Christian Kluttig

Christian Kluttig (born 17 August 1943) is a German conductor, pianist and Hochschullehrer. From 1979 to 1990, he was chief conductor of the Orchester des Opernhauses Halle. Appointed General Music Director in 1983, he worked as such at the theatres in Halle (Saale) and Theater Koblenz. The Handel interpreter rendered special services to the implementation of Historically informed performance in the Saale city, which made him one of the most important protagonists in this field in the GDR. He also devoted himself to Neue Musik, premiering Reiner Bredemeyer's opera Candide.

Life

Kluttig was born in Dresden as a son[1] of the cantor and subsequent Kirchenmusikdirektor Gottfried Kluttig (1913-2004). Kluttig had accordingly grown up with the music of Johann Sebastian Bach.[2] In his hometown, he attended the Kreuzschule.[3] From 1961 to 1967, he studied conducting with general music director Rudolf Neuhaus and Horst Förster at the Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber Dresden. [3] Furthermore, he took part in conducting courses given by Arvīds Jansons and Igor Markevitch in Weimar as well as Hans Swarowsky and Witold Rowicki in Vienna.[4]

After he had also undergone piano training in Dresden with Ingeborg Finke-Siegmund,[5] he received his first engagement as solo répétiteur with conducting duties at the Saxon State Opera in 1967.[6] There, he was active as an opera conductor for the first time with Le postillon de Lonjumeau by Adolphe Adam, Der Freischütz by Carl Maria von Weber and Die Zauberflöte by Mozart. [4] In 1969, he also conducted his first Handel opera with Deidamia.[7] In Dresden, he learned a lot from guest conductors such as Rudolf Kempe and Igor Markevitch during orchestral work.[6]

With his Dresden qualifications, he moved in 1969 to Karl-Marx-Stadt (now Chemnitz),[6] where he became First Kapellmeister at the city Theater in 1969. [8] In this capacity he studied among others the operas Simon Boccanegra by Verdi and The Queen of Spades by Tchaikovsky. [4] At the Opera House, he conducted the premiere of the Carl Riha production of Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg with Kammersänger Konrad Rupf as Hans Sachs in 1974.[9] In a later interview (1985), he stated that his Wagner work so far had proved to be "a great happiness" for him.[10] At the same time, he regretted that he had hardly found the opportunity to interpret him.[10] In 1975, he rose to the position of Musical Director. [8] In 1979, he opened the Robert Schumann Days in the Stadthalle Chemnitz with Schumann's oratorio Paradise and the Peri.[11] In addition, he devoted himself in Chemnitz to the symphonic work of Dmitri Shostakovich and Gustav Mahler.[6]

Theater des Friedens, Landestheater Halle (1986)

Finally, in 1979, artistic director Ulf Keyn brought him to the Landestheater Halle as musical director.[12] The new management team continued to include Martin Schneider (opera director), Karin Zauft (chief dramaturge), Peter Sodann (drama director) and Dieter Wardetzki (1st play director of the Sprechtheater).[12] He also became chief conductor of the Orchestra of the Halle Opera House[13] and took over all George Frideric Handel productions in Halle from 1979 to 1990.[5] Thus he directed Ezio (1979), Agrippina (1980), Poro (1981), Alessandro (1983), Floridante (1984), Il pastor fido and Terpsichore (1985), Partenope (1985), Rinaldo (1987), Oreste (1988) and Tamerlano (1990). [7] With 41 performances, the opera Rinaldo was the second most performed Handel production in Halle.[14] Kluttig received support regarding performance practice from the musicologist Bernd Baselt.[15] Kluttig had to cope with "an immense workload and encrusted structures" in connection with the Georg-Friedrich-Händel-Gesellschaft, according to opera director Andreas Baumann. [6] In addition to Baumann, from 1981, he worked closely in Halle with Peter Konwitschny, from 1986.[6] Thus Kluttig played his part in opening up the festival to theatre directors.[16] Kluttig helped several singers socialised in Leipzig to get engagements in the Saale city, mainly on the recommendation of the singing teacher Helga Forner.[8] Among the new recruits were Annette Markert, Juliane Claus, Hendrikje Wangemann, Jürgen Trekel and Tomas Möwes. [7][6] He repeatedly invited Simone Kermes as a guest.[7] The first "in-house" countertenor Axel Köhler received special support. [7] According to Baumann, Kluttig stood for the "retention of Handel's dramaturgy" and had "new translations produced that were oriented towards the original text".[6] In this way, Kluttig provided essential suggestions for a "New Handel Style Halle". [6] Halle advanced to become an "East German centre of historical performance practice", as music journalist Michael Struck-Schloen put it.[17] For musicologist Karin Zauft, Kluttig was one of the pioneers of historical performance practice in the GDR[18] The opera ensemble made guest appearances both in the so-called Eastern Bloc (Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary) as well as in the Federal Republic of Germany, Austria and Switzerland.[14] After performances in 1985[4] at the Prague Spring International Music Festival[19] and at the Dresden Music Festivals, guest appearances took him to the Kissinger Sommer even before the fall of the Wall.[3] (1989–1993, 1995, 2000/01)[20] und zu den Innsbruck Festival of Early Music.[6]

