The successor to a court orchestra founded in 1491, the Staatskapelle Weimar has a long and distinguished history. This was the orchestra in which Bach was employed from 1708 to 1717 and which, after being disbanded in 1735, was revived by Duchess Anna Amalia in 1756, in part as a theatre orchestra. The ensemble flourished during the Weimar period of Wieland and Goethe, and then enjoyed particular renown under the direction of Franz Liszt, who lived in Weimar from 1848 to 1861, introducing contemporary and sometimes controversial repertoire, and bringing Wagner’s opera Tannhäuser to Weimar, where he also directed the première of Lohengrin.
In 1889 another extraordinary conductor and composer helped the orchestra achieve an even higher degree of quality and greater reputation, the 25-year-old Richard Strauss, who worked in Weimar for five years as the second conductor. Strauss directed the world première of his own first opera Guntram and Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel in Weimar, major cultural events which also included his legendary, uncut performances of Wagner’s operas.
In 1919 the orchestra took the name Staatskapelle Weimar. Ernst Praetorius, who conducted the orchestra from 1924-1933 paved the way for new, innovative contemporaries, organizing spectacular concert and opera-schedules. National Socialism from 1933 and the destructions of war brought their own difficulties. After the war the Staatskapelle was re-formed by Hermann Abendroth, followed at his death by Gerhard Pflüger in 1956 and Lothar Seyfarth in 1973, then Rolf Reuter (1979/80) and Peter Gülke (1981/82). In 1984, Oleg Caetani was engaged as a permanent guest conductor, and in 1988, Hans Frank returned as Principal Conductor. After 1990 the orchestra was reinforced in number to almost a hundred musicians. Since then, the Staatskapelle Weimar has consciously cultivated its great tradition while constantly expanding its repertoire.
The orchestra is becoming increasingly successful as a concert orchestra on the international stage. In recent years, it has performed at numerous European venues, such as the Dresden Music Festival, Prague Autumn, the Brucknerfest in Linz, in Stuttgart, Cologne, and Trier. Staatskapelle Weimar has made countless recordings of music by Mozart, Liszt, Wagner, Strauss, Furtwängler, and numerous contemporary composers. Among these, Richard Strauss’ Alpensinfonie (Naxos 8.557811) was selected as Editor’s Choice by Gramophone magazine, and CD of the month by BBC Music Magazine in August 2006. In 2002 George Alexander Albrecht completed his seven-year term as General Music Director, to be succeeded by Jac van Steen. In summer 2005, the American conductor Carl St. Clair was appointed General Music Director, the first non-European to hold the top position in Thuringia’s premier orchestra.
