Heribert Esser

Heribert Esser (born 12 January 1929) is a German conductor and academic teacher. In 1962–1986, he held the position of director of music at Braunschweig, and the Elder Chair of Music at the Elder Conservatorium of Music of the University of Adelaide, South Australia, from 1987 to 1994. Most recently he conducted the Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Halle.

Life

Esser was born in 1929 as the son of civil servant Edmund Esser and his wife Gertrud, née Krahforst, in Rheinhausen (today Duisburg).[1] After obtaining his Abitur in 1947 at the Städtisch mathematisch-naturwissenschaftliches Gymnasium Rheinhausen,[2] he studied until 1952[1] at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln, and German and musicology at the University of Cologne. His conducting teacher was Günter Wand. He also attended a masterclass with Karl Hermann Pillney and the chamber music seminars of Maurits Frank. He received his first engagement in 1953 at theatres in Freiburg im Breisgau.[1] From 1954, he was répétiteur with conducting duties in Cologne. In 1958, he became first Kapellmeister and assistant to Wolfgang Sawallisch[3] at the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden.[4] In 1961[3] he moved with Sawallisch to the Städtische Bühnen Köln.[4]

In 1962, he succeeded Arthur Grüber at the Staatstheater Braunschweig.[4] At the time, he was, at 33, one of the youngest General Music Directors in the Federal Republic.[5] and held this office for 25 years.[4] He was also artistic director of the Tage Neuer Kammermusik Braunschweig from 1984 to 1986. Furthermore, he was variously active as a guest conductor.[4] In 1965, he made his debut with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.[6] In 1969, for a recording of Paganini's Violin Concertos Nos. 1 and 2, he conducted the Vienna Symphony Orchestra (soloist Shmuel Ashkenasi).[3] From 1975 to 1985, he was permanent guest conductor with the Orchester Musikkollegium Winterthur.[7]

From 1987 to 1994, he succeeded David Galliver as music professor (Elder Chair of Music) at the Elder Conservatorium of Music at the University of Adelaide in South Australia, serving as its director from 1988 to 1992.[4] In 2000, he was editor of the work The Art of Performance[8] by Heinrich Schenker.

In 2004, he succeeded Wolf-Dieter Hauschild as Chief Conductor of the Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Halle, which was about to undergo an orchestral merger.[9] After his guest conducting in 2005/06,[10] the orchestra was transferred to the Staatskapelle Halle.

Esser, a Catholic, has been married to Rosemarie, née Clormann, since 1958.[1]

Awards
  • 1988: Ludwig-Spohr-Preis der Stadt Braunschweig.[1]

Further reading
  • Norbert Beleke (ed.): Wer ist wer? Das Deutsche Who’s who. 29th edition (1990/91). Schmidt-Römhild, Lübeck 1990, ISBN 3-7950-2010-7, p. 304.
  • John L. Holmes: Conductors on Record. Greenwood Press, Westport 1982, ISBN 0-575-02781-9, p. 78.
  • Nicole Kurmann: Dem Provinziellen widerstehen. Das Musikkollegium Winterthur 1629–2004 im Musikleben der Stadt (Neujahrsblatt der Stadtbibliothek Winterthur. Vol. 335.2004). Chronos, Zürich 2004, ISBN 3-03-400673-X, pp. 93 ff.

References
  1. Norbert Beleke (ed.): Wer ist wer? Das Deutsche Who’s who. 29th edition (1990/91). Schmidt-Römhild, Lübeck 1990, ISBN 3-7950-2010-7, p. 304.
  2. Abiturjahrgang 1947, krupp-gymnasium.de, retrieved 3 February 2021.
  3. John L. Holmes: Conductors on Record. Greenwood Press, Westport 1982, ISBN 0-575-02781-9, p. 178.
  4. Nicole Kurmann: Resisting the Provincial. The Musikkollegium Winterthur 1629-2004 in the musical life of the city (Neujahrsblatt der Stadtbibliothek Winterthur. Vol. 335.2004). Chronos, Zurich 2004, ISBN 3-03-400673-X, p. 256/Fn. 251.
  5. Aus dem kulturellen Leben. In the Nordwest-Zeitung No. 126, 31 May/1 June 1962, p. 29,
  6. Peter Muck: Einhundert Jahre Berliner Philharmonisches Orchester. Vol. 3: The members of the orchestra, the programmes, the concert tours, first and world premieres. Schneider, Tutzing 1982, ISBN 3-7952-0341-4, p. 457.
  7. Nicole Kurmann: Dem Provinziellen widerstehen. Das Musikkollegium Winterthur 1629–2004 im Musikleben der Stadt (Neujahrsblatt der Stadtbibliothek Winterthur. Vol. 335.2004). Chronos, Zürich 2004, ISBN 3-03-400673-X, p. 94/Fn. 32.
  8. The Art of Performance on WorldCat
  9. Andreas Hillger: Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Halle. Helper in need receives welcome applause. He took over as artistic director of the ensemble. In Mitteldeutsche Zeitung, 22 April 2004.
  10. ahi: New contracts regulate the direction of the Staatskapelle. Better marketing possible - concert programme to be coordinated. In the Mitteldeutsche Zeitung, 17 June 2005.
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