Siegfried Köhler (30 July 1923 – 12 September 2017) was a German conductor and composer of classical music. He worked as general music director of opera houses such as Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden and the
Royal Swedish Opera
Royal Swedish Opera ( sv, Kungliga Operan) is an opera and ballet company based in Stockholm, Sweden.
Location and environment
The building is located in the center of Sweden's capital Stockholm in the borough of Norrmalm, on the eastern s ...
. Köhler conducted premieres of works by Hans Werner Henze and Volker David Kirchner, among others, and revived rarely performed operas. He also composed music for the stage and taught at universities of music in Cologne and
Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken (; french: link=no, Sarrebruck ; Rhine Franconian: ''Saarbrigge'' ; lb, Saarbrécken ; lat, Saravipons, lit=The Bridge(s) across the Saar river) is the capital and largest city of the state of Saarland, Germany. Saarbrücken is ...
.
Career
Born in
Freiburg im Breisgau
Freiburg im Breisgau (; abbreviated as Freiburg i. Br. or Freiburg i. B.; Low Alemannic: ''Friburg im Brisgau''), commonly referred to as Freiburg, is an independent city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With a population of about 230,000 (as o ...
the son of a horn player, Köhler studied harp at the Musikhochschule Freiburg. From 1942, he worked at the Theater Heilbronn as a harpist and repetiteur. During World War II he was a ''Funker'' (radio operator). He conducted from 1946 in Freiburg, promoted in 1952 to ''1. Kapellmeister'' (first conductor). From 1954, he worked at the opera in Düsseldorf. From 1957, he conducted at the Cologne Opera, and later became its Generalmusikdirektor (GMD). He conducted there in 1958 the first staged performance of Hans Werner Henze's ballet ''Das Vokaltuch der Kammersängerin Rosa Silber'', with choreography by . He was also director of the ''Opernstudio'' of the Hochschule für Musik Köln. Köhler was GMD in
Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken (; french: link=no, Sarrebruck ; Rhine Franconian: ''Saarbrigge'' ; lb, Saarbrécken ; lat, Saravipons, lit=The Bridge(s) across the Saar river) is the capital and largest city of the state of Saarland, Germany. Saarbrücken is ...
from 1964 to 1974, and simultaneously was professor of conducting at the Hochschule für Musik Saar. The soprano Inge Borkh recalled that Köhler was called to the
Staatsoper Stuttgart
The Staatsoper Stuttgart (Stuttgart State Opera) is a German opera company based in Stuttgart, the capital of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The Staatsorchester Stuttgart serves as its resident orchestra.
History
Performances of operas, ballet and ...
to step in to prepare Richard Strauss' ''
Die Frau ohne Schatten
' (''The Woman without a Shadow''), Op. 65, is an opera in three acts by Richard Strauss with a libretto by his long-time collaborator, the poet Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It was written between 1911 and either 1915 or 1917. When it premiered at the ...
'' in 1970 because he had an understanding of the singers' breathing techniques.
From 1974 to 1988, Köhler was GMD at the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden. He presented an unusual repertoire, including Auber's ''
Die Stumme von Portici
''The Mute of Portici'' (german: Die Stumme von Portici) is a 1922 German silent film directed by Arthur Günsburg
Arthur Günsburg (February 18, 1872 - February 1, 1949) was a film director, producer, and film company executive (A. G. Films) f ...
'' and Wagner's ''
Rienzi
' (''Rienzi, the last of the tribunes''; WWV 49) is an early opera by Richard Wagner in five acts, with the libretto written by the composer after Edward Bulwer-Lytton's novel of the same name (1835). The title is commonly shortened to ''Rienzi ...
'' (with
Jon Buzea
Jon is a shortened form of the common given name Jonathan, derived from "YHWH has given", and an alternate spelling of John, derived from "YHWH has pardoned".Eike Wilm Schulte as Steffano Colonna and
Gail Gilmore
Gail Gilmore (born Gail Gerber, October 4, 1937 – March 2, 2014) was a Canadian television and film actress and ballet dancer. She was from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. She was sometimes known as Gail Gibson.
