Christoph von Dohnányi (; 8 September 1929 – 6 September 2025) was a German conductor. He was both music director and later artistic director at the Oper Frankfurt until 1977, establishing innovative opera. He was music director of The Cleveland Orchestra from 1984 to 2002, leading the orchestra in recordings with various labels and on international tours to Europe and Asia. He was principal conductor of London's Philharmonia Orchestra from 1997 to 2008, touring Europe including a series of opera performances at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. He was chief conductor of the NDR Symphony Orchestra from 2004 to 2010.

Life and career

Youth, World War II and education

Dohnányi was born on 8 September 1929 in Berlin to Hans von Dohnanyi, a German jurist of Hungarian ancestry, and Christine Bonhoeffer. His uncle on his mother's side, and also his godfather, was Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a Lutheran pastor, theologian and ethicist. His father, uncle and other family members participated in the German Resistance movement against Nazism, and were arrested and detained in several Nazi concentration camps before being executed in 1945, when Christoph was 15 years old. Dohnányi's older brother is Klaus von Dohnanyi, a German politician and former mayor of Hamburg.

After World War II, Dohnányi studied law in Munich, but in 1948, he transferred to the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München to study composition, piano and conducting. At the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, he was a stage extra, a house pianist, and coached singers. He received the Richard Strauss Prize from the city of Munich, and then went to Florida State University to study with his grandfather.

Germany, opera in Lübeck, Kassel, Frankfurt and Hamburg

thumb|Playbill for the premiere of Henze's [[Der junge Lord on 7 April 1965 at the Deutsche Oper Berlin]]

Dohnányi's first position as assistant was at the Oper Frankfurt, appointed by Georg Solti, where he also served as a ballet and opera coach. He was general musical director (GMD) of the Lübeck Opera from 1957 to 1963, then Germany's youngest GMD. In 1965, Dohnányi conducted the world premiere of Henze's Der junge Lord at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. He was GMD of the Staatstheater Kassel, where he revived Schreker's Der ferne Klang, which had been suppressed by the Nazis. In 1968, he became GMD at the Oper Frankfurt, succeeded Lovro von Matačić, and later also artistic director, serving in both capacities until 1977. His team included dramaturges Gerard Mortier, Peter Mario Katona (Director of Casting at ROH Covent Garden) and Klaus Schultz. They programmed a balance of traditional opera performance and innovative Musiktheater and Regietheater. and the city prepared for the Gielen era that followed. However, he would not begin his tenure as music director until 1984. In 2008, he stepped down from the post and held the title of the orchestra's "Honorary Conductor for Life". With the Philharmonia Orchestra, Dohnányi performed throughout Europe at such venues as the Musikverein in Vienna, the Salzburg Festival, Amsterdam's Concertgebouw, the Lucerne Festival, and the Théâtre des Champs Elysées in Paris. For several seasons, Dohnányi and the Philharmonia Orchestra were in residence at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, performing new productions of Richard Strauss's operas Arabella, Die Frau ohne Schatten and Die schweigsame Frau, Schoenberg's Moses und Aron, Stravinsky's Oedipus rex and Humperdinck's Hänsel und Gretel. A regular collaboration between Dohnányi and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra developed in the 1990s. He was a frequent guest conductor with the Vienna Philharmonic both in concert and at the Vienna State Opera. He promoted the building of the Elbphilharmonie and was the designated conductor of the opening, but it was not completed during his tenure.

Dohnányi died in Munich on 6 September 2025, two days before his 96th birthday.

Awards

  • Torch of Freedom Award
  • 2020 Johannes Brahms Medal

Honorary doctorates

  • Eastman School of Music
  • Oberlin Conservatory of Music was in the same position at the NDR Symphony Orchestra from 2007 to 2009.

Notes

References

Sources

  • Klaus Schultz (ed.), Offen sein zu – hören. Der Dirigent Christoph von Dohnányi. Hamburg: Murmann 2010, 281 p.  [The book contains a discography.]

Further reading

Obituaries

  • Christoph von Dohnányi biography at the Philharmonia
  • Christoph von Dohnányi biography at the Cleveland Orchestra
  • Colbert Artists Management Inc.
  • Interview with Christoph von Dohnányi, 9 February 2005