Conductor

From 2011/12, Hermann Bäumer has been chief conductor of the Philharmonic State Orchestra of Mainz and General Music Director of the Mainz state theatre. Until then, he established an excellent reputation with his solid and creative work in Osnabrück, where he was General Music Director since 2004/05. This is reflected not only by the approval and praise of both audience and press, but many invitations to conduct orchestras throughout Germany and abroad. Together with the Osnabrück Orchestra, he received the ECHO Klassik 2009 for the recording of Josef Bohuslav Foerster’s symphonies. In August 2007, Hermann Bäumer has lead his orchestra to perform in Tehran – they were the first Western orchestra to perform in Iran since 1979.

His debut as new chief conductor and General Music Director in Mainz was much noticed and highly successful. His first symphony concert – including Messiaen’s Turangalîla symphony, among others – as well as the premiere of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde was much acclaimed in Mainz and abroad. In 2012/13 Hermann Bäumer will follow a reinvitation to the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and give his debuts both with the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Bavarian State Orchestra in Munich. Furthermore, he will conduct the NDR Radiophilharmonie Hannover, St. Gall Symphony Orchestra and the Hof Symphony Orchestra. Mainz opera premieres include Strauss’ Elektra, Henze’s Prinz von Homburg and Verdi’s Macbeth.

Born in Bielefeld, Hermann Bäumer studied piano, cello, and trombone as well as conducting in Detmold and Leipzig. He was trombonist of the Berlin Philharmonic from 1992-2003 and member of their brass ensemble. Engagements in recent seasons include the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Oslo Radio Symphony, and the Bamberg Symphony as well as at the Rheingau Musik Festival and the Heidelberger Frühling. His Berlin performance of Schönberg’s Pierrot Lunaire with soprano Christine Schäfer was definitely a highlight in his career.

Hermann Bäumer regularly performs with a number of youth orchestras, e.g. of Northrhine-Westphalia and Berlin. In October 2008 he toured France, Germany and Poland with the Rhineland-Palatinate youth orchestra, and he took the National Youth Orchestra on tour to Berlin, Cologne, Düsseldorf et al. in 2011.

Hermann Bäumer has a special affinity to the exceptional opera repertoire. In season 2004/05, he directed Hans-Werner Henze’s Wundertheater, in 2005/06 the world premiere of Alex Nowitz’ Bestmannoper and in 2007/08 Gounod’s rediscovered La Nonne Sanglante, all in Osnabrück and to high critical acclaim.

The performance of Hans-Werner Henze’s Wundertheater was at the same time recorded for CD for the first time. In 2006 he recorded August Enna’s rediscovered opera Heiße Liebe (CPO) with the NDR Radiophilharmonie Hannover, Jón Leif’s Edda I with the Iceland Symphony (BIS), and the symphonies Nos. 1 and 2 by Karl Höller with the Bamberg Symphony (ambitus). Vol. I of his recording of the complete symphonies by Josef Bohuslav Foerster (Osnabrück Symphony Orchestra for MDG) was awarded an ECHO Klassik 2009. 2009 saw the release of d’Albert’s Seejungfräulein and symphony op. 4, and 2010 his recording of Gounod’s La Nonne Sanglante was awarded the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik 3/2010 (both on CPO). His current CD includes works by Christian Wilhelm Westerhoff (Osnabrück Symphony Orchestra, CPO).

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