Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden

The Staatskapelle Dresden, which celebrates its 475th anniversary in the 2023-24 season, was founded in 1548 as a court orchestra by Elector Moritz of Saxony. Its leaders have included Heinrich Schütz, Johann Adolf Hasse, Carl Maria von Weber, and Richard Wagner, who called the orchestra his “miraculous harp.” Richard Strauss was associated with the “Dresdner” for more than sixty years as a composer, conductor, and friend: they premiered nine of his operas, and his Alpine Symphony was dedicated to the Staatskapelle. Among the principal conductors of the 20th century who have left their mark are Fritz Reiner, Fritz Busch, Karl Böhm, Joseph Keilberth, Kurt Sanderling, Herbert Blomstedt, and Giuseppe Sinopoli. Christian Thielemann has held the position of Principal Conductor since 2012; he will be succeeded by Daniele Gatti starting in the 2024-25 season. Myung-Whun Chung serves as Principal Guest Conductor. The orchestra currently offers some 250 opera and ballet performances and around 50 symphonic and chamber music concerts at the Semperoper each year; it also performs in Dresden’s Frauenkirche. From 2013 to 2022, the Staatskapelle was the resident orchestra of the Salzburg Easter Festival, receiving the Herbert von Karajan Prize at the conclusion of its residency. In 2010, it co-founded the International Shostakovich Days Gohrisch. The position of Capell-Compositeur promotes contemporary music: Georg Friedrich Haas will hold this title in the 2023-24 season. The orchestra was awarded the European Cultural Foundation Prize for the Preservation of the World’s Musical Heritage in 2007.

Lucerne Festival (IMF) debut on 24 August 1979 in works by Respighi and Bruckner conducted by Herbert Blomstedt.

July 2023