In Halle, according to Gilbert Stöck, he was also responsible for "two nationally acclaimed productions of contemporary and at the same time socialy critic operas":[21] In 1984, Der Preis by Karl Ottomar Treibmann was staged and in 1986 Candide by Reiner Bredemeyer was premiered.[22] On the occasion of the Hallische Musiktage, he repeatedly premiered works by foreign composers with the Handel Festival Orchestra, such as in 1980 Avet Terterian's[5] Symphony No. 5 and 1985 Primož Ramovš's Dialogue for Piano and Orchestra (soloist: Bettina Otto).[23] As Gilbert Stöck noted, Kluttig was also open to works by Gerd Domhardt.[21] Thus in 1982[24] whose Symphony II was premiered.[21] In 1990, he premiered Günter Neubert's orchestral music Das verschenkte Weinen. In 1990, at the Handel House, he was one of the co-founders of the Halle Music Council, as whose vice-chairman he served from then on.[25] The declining attendance figures at the Landestheater Halle in the course of the Peaceful Revolution probably ultimately led to the resignation of the Kluttig and Baumann team.[26]

After a guest appearance,[26] he was from 1991 to 1998[27] in succession to James Lockhart Chief Conductor of the Staatsorchester Rheinische Philharmonie and, as it were, Musical Director of the Theater Koblenz.[28] There, he cultivated both the operatic and the concert repertoire[6] Thus, on the one hand, he conducted the Handel operass Giulio Cesare (1989), Serse (1993), Alcina (1997) and Tamerlano (1999),[7] on the other hand, he performed all Mahler symphonies. [5] On the occasion of the 2000th anniversary of the city, he performed Mahler's Symphony No. 8 a festive concert in the Sporthalle Oberwerth.[29] With the orchestra, he was responsible for the world premiere of Róbert Wittinger's[5] Sinfonia no. 5. During Kluttig's tenure, the orchestra received the "Best Concert Programme of the 1995/96 Season" award from the Deutscher Musikverleger-Verband.[30]

Kluttig once named Claudio Abbado as his artistic role model.[31] For the music critic Wolf-Eberhard von Lewinski, he is "a sovereignly controlling and unpretentiously shaping conductor".[32] The musicologist Peter Gülke attested to Kluttig's combination of "modesty [...] with the authority of the highly competent".[3] He had "completed a huge opera repertoire" and was well known in the Historically informed performance (Baroque) as well as in "the classics and in Mahler scores."[3] Thus Kluttig's repertoire includes, in particular, orchestral works and oratorios by George Frideric Handel, as well as works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Gustav Mahler.[33] He also championed Neue Musik,[33] for example, he brought the 1972 Piano Concerto by Manfred Weiss, a work commissioned by the Staatskapelle Dresden[34] (soloist: Gerhard Berge), and in 1983 at the New Gewandhaus together with the Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra[35] Christfried Schmidt's "Munch music" premiered. Guest conducting engagements took him to the Staatsoper Unter den Linden and Dresden[4] as well as the Landestheater Linz (Serse, 1981) and the Theater Osnabrück (Alcina, 1997).[14] He also worked among others with the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, the Dresdner Philharmonie and the Berliner Symphoniker as well as the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra.[5] He presented several radio and record productions.[5]