Dancing career
In 1952, at age ...
as Adriano). Köhler conducted a performance during the Internationale of 1979 which was recorded live, with Gerd Brenneis as Rienzi, Jeannine Altmeyer as Irene and as Adriano. He revived operas by
Siegfried Wagner
Siegfried Helferich Richard Wagner (6 June 18694 August 1930) was a German composer and conductor, the son of Richard Wagner. He was an opera composer and the artistic director of the Bayreuth Festival from 1908 to 1930.
Life
Siegfried Wagner ...
, holding days devoted to the composer twice, with concert performances of ''Sternengebot'' in 1977, and of ''Sonnenflammen'' in 1979. Köhler conducted premieres of operas by Volker David Kirchner, ''Die Trauung'' (''The Wedding'') in 1975 and ''Das kalte Herz'' (''The Cold Heart'') in 1981. He appeared as a guest conductor internationally with notable orchestras.
From 1989, Köhler was chief conductor at the
Royal Swedish Opera
Royal Swedish Opera ( sv, Kungliga Operan) is an opera and ballet company based in Stockholm, Sweden.
Location and environment
The building is located in the center of Sweden's capital Stockholm in the borough of Norrmalm, on the eastern s ...
in Stockholm. He had conducted the Kungliga Hovkapellet first in 1975, and had the position of ''Hovkapellmästare'' from 1992 to 2005. In Stockholm, he conducted Mozart's ''
Die Entführung aus dem Serail
' () ( K. 384; ''The Abduction from the Seraglio''; also known as ') is a singspiel in three acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The German libretto is by Gottlieb Stephanie, based on Christoph Friedrich Bretzner's ''Belmont und Constanze, oder D ...
'', ''
Le nozze di Figaro
''The Marriage of Figaro'' ( it, Le nozze di Figaro, links=no, ), K. 492, is a ''commedia per musica'' (opera buffa) in four acts composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with an Italian libretto written by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It prem ...
'' and ''
Don Giovanni
''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; Vienna (1788) title: , literally ''The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spani ...
Boccaccio
Giovanni Boccaccio (, , ; 16 June 1313 – 21 December 1375) was an Italian writer, poet, correspondent of Petrarch, and an important Renaissance humanist. Born in the town of Certaldo, he became so well known as a writer that he was some ...
Der fliegende Holländer
' (''The Flying Dutchman''), WWV 63, is a German-language opera, with libretto and music by Richard Wagner. The central theme is redemption through love. Wagner conducted the premiere at the Königliches Hoftheater Dresden in 1843.
Wagner ...
'', ''
Lohengrin
Lohengrin () is a character in German Arthurian literature. The son of Parzival (Percival), he is a knight of the Holy Grail sent in a boat pulled by swans to rescue a maiden who can never ask his identity. His story, which first appears in Wolf ...
'', ''
Der Ring des Nibelungen
(''The Ring of the Nibelung''), WWV 86, is a cycle of four German-language epic music dramas composed by Richard Wagner. The works are based loosely on characters from Germanic heroic legend, namely Norse legendary sagas and the ''Nibelung ...
'' and ''
Parsifal
''Parsifal'' ( WWV 111) is an opera or a music drama in three acts by the German composer Richard Wagner and his last composition. Wagner's own libretto for the work is loosely based on the 13th-century Middle High German epic poem '' Parziv ...
'', Puccini's ''
Madama Butterfly
''Madama Butterfly'' (; ''Madame Butterfly'') is an opera in three acts (originally two) by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa.
It is based on the short story " Madame Butterfly" (1898) by John L ...
'', ''
Elektra
Electra was a daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra in Greek mythology.
Electra or Elektra may also refer to:
Greek mythology
*Electra (Pleiad), one of the Pleiades
* Electra, one of the Danaids, daughter of Danaus and Polyxo
* Electra (Oc ...
