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The Gewandhausorchester Leipzig (Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra) is a famous German orchestra
Orchestra

An orchestra is an Musical ensemble, usually fairly large with string, brass, woodwind sections, and possibly a percussion section as well. The term orchestra derives from the name for the area in front of an theatre of ancient Greece reserved for the Greek chorus....
 based in Leipzig
Leipzig

Leipzig is, with a population of over 511,252, the largest city in the States of Germany of Saxony, Germany....
, Germany. It is named after the concert hall in which it is based, the Gewandhaus
Gewandhaus

Gewandhaus is a concert hall in Leipzig, Germany. Today's hall is the third to bear this name; like the second, it is noted for its fine acoustics....
 ("Textiles Hall" - originally, a hall in the building that housed Leipzig's thriving textile trading floor).

orchestra's origins can be traced to 1743, when a society called the Grosses Concert began performing in private homes.






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The Gewandhausorchester Leipzig (Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra) is a famous German orchestra
Orchestra

An orchestra is an Musical ensemble, usually fairly large with string, brass, woodwind sections, and possibly a percussion section as well. The term orchestra derives from the name for the area in front of an theatre of ancient Greece reserved for the Greek chorus....
 based in Leipzig
Leipzig

Leipzig is, with a population of over 511,252, the largest city in the States of Germany of Saxony, Germany....
, Germany. It is named after the concert hall in which it is based, the Gewandhaus
Gewandhaus

Gewandhaus is a concert hall in Leipzig, Germany. Today's hall is the third to bear this name; like the second, it is noted for its fine acoustics....
 ("Textiles Hall" - originally, a hall in the building that housed Leipzig's thriving textile trading floor).

History of the orchestra

The orchestra's origins can be traced to 1743, when a society called the Grosses Concert began performing in private homes. In 1744 the Grosses Concert moved its concerts to the "Three Swans" Tavern. Their concerts continued this venue for 36 years, until 1781. In 1780, because of complaints about concert conditions and audience behavior in the tavern, the mayor and city council of Leipzig offered to renovate one story of the Gewandhaus (the building use by textile merchants) for the orchestra's use. The motto Res severa est verum gaudium ("a serious concern is true pleasure", or "true pleasure is a serious business" - from the Roman author Seneca
Seneca the Younger

Lucius Annaeus Seneca was a Ancient Rome Stoicism philosopher, statesman, dramatist, and in one work humorist, of the Silver Age of Latin literature....
) was painted in the hall, suggesting the priorities of the sponsors. The orchestra gave its first concert in the Gewandhaus in 1781. The orchestra thus has a good claim to being the oldest continuing orchestra in Germany founded by bourgeoisie
Bourgeoisie

Bourgeoisie is a classification used in analyzing human societies to describe a social class of people. Historically, the bourgeoisie comes from the middle or merchant classes of the Middle Ages, whose status or power came from employment, education, and wealth, as distinguished from those whose power came from being born into an aristocrati...
, while older orchestras were part of royal suits.

In 1835 the great composer Felix Mendelssohn
Felix Mendelssohn

Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, born, and generally known in English-speaking countries, as Felix Mendelssohn was a Germany composer, pianist, organist and conducting of the early Romantic music period....
 became the orchestra's music director
Music director

A music director is a profession in different fields....
, with the traditional title of Gewandhauskapellmeister; he held the position until his death in 1847 with only one year's interruption. In 1885, the orchestra moved into a new hall. This was destroyed by bombing in 1944. The present Gewandhaus is the third building with the name. It was opened in 1981. The large organ in the hall bears the original Gewandhaus hall's motto "Res severa verum gaudium" .

Aside from its duties as a concert orchestra the ensemble also performs frequently in the Thomaskirche and as the official opera orchestra of the Leipzig Opera
Oper Leipzig

Oper Leipzig is an opera house and opera company in Leipzig, Germany.The Leipzig Opera traces its establishment to the year 1693, making it the third opera venue in Europe after La Fenice and the Hamburg State Opera ....
.

Later principal conductor
Conducting

Conducting is the act of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. Orchestras, choirs, concert bands and other musical ensembles often have conductors....
s included Arthur Nikisch
Arthur Nikisch

Arthur Nikisch was a Hungary conducting who performed mainly in Germany. He was considered an outstanding interpreter of the music of Anton Bruckner, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Liszt....
, Wilhelm Furtwängler
Wilhelm Furtwängler

Wilhelm Furtw?ngler was a German Conducting and composer....
, Bruno Walter
Bruno Walter

Bruno Walter was a Germany-born Conducting and composer. He was born in Berlin, but moved to several countries between 1933 and 1939, finally settling in the United States in 1939....
, and Václav Neumann
Václav Neumann

V?clav Neumann was a Czech Republic conducting, violinist and viola player.Neumann was born in Prague where he studied at the Prague Conservatory, with Josef Micka , and with Pavel Dedecek and Metod Dole?il ....
. From 1970 to 1996, Kurt Masur
Kurt Masur

Kurt Masur is a Germany conducting, particularly noted for his interpretation of German Romantic music....
 was Gewandhauskapellmeister, and he and the orchestra made a number of recordings for the Philips label. From 1998 to 2005, Herbert Blomstedt
Herbert Blomstedt

Herbert Blomstedt is a Sweden Conducting.Herbert Blomstedt was born in Springfield, Massachusetts and two years after his birth, his Swedish parents moved the family back to their country of origin....
 held the same position, and they in turn made several recordings for the Decca label.

