Christian Thielemann
Tom Service meets German conductor Christian Thielemann, widely regarded as one of the greatest living exponents of the Austro-German symphonic and operatic repertoire.
Tom Service meets the German conductor Christian Thielemann, Principal Conductor of the Dresden Staatskapelle since 2012, Artistic Director of the Salzburg Easter Festival, and one of the foremost conductors of his generation.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest living exponents of the Austro-German symphonic and operatic repertoire - his Ring cycle at Bayreuth in 2006 was hugely acclaimed, and his performances of Strauss and Schumann have also been praised for their richness and intensity - Thielemann has held posts at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and the Munich Philharmonic among others, and has had a very close relationship with the Bayreuth festival since his debut there in 2000.
In this lively and thought-provoking interview Thielemann tells Tom Service why he prefers to be thought of as a kapellmeister rather than a conductor, why tradition is an inspiration as well as challenge, and why flexibilty is the key to everything. He also explains why he believes music can't possibly be political, and what drives him to conduct.
Producer Emma Bloxham.
Last on
More episodes
Christian Thielemann
In this week’s edition of Music Matters Tom Service meets the German conductor Christian Thielemann, Principal Conductor of the Dresden Staatskapelle since 2012, Artistic Director of the Salzburg Easter Festival, and one of the foremost conductors of his generation. Widely regarded as one of the greatest living exponents of the Austro-German symphonic and operatic repertoire his performances of Strauss and Schumann have been praised for their richness and intensity. Thielemann has held posts at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and the Munich Philharmonic among others and has had a very close relationship with the Bayreuth Festival since his debut there in 2000. His Ring cycle there in 2006 was hugely acclaimed and he has been musical consultant to the Festival since 2010.
In this lively and thought-provoking interview Thielemann tells Tom why he prefers to be thought of as a kapellmeister rather than a conductor, why tradition is an inspiration as well as a challenge and why flexibility is the key to everything. He also explains why for him music can't possibly be political, and what drives him to do it.
Credits
Role | Contributor |
---|---|
Presenter | Tom Service |
Producer | Emma Bloxham |
Interviewed Guest | Christian Thielemann |
Broadcast
- Sat 4 Jan 2014 12:15´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio 3
Featured in...
Conductors—Music Matters
Maestros, Music Directors and masterful conductors.
Music Matters Interviews—Music Matters
A collection of interviews from Music Matters on Radio 3
Knock on wood – six stunning wooden concert halls around the world
Steel and concrete can't beat good old wood to produce the best sounds for music.
The evolution of video game music
Tom Service traces the rise of an exciting new genre, from bleeps to responsive scores.
Why music can literally make us lose track of time
Try our psychoacoustic experiment to see how tempo can affect your timekeeping abilities.
Podcast
-
Music Matters
The stories that matter, the people that matter, the music that matters