Howard Arman
Encyclopedia
Howard Arman is an English choral conductor and opera director. He won the Handel Music Prize
of the Handel Festival, Halle
, in 1996, shaped the festival's orchestra and conducted operas of George Frideric Handel
. He is a conductor of the Theater and Philharmonie Thüringen, also the Luzerner Theater.
. He first worked with leading British ensembles, but moved to Austria and Germany in 1981.
Arman has conducted (among others) the radio choirs of the Norddeutscher Rundfunk
, the Südwestrundfunk
, the Österreichischer Rundfunk
and the RIAS Kammerchor
. From 1983 to 2000 he was the leader of the Salzburger Bach-Chor and since 1998 he has been director and artistic leader of the MDR-Rundfunkchor, the choir of the Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk
(MDR). He is general music director of Theater and Philharmonie Thüringen for the 2010/2011 season and musical director of the Luzerner Theater for three years from the 2011/12 season onwards. Since 2010/11 he has been the musical leader of the Luzerner Sinfonieorchester (LSO), with James Gaffigan as the LSO's conductor.
In 1984 he prepared the Tölzer Knabenchor
for a recording of Bach's Mass in B minor with Andrew Parrott
and the Taverner Consort and Players
Starting in 1993 he shaped the Händel-Festspielorchester, the orchestra of the Handel Festival, on period instruments, which earned him the Festival's Handel Prize of 1996. He conducted Handel's opera Tolomeo
in 1996 at the festival, probably the first production and recording of the work with period instruments. In 2000 he recorded Rachmaninoff's All-Night Vigil with the MDR-Rundfunkchor. In 2005 Arman conducted Purcell's Dido and Aeneas
at the Luzerner Theater. In 2006 Arman conducted Handel's opera Admeto
at the Handel Festival, directed by Axel Köhler
and recorded. In 2009 he recorded in the Marktkirche in Halle, the church where Handel was baptized, the opening concert of the Handel Special Day, a collaboration of 40 broadcasters. Four choirs and two orchestras reconstructed a memorial concert, held for the composer in 1784 in Westminster Abbey
, including Zadok the Priest from the Coronation Anthems
. In 2010 Arman conducted Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro at the Luzerner Theater, directed by David Herrmann. Arman recorded Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber's Marienvesper 1693 (Vesperae longiores ac breviores (1693), a setting of the Vespers
), with the Salzburger Bach-Chor.
Arman has been a professor at the Mozarteum in Salzburg.
Handel Music Prize
The Handel Music Prize, in German Händel-Preis, is an annual award presented by the city of Halle, in Germany, in honour of the celebrated Baroque composer George Frideric Handel. It is awarded “for exceptional artistic, academic or politico-cultural services as far as these are connected with the...
of the Handel Festival, Halle
Handel Festival, Halle
The Handel Festival in Halle is an international music festival, concentrating on the music of George Frideric Handel, in the composer's birthplace in Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany. The festival was founded in 1922 and grew into a center of Handel studies and performance in Europe...
, in 1996, shaped the festival's orchestra and conducted operas of George Frideric Handel
George Frideric Handel
George Frideric Handel was a German-British Baroque composer, famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos. Handel was born in 1685, in a family indifferent to music...
. He is a conductor of the Theater and Philharmonie Thüringen, also the Luzerner Theater.
Professional career
Howard Arman studied at the Trinity College of MusicTrinity College of Music
Trinity College of Music is one of the London music conservatories, based in Greenwich. It is part of Trinity Laban.The conservatoire is inheritor of elegant riverside buildings of the former Greenwich Hospital, designed in part by Sir Christopher Wren...
. He first worked with leading British ensembles, but moved to Austria and Germany in 1981.
Arman has conducted (among others) the radio choirs of the Norddeutscher Rundfunk
Norddeutscher Rundfunk
Norddeutscher Rundfunk is a public radio and television broadcaster, based in Hamburg. In addition to the city-state of Hamburg, NDR transmits for the German states of Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Schleswig-Holstein...
, the Südwestrundfunk
Südwestrundfunk
The Südwestrundfunk is a public broadcasting company for the southwest of Germany, specifically the states of Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate. The company has main offices in three cities: Stuttgart, Baden-Baden and Mainz, with the director's office being in Stuttgart. It is an...
