'' (1996)
History The precursor ensemble of Staatskapelle Weimar dates from 1482, with the formation of a musical ensemble in service of the Weimar
Fürsten (Princes). In 1602, the ensemble attained resident status at the Weimar court, as the
Herzoglichen Hofkapelle (
Ducal Court
Ensemble). Notable musicians in the early history of the Staatskapelle Weimar included
Johann Hermann Schein (1615–1616) and
Johann Sebastian Bach (1705, 1708–1717), both of whom went on to the
St. Thomas Church, Leipzig. Bach particularly worked as resident organist and
Kapellmeister.
Johann Nepomuk Hummel served as the ensemble's
Kapellmeister from 1819 to 1837, on the appointment by the
Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna.
Franz Liszt began his tenure as
Kapellmeister in 1842, and championed the music of
Richard Wagner,
Hector Berlioz,
Peter Cornelius. Through this and his teaching activities, Liszt enhanced the prestige of Weimar as a musical hub, notably conducting the world premieres of Wagner's
Lohengrin in 1850 and Cornelius's
Der Barbier von Bagdad in 1858. After Liszt left in 1858, he was succeeded by
Eduard Lassen who remained as director until his retirement in 1895. Lassen conducted several world premieres during his tenure, including the first performance of
Camille Saint-Saëns's
Samson et Dalila in 1877.
Richard Strauss served as second
Kapellmeister under Lassen from 1889 to 1894 and led the premieres of his own
Guntram and
Engelbert Humperdinck's
Hänsel und Gretel.
Peter Raabe became
Kapellmeister in 1907. With the end of World War I and the dismantling of the
German Empire, the ensemble was renamed the
Weimar Staatskapelle.
Ernst Praetorius directed concert and
opera programming from 1924 to 1933. Because his wife was Jewish, Praetorius left the post after the
National Socialists ascended to power in Germany in 1933. directed activities there during the Nazi regime. After
World War II and the end of the Nazi regime,
Hermann Abendroth became
Generalmusikdirektor (GMD) and chief conductor of the ensemble, serving from 1945 to 1956. Successive GMD's of the ensemble have included
Gerhard Pflüger (1957–1973), Lothar Seyfarth (1973–1979),
Rolf Reuter (1979–1980),
Peter Gülke (1981–1982), Hans-Peter Frank (1988–1996),
George Alexander Albrecht (1996–2002),
Jac van Steen (2002–2005) and
Carl St.Clair (2005–2008).
Oleg Caetani was principal guest conductor of the ensemble from 1984 to 1987. The ensemble was officially renamed the
Staatskapelle Weimar in 1988. In September 2009, the Swedish conductor
Stefan Solyom became GMD of the ensemble, with an initial contract of five years. He concluded his Weimar tenure in July 2016. In July 2015, the ensemble announced the appointment of
Kirill Karabits as its next GMD and chief conductor, effective with the 2016–2017 season, with an initial contract of three years. Karabits concluded his tenure as its GMD in the summer of 2019, following an inability to reach terms on contract negotiations for extending his tenure. In June 2020, the company announced the appointment of Dominik Beykirch as its new chief conductor, effective with the 2020–2021 season. Beykirch had previously served as
Zweite Kapellmeister and
Erste Koordinierter Kapellmeister with the company. The company elevated Beykrich's title to music director as of the 2023–2024 season. In October 2023, the company announced the appointment of as the next chief conductor of the Staatskapelle Weimar, effective with the 2024–2025 season. In August 2024, the company announced that Beykirch is to stand down as music director of the company, per his own request, at the close of the 2024–2025 season. In March 2025, the company announced the appointment of Daniel Carter as its next music director, effective with the 2025–2026 season.
General music directors •
Hermann Abendroth (1945–1956) • Gerhard Pflüger (1957–1973) • Lothar Seyfarth (1973–1979) •
Rolf Reuter (1979–1980) •
Peter Gülke (1981–1982) • Hans-Peter Frank (1988–1996) •
George Alexander Albrecht (1996–2002) •
Jac van Steen (2002–2005) •
Carl St.Clair (2005–2008) •
Stefan Solyom (2009–2016) •
Kirill Karabits (2016–2019) •
Dominik Beykirch (2023–present) • Daniel Carter (designate, effective autumn 2025) ==References==