In 2005, Riccardo Chailly
Riccardo Chailly

Riccardo Chailly is an Italy conducting. He started his career as an opera conductor and gradually extended his repertoire to encompass symphonic music....
 took over as both Gewandhauskapellmeister and music director of the Leipzig Opera. They have released recordings on the Decca label of Felix Mendelssohn
Felix Mendelssohn

Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, born, and generally known in English-speaking countries, as Felix Mendelssohn was a Germany composer, pianist, organist and conducting of the early Romantic music period....
, Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms

Johannes Brahms , composer and pianist, was one of the leading musicians of the Romantic music. Born in Hamburg, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria, where he was a leader of the musical scene....
, and the Robert Schumann
Robert Schumann

Robert Schumann, sometimes given as Robert Alexander Schumann, was a German composer, aesthete and influential music critic. He is one of the most famous Romantic music composers of the 19th century....
 symphonies in the re-orchestrations by Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler

Gustav Mahler was a Bohemian-born Austrian composer and conducting. He was best known during his own lifetime as one of the leading orchestral and operatic conductors of the day....
.

Music director (Gewandhauskapellmeister)

  • 1781-1785 Johann Adam Hiller
  • 1785-1810 Johann Gottfried Schicht
    Johann Gottfried Schicht

    Johann Gottfried Schicht was a Germany composer and Conducting....
  • 1810-1827 Johann Philipp Christoph Schulz
    Johann Philipp Christoph Schulz

    Johann Philipp Christoph Schulz was a Germany composer, conductor and Gewandhaus Kapellmeister from 1810 to 1827.References...
  • 1827-1835 Christian August Pohlenz
  • 1835-1843 Felix Mendelssohn
    Felix Mendelssohn

    Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, born, and generally known in English-speaking countries, as Felix Mendelssohn was a Germany composer, pianist, organist and conducting of the early Romantic music period....
  • 1843-1844 Ferdinand Hiller
    Ferdinand Hiller

    Ferdinand Hiller was a German people composer, Conductor , writer and music-director....
  • 1845-1847 Felix Mendelssohn
    Felix Mendelssohn

    Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, born, and generally known in English-speaking countries, as Felix Mendelssohn was a Germany composer, pianist, organist and conducting of the early Romantic music period....
  • 1848-1854 Julius Rietz
    Julius Rietz

    August Wilhelm Julius Rietz was a Germany composer, Conducting and cello. He was a teacher among whose students were Woldemar Bargiel , Salomon Jadassohn and Arthur Sullivan ....
  • 1860-1895 Carl Reinecke
    Carl Reinecke

    Carl Heinrich Carsten Reinecke was a Danemark composer, Conducting, and pianist....
  • 1895-1922 Arthur Nikisch
    Arthur Nikisch

    Arthur Nikisch was a Hungary conducting who performed mainly in Germany. He was considered an outstanding interpreter of the music of Anton Bruckner, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Liszt....
  • 1922-1928 Wilhelm Furtwängler
    Wilhelm Furtwängler

    Wilhelm Furtw?ngler was a German Conducting and composer....
  • 1929-1933 Bruno Walter
    Bruno Walter

    Bruno Walter was a Germany-born Conducting and composer. He was born in Berlin, but moved to several countries between 1933 and 1939, finally settling in the United States in 1939....
  • 1934-1945 Hermann Abendroth
    Hermann Abendroth

    Hermann Paul Maximilian Abendroth was a Germany Conducting.Abendroth was born at Frankfurt am Main, Germany, and later studied music theory and composition with Ludwig Thuill, piano with Anna Hirtzel-Langenham, and conducting with Felix Mottl in Munich....
  • 1946-1949 Herbert Albert
    Herbert Albert

    Herbert Albert was a Germany Conducting.Albert was born in Lausick and died in Bad Reichenhall. After studying with Karl Muck as a pianist he later held a succession of music director positions in Baden-Baden, Stuttgart and Breslau in the 1930s and 1940s....
  • 1949-1962 Franz Konwitschny
    Franz Konwitschny

    Franz Konwitschny was a Germany Conducting and viola.He started his career on the viola, playing in the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra under Wilhelm Furtw?ngler....
  • 1964-1968 Václav Neumann
    Václav Neumann

    V?clav Neumann was a Czech Republic conducting, violinist and viola player.Neumann was born in Prague where he studied at the Prague Conservatory, with Josef Micka , and with Pavel Dedecek and Metod Dole?il ....
  • 1970-1996 Kurt Masur
    Kurt Masur

    Kurt Masur is a Germany conducting, particularly noted for his interpretation of German Romantic music....
  • 1998-2005 Herbert Blomstedt
    Herbert Blomstedt

    Herbert Blomstedt is a Sweden Conducting.Herbert Blomstedt was born in Springfield, Massachusetts and two years after his birth, his Swedish parents moved the family back to their country of origin....
  • 2005-present Riccardo Chailly
    Riccardo Chailly

    Riccardo Chailly is an Italy conducting. He started his career as an opera conductor and gradually extended his repertoire to encompass symphonic music....


    • Conductors laureate

    • 1996-present Kurt Masur
    • 2005-present Herbert Blomstedt


    External links

    • at Barnes & Noble
      Barnes & Noble

      Barnes & Noble, Inc. is the largest book retailing in the United States, operating mainly through its Barnes & Noble Booksellers chain of bookstores headquartered in lower Fifth Avenue in Manhattan....