QUEENSLAND'S GERMAN CONNECTIONS - PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

Maestro: Werner Andreas Albert

Born in Germany in 1935, Werner Andreas Albert began his studies in Musicology and World History at the University of Heidelberg. His talent as a conductor was soon recognised when, as a student, he was selected for a hotly contested two-year personal study with the late Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic. After his 1961 debut with the Heidelberg Chamber Orchestra, he became chief conductor of the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie , later serving as chief conductor of the Gulbenkian Orchestra in Lisbon and the Nürnberg Symphony in Germany. He is also the permanent guest conductor of the Radio Symphony Orchestras in Köln, Frankfurt, and Berlin, and of the Bamberg Symphony. Maestro Albert has enjoyed great success conducting tours to the United States, South America, the Soviet Union, China, and most European countries. In recent years he has conducted in Beijing, and at Triphony Hall and Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall in Japan with the New Japan Philharmonic and the Tokyo City Symphony Orchestra. Since 1981, Werner Andreas Albert regularly conducts in Australia, particularly with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, of which he was named principal conductor in 1995, and he has conducted all six Symphony Australia orchestras. Known as the ‘connoisseur’s conductor’, Maestro Albert is the most recorded artist in Germany, having completed around 100 CD recordings for the innovative German label CPO and more than 600 recordings for broadcast. His reputation is built on an extraordinary collection of recorded works, his mastery of the German Romantic repertoire, and a finely developed skill to inspire and draw out the best orchestras. After recording all of the vast standard repertoire, he began to champion new composers and to research works that had never been recorded.

He has recorded the complete orchestral catalogue of Paul Hindemith, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Hans Pfitzner, and Benjamin Frankel. He also embarked on an extensive project involving the operatic and symphonic music of Siegfried Wagner, son of Richard Wagner, featuring recordings as well as live performances. In addition to his commitment to conducting and recording, Werner Andreas Albert has had a keen interest in the training of young conductors and musicians. He directed the ABC’s (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) Conducting Workshop for many years, as well as teaching selected Masters’ students at the University of Queensland, of which institution he is an Adjunct Professor. He was instrumental in establishing the Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting at the University of Queensland, the first of its kind in Australia. Since 2003, he has conducted the bi-annual School of Music QPAC concerts. This role and his Adjunct Professorial position within the School exemplify his deep commitment to nurturing the next generation of young musicians. He has been Principal Guest Conductor of the Southern Sinfonia since 2007. Werner Andreas Albert has been recognised by both the German federal and Bavarian state governments for his dedication to music. He holds the title of member of the German Federal Cross of Merit, First Class, as well as the Bavarian Order of Merit – the latter limited to a restricted number of living members. In 2010, in recognition of his distinguished career and contribution to The University of Queensland, the Senate of The University of Queensland awarded Werner Andreas Albert an Honorary Doctorate of Music.

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