In 1984[36] Rector Gustav Schmahl brought him to teach conducting at the University of Music and Theatre Leipzig. [37] He additionally took over the university symphony orchestra (HSO) there at the end of the 1980s[37] and led it in a teaching capacity in a first phase until he left for Koblenz in 1991. [38] Having already followed a call to Dresden as professor of orchestral conducting in 1998, he was additionally offered a professorship in Leipzig in 2000.[6][39] He also became the full-time director of the Leipzig HSO this time. [38] His tenure included the opening of the Great Hall and the engagement of renowned guest conductors such as Fabio Luisi, Kurt Masur and Herbert Blomstedt. [37] After an interim period with his former assistant Michael Köhler in 2003/04, he took over the conducting post again until his emeritus in 2007.[38] He also conducted several courses of the Dirigentenforum at the Deutscher Musikrat (Koblenz 1993, 1996 and 1998, Hilchenbach 2001, Recklinghausen 2011).[40] Until 2015 he was still a lecturer for conducting in Dresden. [41] His students include among others Titus Engel,[42] Stefan Sanderling[43] and Ines Schreiner.[44]

But then Kluttig suffered an irreversible hearing disorder, which forced him to end his conducting career in 2002.[3] He has since been increasingly involved as a chamber music pianist and Liedbegleiter.[3] Kluttig is a founding member of the alumni association[45] and board member of the Friends Society of the Dresden Academy of Music.[46] He is married[3] and father of three sons, whose eldest Roland Kluttig (born 1968) is also a conductor.

Awards

Recordings

Further reading
  • Andreas Baumann: Christian Kluttig zum 70. Geburtstag. In Jahrbuch der Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber Dresden (2013).
  • Walter Habel (ed.): Wer ist wer? The German Who’'s Who. 46. Ausgabe 2007/08, Schmidt-Römhild, Lübeck 2007, ISBN 978-3-7950-2044-6, p. 688.
  • Alain Pâris: Klassische Musik im 20. Jahrhundert. Instrumentalisten, Sänger, Dirigenten, Orchester, Chöre. 2nd completely revised edition, dtv Verlagsgesellschaft, Munich 1997, ISBN 3-423-32501-1, p. 411.
  • Manfred Rätzer: Die halleschen Händel-Opern-Pioniere sollen im Gedächtnis bleiben. Prof. Christian Kluttig zum 70. Geburtstag. In Mitteilungen des Freundes- und Förderkreises des Händel-Hauses zu Halle e.V. 1/2014, pp. 33–35.
  • Axel Schiederjürgen (Red.): Kürschners Musiker-Handbuch. Solisten, Dirigenten, Komponisten, Hochschullehrer. 5. Ausgabe, K. G. Saur Verlag, Munich 2006, ISBN 3-598-24212-3, p. 39.

