Music : Germany

From Beethoven to Stockhausen, from Anne-Sophie Mutter to Albert Mangelsdorff, from folk songs to “The Scorpions”, from “Xhe Magic Flute” to “Cats” - music of the most diverse kinds always has an audience in Germany, whether in a large concert hall or in a village barn. Many major cities have orchestras and opera houses of their own. Well over 100 regional and supraregional music festivals are held on a regular basis. Conductors, orchestras and soloists from all over the world appreciate the German music scene, not least because of its propensity for experimentation.

Opera houses and orchestras. Germany has 121 opera houses - all state-subsidized - and 141 professional orchestras. The oldest opera house is in Hamburg and dates from 1678. Berlin alone has three opera houses. Among the most beautiful opera houses are the National Theater in Munich and the Semper Opera House in Dresden. The country’s leading orchestras are the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra. But the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, the Dresden Staatskapelle and several radio symphony orchestras are internationally acclaimed as well.

Conductors and soloists. Concerts and opera performances in Germany feature artists from all over the world. The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, for example, is conducted by the Italian Claudio Abbado. German artists likewise make guest appearances in many countries. Kurt Masur is conductor of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, for instance, while Christoph von Dohnanyi is chief conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra. German soloists such as the violin virtuoso Anne-Sophie Mutter, the violist Tabea Zimmermann, the trumpeter Ludwig Guttler and the singers Hildegard Behrens, Waltraud Meier, Kurt Moll, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Peter Hofmann, Rene Kollo, Peter Schreier and Hermann Prey are among the world’s best in their fields.