, the Österreichischer Rundfunk
ORF (broadcaster)
Österreichischer Rundfunk, ORF, is the Austrian national public service broadcaster.Funded from a combination of a television licence fees and revenue from limited on-air advertising, ORF is the dominant player in the Austrian broadcast media...
and the RIAS Kammerchor
RIAS Kammerchor
The RIAS Kammerchor is a professional chamber choir of the RIAS in Berlin, founded originally for contemporary music, with an international reputation.-History:...
. From 1983 to 2000 he was the leader of the Salzburger Bach-Chor and since 1998 he has been director and artistic leader of the MDR-Rundfunkchor, the choir of the Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk
Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk
Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk is the public broadcaster for the federal states of Thuringia, Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt...
(MDR). He is general music director of Theater and Philharmonie Thüringen for the 2010/2011 season and musical director of the Luzerner Theater for three years from the 2011/12 season onwards. Since 2010/11 he has been the musical leader of the Luzerner Sinfonieorchester (LSO), with James Gaffigan as the LSO's conductor.
In 1984 he prepared the Tölzer Knabenchor
Tölzer Knabenchor
The Tölzer Knabenchor is a boys' choir with roots in the Bavarian town of Bad Tölz.The choir group is still led by director and singing master Gerhard Schmidt-Gaden, who founded the choir in 1956 when he was only nineteen years old. The founder was once a student of Carl Orff's and worked with him...
for a recording of Bach's Mass in B minor with Andrew Parrott
Andrew Parrott
Andrew Parrott is a British conductor, perhaps best known for his pioneering historically informed performances of pre-classical music. He conducts a wide range of repertoire, including contemporary music. He conducted the premiere of Judith Weir's A Night at the Chinese Opera...
and the Taverner Consort and Players
Taverner Consort and Players
Taverner Consort and Players is a period instrument ensemble: baroque orchestra , vocal consort and Choir, named after the 16th century English composer John Taverner....
Starting in 1993 he shaped the Händel-Festspielorchester, the orchestra of the Handel Festival, on period instruments, which earned him the Festival's Handel Prize of 1996. He conducted Handel's opera Tolomeo
Tolomeo
Tolomeo, re d'Egitto is an opera in three acts by George Frideric Handel to an Italian text by Nicola Francesco Haym, adapted from Carlo Sigismondo Capece's Tolomeo et Alessandro.-Performance history:...
in 1996 at the festival, probably the first production and recording of the work with period instruments. In 2000 he recorded Rachmaninoff's All-Night Vigil with the MDR-Rundfunkchor. In 2005 Arman conducted Purcell's Dido and Aeneas
Dido and Aeneas
Dido and Aeneas is an opera in a prologue and three acts by the English Baroque composer Henry Purcell to a libretto by Nahum Tate. The first known performance was at Josias Priest's girls' school in London no later than the summer of 1688. The story is based on Book IV of Virgil's Aeneid...
at the Luzerner Theater. In 2006 Arman conducted Handel's opera Admeto
Admeto
Admeto, re di Tessaglia is a three-act opera written for the Royal Academy of Music with music composed by George Frideric Handel to an Italian-language libretto prepared by Nicola Haym. The story is partly based on Euripedes' Alcestis. The opera's first performance was at the Haymarket Theatre...
at the Handel Festival, directed by Axel Köhler
Axel Köhler
Axel Köhler is a German countertenor and opera director. He won the Handel Music Prize in 1994.-Sources:*http://www.axelkoehler.com/*http://www.buehnen-halle.de/...
and recorded. In 2009 he recorded in the Marktkirche in Halle, the church where Handel was baptized, the opening concert of the Handel Special Day, a collaboration of 40 broadcasters. Four choirs and two orchestras reconstructed a memorial concert, held for the composer in 1784 in Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
, including Zadok the Priest from the Coronation Anthems
Coronation Anthems
The Coronation Anthems are four anthems composed by George Frideric Handel using texts from the King James Bible, to be played at the coronation of the British monarch. They are Zadok the Priest , My Heart Is Inditing , The King Shall Rejoice and Let Thy Hand Be Strengthened...
. In 2010 Arman conducted Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro at the Luzerner Theater, directed by David Herrmann. Arman recorded Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber's Marienvesper 1693 (Vesperae longiores ac breviores (1693), a setting of the Vespers
Vespers
Vespers is the evening prayer service in the Western Catholic, Eastern Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran liturgies of the canonical hours...
), with the Salzburger Bach-Chor.
Arman has been a professor at the Mozarteum in Salzburg.
External links
- Howard Arman website