Rolf Reuter (1926- †2007)

Maestro Rolf Reuter inherited his passion for the music from his father, the famous composer and musicologist Fritz Reuter. After completing his studies at the Academy of Music in Dresden he received his first engagements as conductors in regional theatres Germany and soon obtained the position of General Music Director of the Opera House Leipzig ( Gewandhaus Orchester Leipzig).Later on, after a biennial experience as Music Director of the "Staatskapelle Weimar", Rolf Reuter moved to Berlin to become the Music Director at the "Komische Oper", a position which he held until the Nineties. Among the over 120 different operas conducted by Rolf Reuter several performances under his leading got big world resonance and especially "Die Meistersinger of Nurnberg", "Boris Godunow", "Carmen", the Mozart-Cycle, then many premiers, for example Siegfried Matthus' "Judith" as well as "Desdemona and her sisters" and Arnold Schoenberg's "Expectation". Rolf Reuter has obtained with the time an increasing international fame being invited to conduct in such music halls as the Covent Garden Opera (London), Grand Opéra (Paris), Teatro Colón (Buenos Aires), Houston Opera, Bavarian State Opera and Gärtnerplatz Theater (Munich) and Staatstheater of Mainz.Rolf Reuter also attained a great prestige as symphonies conductor and gave succesful concerts in Germany with the Gewandhaus Orchestra of Leipzig, the MDR Symphony Orchestra of Leipzig, the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra of the Bayerische Rundfunk (Munich), and abroad with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. He also often works with renowned orchestras in Italy, France, Spain and Japan. Recently a series of concerts given with the Symphony Orchestra "Poitou-Charente" in France have obtained great resonance.Maestro Rolf Reuter is also a very dedicated and experienced conducting professor. During his career he taught at the "Felix-Mendelssohn-Bartholdy" Academy of Music in Leipzig and at the "Hanns Eisler" Academy of Music in Berlin. Maestro Reuter helped raising such talents as Vladimir Jurowski and Claus Peter Flor etc.

In 2000 his artistic values were officially acknowledged by the Federal Republic of Germany, which awarded Rolf Reuter with the "Bundesverdienstkreuz 1. Klasse" (first Class Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany). Rolf Reuter is actually Professor for Conducting at the "Hanns Eisler" Academy of Music, Berlin. He is also Honorary Member of the Opera House Leipzig as well of the Komische Oper Berlin.

Geboren in Leipzig. Studierte an der Hochschule für Musik Dresden. 1951 bis 1955 war er Kapellmeister am Landestheater Eisenach und anschließend Musikalischer Oberleiter am Meininger Theater. 1961 wurde er als Generalmusikdirektor an das Opernhaus Leipzig berufen und war dort bis 1979. Seit 1966 leitete er zugleich die Fachrichtung Dirigieren an der Leipziger Hochschule für Musik "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy". Von 1978 bis 1980 war er Chefdirigent der Staatskapelle Weimar, 1981 bis 1993 war er Chefdirigent und Generalmusikdirektor der Komischen Oper Berlin, wo er dem Opernspielplan die inhaltliche Richtung gab. Zahlreiche Aufführungen wurden unter seiner Leitung zu weltweit beachteten Ereignissen. So die "Meistersinger von Nürnberg", "Boris Godunow", der Mozart-Zyklus, "Carmen", dazu viele Ur- und Erstaufführungen, darunter "Judith" und "Desdemona und ihre Schwestern" von Matthus, "Erwartung" von Schönberg und andere.Als Operndirigent hat er sich vor allem als Mozart- und Wagnerdirigent einen geachteten Ruf erworben, und Gastverpflichtungen führen ihn ständig an die großen Opernhäuser Europas und nach Übersee. Herausragend waren seine wiederholten Gastspiele an der Covent-Garden-Opera London, der Grande Opéra Paris und am Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires. Ferner nimmt er eine umfangreiche pädagogische Tätigkeit, u. a. an der Hochschule für Musik Berlin, wahr.Prof. Rolf Reuter ist Präsident der Hans-Pfitzner-Gesellschaft. Er ist Ehrenmitglied der Oper Leipzig und der Komischen Oper Berlin.