Marc Albrecht

Marc Albrecht is one of the most exciting conductors of his generation. He is in demand internationally as a conductor of the German-Austrian late Romantic repertoire from Wagner and Strauss to Zemlinsky, Schreker and Korngold, and cultivates with conviction the entire spectrum from Mozart to contemporary music. Albrecht’s work with the orchestra is rooted in a chamber music approach; he loves and knows how to utilise the infinite sound possibilities of the large symphony orchestra, whilst simultaneously always allowing the sound to blend with the intimacy of the chamber orchestra. Even in the densely orchestrated symphonies of Bruckner and Mahler, Albrecht succeeds in an astonishing way in making the structure clear and letting the music breathe. With Marc Albrecht, an analytical approach and emotional music-making go hand in hand. His artistic work has been honoured numerous times: In October 2021 with the OPUS KLASSIK as "Conductor of the Year" for the recording of Zemlinsky's "The Mermaid" with the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra (Pentatone), in 2020 the appointment as "Knight of the Order of the Dutch Lion" as well as the award of the "Prix d'Amis" of the Dutch National Opera, two of the most prestigious prizes in the Netherlands. In the same year, Marc Albrecht received another OPUS KLASSIK in the category "Best Opera Recording of the 20th/21st Century" for the DVD of Korngold's "The Miracle of Heliane" at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, released by NAXOS. He was named "Conductor of the Year" by the International Opera Awards in 2019 and the Dutch National Opera's 2017 production of Alban Berg's "Wozzeck" was nominated for a GRAMMY in the category "Best Opera Recording". In addition, in 2016 the Dutch National Opera was named Europe's "Opera House of the Year" during his tenure as chief conductor. The Berliner Morgenpost wrote of the production in 2018: "But the real miracle of the evening happens in the pit. Marc Albrecht savours Korngold's intoxication of sound for a good three hours, (...). He devotes himself with great pleasure to the details that emerge from the waves of sound, uncovering layers only to let them merge with each other again straight away". "An exhilarating interpretation" is the verdict of the 2020 Tagesspiegel on the recording of Zemlinsky's "The Mermaid", and a 2019 BBC Proms Bachtrack review praises: "Albrecht [...] transported me to an ominous landscape the likes of which I had never experienced before in this music. By carefully highlighting particular solos or sections and adjusting the balance naturally, he not only did justice to the exuberant acoustics of the Royal Albert Hall: he exploited them to the full. [...] Albrecht's conducting tore [the music] from the page." In the 2023/24 season, selected guest conducting engagements will take Marc Albrecht to the opera houses of Berlin, Cologne, Rome and Dresden; he will also make guest appearances with the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia Zürich, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Orquesta de València, Orquestra Gulbenkian and the Taiwan Philharmonic, among others.