Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra

The Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra is one of the oldest civic music institutions in the world: its roots go back to 1743, when Leipzig merchants founded the association “The Grand Concert”. In 1781, the orchestra acquired a prestigious concert hall in the house of the cloth merchants (“Gewandhaus”) — hence its name. Felix Mendelssohn, who took on the post of Kapellmeister of the Gewandhaus in 1835 and was the first conductor in the modern sense, established its European reputation. His successors have included Arthur Nikisch, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Bruno Walter, Franz Konwitschny, Kurt Masur, Herbert Blomstedt, and Riccardo Chailly. Andris Nelsons has led the Leipzigers since 2018. The orchestra’s duties include opera performances and symphony concerts, as well as with the St. Thomas Boys Choir, cultivating sacred music in Leipzig’s St. Thomas Church. Since 1916, the Gewandhaus Orchestra has performed all over the world; in the spring of 2025, a major European tour with Andris Nelsons is on the agenda. The ensemble has played a major role in the development of symphonic music: Beethoven’s complete symphonies were performed here during his lifetime, in 1825-26, and the world’s first-­ever Bruckner cycle was also presented in Leipzig in 1919-20. The orchestra continues its rich tradition of world premieres through annual commissions. The Gewandhaus Orchestra’s recordings have won numerous awards. In the 2024-25 season, the musicians will honor Dmitri Shostako­vich with a festival marking the 50th anniversary of his death; Thomas Adès will serve as composer-in-residence.

Lucerne Festival (IMF) debut on 8 September 1998 with Herbert Blomstedt conducting the Third Symphonies of Honegger and Bruckner.

For further information on this ensemble, visit their homepage at: www.gewandhaus.de

July 2024