Gerd Albrecht facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gerd Albrecht
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| Born | 19 July 1935 Essen, Germany
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| Died | 2 February 2014 (aged 78) Berlin. Germany
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| Occupation | conductor |
Gerd Albrecht (born July 19, 1935 – died February 2, 2014) was a famous German conductor. He was known for leading orchestras and for his love of modern music. He helped many new operas and musical pieces become well-known.
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Gerd Albrecht's Life Story
Gerd Albrecht was born in Essen, Germany. His father, Hans Albrecht, was also very involved in music. Gerd studied music in Kiel and Hamburg. One of his teachers was Wilhelm Brückner-Rüggeberg.
When he was only 22 years old, Gerd won first prize. This was at the International Besançon Competition for Young Conductors. It was a big start to his career.
Early Career as a Conductor
Gerd Albrecht's first job was at the Stuttgart Opera. He worked as a repetiteur. This means he helped singers learn their parts. He also helped them practice with the music.
Later, he became a Senior Kapellmeister at the Sstaatstheater Mainz. A Kapellmeister is a person who leads an orchestra or choir. He then became a Generalmusikdirektor in Lübeck. This title means he was the main music director for a city's musical life.
He also worked with other famous groups. These included the Deutsche Oper Berlin and the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich. He also led the Hamburg State Opera.
Working with Modern Operas
Gerd Albrecht loved to conduct new and modern operas. He helped bring many of these works to life. For example, he conducted Lear by Aribert Reimann. He led its very first performance. He also led its first performance in the United States.
He made the first official recording of the Lear opera. He also recorded other important works. These included Genoveva and Manfred by Robert Schumann. He made the first recording of Hans Werner Henze's Gogo no Eiko. This opera is also called The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea.
Leading Other Orchestras
From 2000 to 2004, Albrecht was the main conductor. He worked with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra. They made many recordings together.
In 2003, he caused a bit of a stir. He spoke out during a concert. He was protesting the US invasion of Iraq. He later said he was sorry for doing this during a performance.
In Japan, he was the main conductor for the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra. He worked with them from 1998 to 2007. After that, he became their conductor laureate. This means he was honored as a special past conductor.
Gerd Albrecht passed away in Berlin. He was 78 years old.
See also
In Spanish: Gerd Albrecht para niños
