Nancy Argenta, Lena Lootens, Mechthild Georg, Howard Crook and Stephen Roberts. Bernius and the choir toured the Far East in 1988 and the USA in 1989. Bernius began recording with Sony Classical in 1989. In 1992 he recorded Gluck's opera '' Orfeo ed Euridice'' with Nancy Argenta and Michael Chance. In May 1990 he was awarded the Dutch Edison Award for his recording of Symphoniae Sacrae III by

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 ...

with the Musica Fiata, and in November 1990 he was awarded the French Diapason d'Or for his recording of ''Missa Dei Filii'' by Jan Dismas Zelenka with the Tafelmusik. In 1991 he founded the orchestra . In 2002, he became musical director of the ensemble Hofkapelle Stuttgart. On 10 July 2005, he conducted at the Rheingau Musik Festival Penderecki's '' Polish Requiem'' with the Kammerchor Stuttgart and the Sinfonia Varsovia at Eberbach Abbey. In 2006 he released a CD of Symphonies No. 5 and No. 6 by Johann Wenzel Kalliwoda on the Orfeo label, and also recorded Handel's ''

Messiah In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias (; , ; , ; ) is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of '' mashiach'', messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a ''mashiach ...

'' (2009), Cherubini's '' Requiem'' (2010), and Johann Rudolph Zumsteeg's opera '' Die Geisterinsel'' (2011). In 2009 he was honoured with the Bach Medal of the City of Leipzig. Bernius has been teaching numerous workshops. In 2012, he and the Kammerchor Stuttgart were among the "Wegbegleiter" ("Companions along the way") of the Rheingau Musik Festival in its 25th anniversary season, artists who had appeared regularly from the beginning. They performed at Eberbach Abbey Schubert's " Gesang der Geister über den Wassern", and '' Ein deutsches Requiem'' by Brahms, with the Klassische Philarmonie Stuttgart.

Discography

Opera * Jommelli: '' Vologeso'', Orfeo * Johann Rudolph Zumsteeg: ''Die Geisterinsel'' after "The Tempest" of William Shakespeare. Carus Sacred music * Works of

(5CD), Sony Vivarte *

Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositions include symphonie ...

: church music (10CD) * Cherubini: '' Requiem in C minor'', Carus * Zelenka: ''Missa Votiva'', Kammerchor Stuttgart, Barockorchester Stuttgart, Carus 2010 * ''Hohes Lied'', works by Jean-Yves Daniel-Lesur,

Debussy Achille Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionism in music, Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influe ...

, C. F. C. Fasch, Ravel and

Schumann Robert Schumann (; ; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and music critic of the early Romantic music, Romantic era. He composed in all the main musical genres of the time, writing for solo piano, voice and piano, chamber ...

. Kammerchor Stuttgart *

Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel ( ; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well-known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concerti. Born in Halle, Germany, H ...

: ''

'' HWV 56 Orchestral * Norbert Burgmüller: Sinfonien Nr. 1 & 2, Hofkapelle Stuttgart

Awards

* 1990: Edison Award * 1990: Diapason d’Or * 1993: Bundesverdienstkreuz am Bande * 2001: Robert-Edler-Preis * 2002: Verdienstmedaille des Landes Baden-Württemberg * 2004: Preis der Europäischen Kirchenmusik * 2009: Bach-Medaille der Stadt Leipzig (Bach medal of the City of Leipzig) *

Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik Preis is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Alfred Preis (1911–1993), Austrian architect * Ellen Preis (Ellen Müller-Preis) (1912–2007), German-born Austrian Olympic champion foil fencer * Mary Louise Preis (born 1941), ...

** Bestenliste 2001/1 – Chorwerke. For Jan Dismas Zelenka: ''Missa Dei Patris'' ** Bestenliste 2001/3 – Chorwerke. For ''Lux aeterna....'' (Works by

Domenico Scarlatti Giuseppe Domenico Scarlatti (26 October 1685 – 23 July 1757) was an Italian composer. He is classified primarily as a Baroque music, Baroque composer chronologically, although his music was influential in the development of the Classical peri ...

Gustav Mahler Gustav Mahler (; 7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic music, Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and ...

György Ligeti György Sándor Ligeti (; ; 28 May 1923 – 12 June 2006) was a Hungarian-Austrian composer of contemporary classical music. He has been described as "one of the most important avant-garde music, avant-garde composers in the latter half of the ...

and Anne Boyd) ** Bestenliste 2005/1 – Chorwerke. For Gottfried August Homilius: ''Sehet, welch eine Liebe''. (Motetten). ** Bestenliste 2005/4 – Chorwerke. For

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...

: '' Oster-Oratorium'' BWV 249;

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (8 March 1714 – 14 December 1788), also formerly spelled Karl Philipp Emmanuel Bach, and commonly abbreviated C. P. E. Bach, was a German composer and musician of the Baroque and Classical period. He was the fifth ch ...

: ''Danket dem Herrn''; ''Heilig'' ** Bestenliste 2006/3 – Chorwerke. For Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy: ''Hebe deine Augen auf.'' (Kirchenwerke VII). ** Bestenliste 2010/3 – Alte Musik. For Jan Dismas Zelenka: ''Missa votiva''

Career

Discography

Awards

References

External links