Christian Thielemann has been chief conductor of the Staatskapelle Dresden since the 2012/2013 season. After holding positions at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, in Gelsenkirchen, Karlsruhe, Hanover and Dusseldorf, he came to Nuremberg as General Music Director in 1988. Born in Berlin, he returned to his home city in 1997 as General Music Director of the Deutsche Oper Berlin before holding the same position with the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra from 2004 to 2011. In addition to his position in Dresden, he was Artistic Director of the Salzburg Easter Festival from 2013 to 2022. In recent seasons, Christian Thielemann has devoted himself intensively to the composer jubilees Wagner, Strauss and Beethoven. However, works from Bach to Henze, Rihm and Gubaidulina have also been on his programme in Dresden and on tour. At the Semperoper, he recently conducted new productions of “Ariadne auf Naxos”, “Capriccio” and “Aida”. At the Salzburg Easter Festival, he conducted “Die Walküre”, “Tosca”, “Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg” and “Lohengrin”, among others.
Christian Thielemann has worked closely with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra since 2000. In 2019, Thielemann conducted the Vienna Philharmonic’s New Year’s Concert for the first time. He regularly conducts the orchestra in subscription concerts at the Vienna Musikverein, at the Salzburg Festival and on tours in Japan, China, Europe and the USA. Following a benchmark recording of the Beethoven symphony cycle with the Vienna Philharmonic, they began a Bruckner symphony cycle during the pandemic for the Bruckner anniversary year 2024. In autumn 2023, the complete cycle (11 symphonies) will be released for the first time in the orchestra’s recording history.
Christian Thielemann is closely associated with the Berliner Philharmoniker. He was musical advisor and music director of the Bayreuth Festival, which he has characterised every year since his debut in the summer of 2000 with his benchmark interpretations. He has also accepted invitations from major orchestras in Europe, the United States, Israel and Asia. Christian Thielemann’s discography as an exclusive UNITEL artist is extensive. His most recent recordings with the Staatskapelle include the symphonies of Anton Bruckner and Robert Schumann, Arnold Schoenber’s “Gurre-Lieder” and numerous operas. Christian Thielemann is an honorary member of the Royal Academy of Music in London, an honorary professor at the Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber and an honorary doctor of the Hochschule für Musik “Franz Liszt” Weimar and the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium. He was awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 2003.
In May 2015, he received the Richard Wagner Prize from the Richard Wagner Foundation Leipzig and in October 2016 the Prize of the Foundation for the Promotion of the Semperoper. In April 2022, he was awarded the Decoration of Honour of the Province of Salzburg and in July 2022 the Wappenmedaille of the City of Salzburg. Christian Thielemann is patron of the Richard-Wagner-Stätten Graupa. He has been honoured with numerous awards for his recordings.
As of: December 2023