Peter Rundel is one of the most sought-after partners for leading European orchestras, owing to the depth of his approach to complex music of various styles and epochs as well as to his interpretive creativity.
He is regularly invited to conduct the Bavarian Radio Orchestra and the NDR, WDR, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, and SWR Radio Symphony Orchestras. Recent international guest appearances have included the Helsinki Philharmonic, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Orchestre National de Lille, Orchestre Philharmonique de Luxembourg, Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Orchestra del Teatro dell’Opera Roma, Vienna Symphony Orchestra, the Brussels Philharmonic, as well as the Tokyo Metropolitan and Taipei Symphony Orchestras.
Peter Rundel has conducted the world premieres of opera productions at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Bavarian State Opera, Wiener Festwochen, Gran Teatre del Liceu, Opera Vlaanderen, Teatro Argentino La Plata, Ruhrtriennale, and Bregenz Festival, while also collaborating with respected stage directors such as Peter Konwitschny, Calixto Bieito, Philippe Arlaud, Peter Mussbach, Heiner Goebbels, Carlus Padrissa (La Fura dels Baus), and Willy Decker. His work in opera includes traditional repertoire (Die Zauberflöte at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and König Kandaules, Hansel and Gretel and The Marriage of Figaro at the Volksoper Vienna), as well as ground-breaking contemporary music theatre productions such as Stockhausen’s Donnerstag from LICHT, Massacre by Wolfgang Mitterer, the world premieres of Georg Friedrich Haas‘ Nacht and Bluthaus, Isabel Mundry’s Ein Atemzug – die Odyssee, and Emmanuel Nunes’ Das Märchen and La Douce. The spectacular production of Prometheus, which he led at the Ruhrtriennale, was awarded the Carl-Orff-Preis in 2013. He celebrated his most recent successes at the Zurich Opera House with Stefan Wirth's Girl with a Pearl Earring (named premiere of the year by Opernwelt magazine) and at the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden with Massenet's Werther.
Born in Friedrichshafen, Germany, Peter Rundel studied violin with Igor Ozim and Ramy Shevelov, as well as conducting with Michael Gielen and Peter Eötvös. From 1984 until 1996 he was a violinist in Ensemble Modern, to which he has enjoyed long associations also as a conductor. He also maintains regular guest appearances with Klangforum Wien, Ensemble Musikfabrik, Collegium Novum Zürich, Ensemble intercontemporain, and the Asko|Schönberg Ensemble. Peter Rundel has been artistic director of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of Flanders and was the founding artistic director of the Kammerakademie Potsdam. In January 2005, he was appointed artistic director of the Remix Ensemble Casa da Música in Porto and has since enjoyed great success with the contemporary music ensemble at important festivals throughout Europe; in the current season, guest performances under his direction will be held at the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg and the Kölner Philharmonie, featuring Matthias Goerne in the premiere of a new arrangement of Schubert’s Dichterliebe by Jörg Widmann.
Peter Rundel is also deeply committed to the education and development of young musical talent. In Porto, he founded the Remix Academy for ensemble musicians and conductors. As musical director of the Taschenopernfestival (since 2019), he also installed an academy in Salzburg to promote young conductors in the field of contemporary music theatre. In addition, he regularly teaches at international ensemble academies including the London Sinfonietta, the Ulysseus Ensemble at Manifeste Academy in Paris, the Lucerne Festival Acadamy and at Teatro alla Scala MilanPeter Rundel has been awarded many prizes for his recordings of 20th-century music, including the prestigious Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik (Nono, Prometeo; Kyburz, Ensemble- und Orchesterwerke; Reich, City Life; Furrer, Piano Concerto; Bertrand, Vertigo), the Grand Prix du Disque (Barraqué, complete work), the Echo Klassik (Sprechgesänge with the Ensemble Musikfabrik) and a Grammy Award nomination (Heiner Goebbels, Surrogate Cities).
Season 2023/24
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