References
  1. Jens Fritzsche: Eine musikalische Heimkehr. On Sunday, an unusual song recital can be experienced in Radeberg. And an unusual gramophone. In the Sächsische Zeitung, 19 October 2017, p. 16.
  2. Christian Kluttig, Wolfgang Lange: Auftakt. Conversations with Conductors: Christian Kluttig in conversation with Wolfgang Lange. In: Theater der Zeit 10/1985, pp. 28–30, here p. 30.
  3. Peter Gülke: With modesty and cordiality - Christian Kluttig turns 70. In Musik in Dresden, 3 September 2013.
  4. Christian Kluttig, Wolfgang Lange: Auftakt. Gespräche mit Dirigenten: Christian Kluttig im Gespräch mit Wolfgang Lange. In Theater der Zeit 10/1985, pp. 28–30, here p. 28.
  5. Axel Schiederjürgen (Red.): Kürschners Musiker-Handbuch. Soloists, conductors, composers, university teachers. 5th edition, Saur, Munich 2006, ISBN 3-598-24212-3, p. 239.
  6. Andreas Baumann: Entschiedener Impulsgeber - Der in Dresden geborene Dirigent Christian Kluttig wird 70. In the Dresdner Neueste Nachrichten, 17 August 2013, p. 9.
  7. Manfred Rätzer: Die halleschen Händel-Opern-Pioniere sollen im Gedächtnis bleiben. Prof. Christian Kluttig on his 70th birthday. In Mitteilungen des Freundes- und Förderkreises des Händel-Hauses zu Halle e.V. 1/2014, pp. 33–35, here p. 34.
  8. Christian Kluttig, Heike Bronn: Conducting won't let me go - Interview with Prof. Christian Kluttig. In MT-Journal. Zeitschrift der Hochschule für Musik und Theater "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig, No. 25 (2008), pp. 44–46, here p. 45.
  9. Meistersinger"-Premiere in Karl-Marx-Stadt. In Neues Deutschland, 14 October 1974, vol. 29, issue 284, p. 4.
  10. Christian Kluttig, Wolfgang Lange: Auftakt. Conversations with Conductors: Christian Kluttig in conversation with Wolfgang Lange. In Theater der Zeit 10/1985, pp. 28–30, here p. 29.
  11. Günther Wendekamm: Festliches Konzert zum Beginn der Schumann-Tage. In Neues Deutschland, 9 June 1979, vol. 34, issue 134, p. 4.
  12. Georg Antosch: Stück-Anregungen von den Bühnen der Welt. Efforts for sophisticated stage art. In Neue Zeit, 1 March 1980, Vol. 36, Issue 52, p. 4.
  13. Karin Zauft: Handel and the Handel Festival in Halle. Mitteldeutscher Verlag, Halle (Saale) 2001, ISBN 978-3-89812-085-2, p. 57.
  14. Manfred Rätzer: Die halleschen Händel-Opern-Pioniere sollen im Erinnerung bleiben. Prof. Christian Kluttig on his 70th birthday. In Mitteilungen des Freundes- und Förderkreises des Händel-Hauses zu Halle e.V. 1/2014, pp. 33–35, here p. 35.
  15. We congratulate Christian Kluttig. In Magazin der Händel-Festspiele (2014), p. 25.
  16. Johannes Killyen: Zur Geschichte der Händel-Pflege in Halle Wiederentdeckung des historischen Klanges. In Mitteldeutsche Zeitung, 5 May 2001.
  17. Michael Struck-Schloen: Aller Glamour kommt von oben. Musical quality and scenic routine at the 47th Handel Festival in Halle. In Süddeutsche Zeitung, 1 July 1998, p. 14.
  18. Karin Zauft: The Search for Authentic Sound - Balancing Act between Subjectivity, Perception of Time and Historical Knowledge. In Boje Schmuhl (ed.): Historical Performance Practice and its Perspectives. XXXth Scientific Workshop, Michaelstein, 10-12 May 2002 (Michaelsteiner Konferenzberichte. Vol. 67). Wißner, Augsburg 2007, ISBN 978-3-89639-545-0, pp. 55–58, here p. 56.
  19. Guesting with "Flondante" at Prague Spring (Mit "Flondante" beim Prager Frühling zu Gast). In Neues Deutschland, 25 May 1985, Jg. 40, Ausgabe 121, p. 6
  20. Stadt Bad Kissingen (ed.): 25. Kissinger Sommer. Bad Kissingen o. J., p. 75.
  21. Gilbert Stöck: Neue Musik in den Bezirken Halle und Magdeburg zur Zeit der DDR. Compositions, Politics, Institutions. Schröder, Leipzig 2008, ISBN 978-3-926196-50-7, p. 269/Fn. 496.
  22. Nina Noeske: Die beste aller möglichen Welten: Bredemeyer's Candide (1981/82). In Michael Berg, Albrecht von Massow, Nina Noeske: Between Power and Freedom. Neue Musik in the GDR. Böhlau Verlag, Weimar 2004, ISBN 3-412-10804-9, pp. 141–156, p. 142.
  23. Mantred Meier: Experimentierlust und Phantasie im Einsatz für neue Musik. Encounter with Union friend Bettina Otto, harpsichordist and pianist. In Neue Zeit, 6 April 1985, Vol. 41, Issue 81, p. 10.
