Dietrich Knothe (Choral Conductor)

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Dietrich Knothe (Choral Conductor)
Born: January 6, 1929 - Dresden, Germany Died: 2000
The German choral conductor, Karl Dietrich Knothe, was Kruzianer and Thomaner, and studied choir directing at the Musikhochschulen Leipzig and Berlin-Charlottenburg. In 1955 the young Korrepetitor already directed at the Theater Magdeburg the high esteemed choir of Leipziger Rundfunkchöre. For a long time before HIP came into mode, Dietrich Knothe practised with the Capella Lipsiensis created by him in 1955. It ranks among his completely unique achievements that he was able to transfer Rundfunkchöre and the Berliner Singakademie not only to an exquisite chamber ensemble, to a certain extent on a par with the Kreuzchor and the Thomanerchor, but also instilled with slim, transparent tone. After valuable period of nine years in Leipzig, Dietrich Knothe activity with a summary dismissal was terminated for political reasons. Dietrich Knothe was appointed as the sub-director of the Berliner Singakademie in 1966, and finally after Helmut Koch’s death in 1975, he took over the management of the choir with already considerable choir conductor experiences. He maintained the upright course, which he loved already at that time, also in the as beautiful as difficult Berlin years, in which he gave the unmistakable profile to the Berliner Singakademie and the Rundfunkchor Berlin. He held the office until 1989. In his artistic work Dietrich Knothe left beside the choir literature of the 18^th and 19^th centuries, always also area for unknown or forgotten works of important composers. Felix Mendelssohn’s Magnificat, Schubert’s Lazarus or E.T.A. Hoffmann’s Miserere, rank likewise among the program, as the works of Hanns Eisler, to which special attention was dedicated.

Source: Berliner Singakademie Website (December 2003); Ruud Janssen (February 2006) Contributed by Aryeh Oron (December 2003)
Recordings of Bach Cantatas & Other Vocal Works
Conductor	As	Works
Helmut Koch	Chorus Master, Hapsichord	BWV 205 [w/ Rundfunk-Solistenvereinigung Berlin]
Peter Schreier	Chorus Master	BWV 36c, BWV 201, BWV 205, BWV 206, BWV 207, BWV 208, BWV 213, BWV 214, BWV 215 (w/ Berliner Solisten)
Links to other Sites
Berliner Singakademie - Personen [German

Short Biographies: A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | Explanation | Acronyms

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Last update: ýOctober 11, 2009 ý18:44:58