Ulf Schirmer

Ulf Schirmer (born 1959 in Eschenhausen, Lower Saxony) is a German conductor. He studied at the Bremen Conservatory, and also at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg with György Ligeti, Christoph von Dohnányi and Horst Stein. From 1988 to 1991, Schirmer was Generalmusikdirektor (GMD) of the city of Wiesbaden, serving also as artistic director of symphonic concerts at the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden. He was Principal Conductor of the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra from 1995-1998. His term as conductor was a considerable success, and he was accredited for producing a rich sound which brought several Russian conductors, such as Rozhdestvensky and Kitayenko, to Copenhagen to perform works by Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich. He conducted several operas while in Denmark, particularly by Carl Nielsen for which he showed a "natural affinity" for, working with the likes of Aage Haughland and Susanne Resmark on Saul og David . The Rough Guide to Opera said that in his conducting of Saul og David, Schirmer "brings a Falstaffian jollity to Nielsen's richly coloured score". His performances of Nielsen's Hymnus amoris and Little Suite for Strings were praised for their warm feeling in particular. In 2005, however, The Gramophone criticized him for lacking empathy and having only a "quasi-operatic feel" in one of his operas, contrary to a 1999 article in the same publication which said that he gave a "warmly idiomatic performance". Schirmer was appointed Professor at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg in 2000, and since 2006, he has been chief conductor of the Münchner Rundfunkorchester (Munich Radio Orchestra). Since 2009 he has been General Music Director of the Oper Leipzig. On 23 March 2011, Ulf Schirmer was elected director of Oper Leipzig which he began serving in August 2011; his contract will run out in July 2016. Recordings: Schirmer's commercial recordings include the following: Carl Nielsen: Maskarade (Decca), Franz Lehár: Schön is die Welt (CPO), Alban Berg: Lulu (Chandos), Richard Strauss: Capriccio (Decca), Bohuslav Martinů: The Greek Passion (Koch Schwann)

Source: Wikipedia

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