  24. Wilhelm Buschkötter, Hansjürgen Schaefer: Handbuch der internationalen Konzertliteratur. Instrumental and vocal music = Manual of international concert literature. 2nd, revised and expanded edition, de Gruyter, Berlin among others 1996, ISBN 3-11-013905-7, p. 247.
  25. Halle Music Council Founded. In the Mitteldeutsche Zeitung, 28 March 1990, p. 2.
  26. thg.: In Zuerich getroffen. Christian Kluttig – Haendel-Spezialist nach der Wende. In Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 2 April 1993.
  27. Staatsorchester Rheinische Philharmonie, lmr-rp.de, retrieved 22 January 2021 2020.
  28. Chief Conductor from Halle Goes to Koblenz. In the Berliner Zeitung, 21 March 1991, vol. 47, issue 68, p. 13.
  29. Chronik, musik-institut-koblenz.de, retrieved 22 January 2021.
  30. Bestes Konzertprogramm der Spielzeit, dmv-online.com, retrieved 22 January 2021.
  31. Christian Kluttig, Heike Bronn: Das Dirigieren lässt mich nicht los - Interview mit Prof. Christian Kluttig. In MT-Journal. Zeitschrift der Hochschule für Musik und Theater "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig, No. 25 (2008), pp. 44–46, here p. 46.
  32. Wolf-Eberhard von Lewinski: Händel aus Halle. Kissingen in summer - prelude to the festival. In the Süddeutsche Zeitung, 7 July 1989, p. 12.
  33. Comparison and Stimulation. The 1988 GDR Music Days begin today Talk with Union friend Christian Kluttig. In Neue Zeit, 19 February 1988, vol. 44, issue 42, p. 4.
  34. Kulturelle Umschau. In the Neue Zeit, 4 October 1972, vol. 28, issue 235, p. 4
  35. Steffen Lieberwirth (ed.): Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk. The history of the symphony orchestra. Commissioned by Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk and written by Jörg Clemen, Kamprad, Altenburg 1999, ISBN 3-930550-09-1, p. 187.
  36. Alain Pâris: Classical Music in the 20th Century. Instrumentalists, Singers, Conductors, Orchestras, Choirs. 2nd, completely revised edition, Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag, Munich 1997, ISBN 3-423-32501-1, p. 411.
  37. Christian Kluttig, Heike Bronn: Conducting won't let me go - Interview with Prof. Christian Kluttig. In MT-Journal. Zeitschrift der Hochschule für Musik und Theater "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig, No. 25 (2008), pp. 44–46, here p. 44.
  38. Christian Fanghänel, Heike Bronn: Von der "Orchesterschule" zum Hochschul-Sinfonieorchester. In MT-Journal. Zeitschrift der Hochschule für Musik und Theater "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig, No. 26 (2009), Supplement, pp. 1-5, here p. 5.
  39. Christian Kluttig at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig
  40. Artistic Directors, dirigentenforum.de, retrieved 22January 2021.
  41. Christian Kluttig at the Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber Dresden
  42. Meret Forster: Neuerungen müssen nicht radikal sein. The conductor Titus Engel in conversation. In Neue Zeitschrift für Musik 1/2007, p. 60.
  43. Livia Neugebauer: Nach Höhenflug nun glückliche Landung. Encounter with the conductor Stefan Sanderling. In Neue Zeit, 11 August 1990, Vol. 46, Issue 186, p. 11.
  44. Internationaler Arbeitskreis Archiv Frau und Musik (ed.): Europäischer Dirigentinnenreader (Schriftenreihe des Internationalen Arbeitskreises Frau und Musik. Vol. 4). Furore-Verlag, Kassel 2003, ISBN 3-927327-55-7, p. 161.
  45. Alumni-Verein, hfmdd. de, retrieved 22 January 2021.
  46. Friends Society, hfmdd.de, retrieved 22 January 2021.
  47. Kulturelle Umschau. In Neue Zeit, 8 July 1969, Jg. 25, Ausgabe 157, p. 4.
  48. Kulturelle Umschau. In Neue Zeit, 18 November 1971, Jg. 27, Ausgabe 273, p. 4.
  49. Christoph Rink: Chronologie des Händelpreises. In Mitteilungen des Freundes- und Förderkreises des Händel-Hauses zu Halle e.V. 1/2012, pp. 20–25, here p. 24.
  50. Ehrentitel an verdiente Musiker. In Neue Zeit, 6 October 1983, Jg. 39, Ausgabe 236, p. 2.
  51. LF: Wagner-Verband bedankt sich bei Kluttig und Stracke. In the Rhein-Zeitung, 17 April 1998.
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