Opera Scotland

Christoph von Dohnányi Suggest updates

Born Berlin, 8 September 1929.

German conductor.

Christoph von Dohnányi's grandfather was the pianist composer Ernö Dohnänyi (Ernst von Dohnányi).  His uncle was Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who, along with Christoph's father led a resistance movement against the Nazis.  They were arrested, and eventually, in 1945, executed.

After the war, Christoph studied law in Munich, and from 1948 switched to composition, piano and conducting at the Munich Hochschule für Musik und Theater.

1952-57 He worked under Georg Solti at the Frankfurt Opera.

1957-63 General Music Director at Lübeck,

1963-66 Chief Conductor at Kassel.

1966-68 chief of WDR (West German Radio) Symphony Orchestra at Cologne.

1968-77 General Music Director Frankfurt Opera (Städtische Buhnen Frankfurt-am-Main).

1977-84 Intendant and Chief Conductor Hamburg State Opera.

1984-2002 Musical Director Cleveland Orchestra, then appointed Music Director Laureate.

1994 Principal Guest Conductor Philharmonia Orchestra (London), in 2008 'Honorary Conductor Life'.

2004-10 Chief Conductor NDR (North German Radio) Orchestra, Hamburg.

He appeared frequently with the Bavarian State Opera in Munich and the Deutsche Oper Berlin.  He also worked at the Salzburg and Vienna Festivals.  He made many guest appearances with orchestras throughout Europe and America.

He conducted opera at the Edinburgh Festival on two occasions, first in 1970 with his Frankfurt company, and secondly in 1983 with his company from Hamburg.