'' and '' Arabella'' by Richard Strauss. He conducted concerts such as Orff's Carmina Burana and the Swedish first performance of Mozart's ''
Il Re Pastore
' (''The Shepherd King'') is an opera, K. 208, written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Metastasio, edited by Giambattista Varesco. It is an opera seria. The opera was first performed on 23 April 1775 in Salzburg in the Rit ...
''. A ballet performance used as music Rimskij-Korsakov's ''
Scheherazade
Scheherazade () is a major female character and the storyteller in the frame narrative of the Middle Eastern collection of tales known as the ''One Thousand and One Nights''.
Name
According to modern scholarship, the name ''Scheherazade'' deri ...
'', Bizet's Symphony in C, Arvo Pärt's '' Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten'' and '' Four Last Songs'' by Richard Strauss.
Köhler's work is documented in recordings for radio and television, as well as in commercial releases. He conducted excerpts from his own works for WERGO, with the ''
Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz
The Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz (State Philharmonic of Rhineland-Palatinate) is the largest and leading symphony orchestra of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, based in Ludwigshafen am Rhein. It gives concerts in Rhineland-Palati ...
'' and the ''Königliche Hofkapelle Stockholm''. He recorded in 1993 ''
Der tapfere Soldat
''The Chocolate Soldier'' (German: ''Der tapfere Soldat'' he courageous soldieror ''Der Praliné-Soldat'') is an operetta composed in 1908 by Oscar Straus (composer), Oscar Straus based on George Bernard Shaw's 1894 play, ''Arms and the Man' ...
Johannes Martin Kränzle
Johannes Martin Kränzle (born 1962) is a German baritone in opera and concert who has made an international career. For years a member of the Oper Frankfurt, he was chosen as Singer of the Year in 2011 after creating the leading role in Wolfgang ...
as Bumeru,
Caroline Stein
Caroline Stein is a German operatic coloratura soprano and an academic voice teacher. She has appeared internationally, including contemporary opera, creating the Angel in Dusapin's ''Faustus, the Last Night'' at the Berlin State Opera.
Career ...
as Nadina Popff, and John Dickie as Alexius Spiridoff.
Köhler wrote his autobiography in 2003, with the same title as his operetta, ''Alles Capriolen''. and the subtitle ''Ein Jahrhundert im Musiktheater'' (A century of music for the stage). He died in Wiesbaden on 12 September 2017.
Awards
In 1978, Köhler was awarded the
Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...
Saarland
The Saarland (, ; french: Sarre ) is a state of Germany in the south west of the country. With an area of and population of 990,509 in 2018, it is the smallest German state in area apart from the city-states of Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg, and t ...
, and an honorary member of the ''Verband'' in Wiesbaden and of the ''Hessisches Staatstheater''. He received the title ''Hovkapellmästare'' from the King of Sweden. In 2009, he received a ''Kulturpreis'' from Wiesbaden. On the occasion of his 90th birthday, the orchestra in Wiesbaden arranged a concert for him.
Selected works
Stage
* ' (operetta)
* ''Sabine, sei sittsam'' (musical)
* ''Old Germany'' (musical)
* ''WirbelWind und WonneWolken'' (revue-opera)
* ''Ladies and Gentlemen'' (musical criminal comedy)
Instrumental
* ''Humoreske'' for harp
* ''Tango, Vision für großes Orchester''
* ''Leidenschaft, Tanzszene für großes Orchester''
Vocal
* ''Sechs ernste Lieder'' for soprano and piano
References
External links
*
Siegfried Köhler ArkivMusic
(in German) Internationale Siegfried Wagner Gesellschaft 2017
(in German)
Badische Zeitung
The ''Badische Zeitung'' (''Baden Newspaper'') is a German newspaper based in Freiburg im Breisgau, covering the South Western part of Germany and the Black Forest
The Black Forest (german: Schwarzwald ) is a large forested mountain range in ...