The News Letter of Adam Fischer & Haydn Orchestra Fan Club
'Barátom' means 'My Friend' in Hungarian

August 1, 2005 - No. 48

Finale at Nationaltheater Mannheim

Since September 2000 Adam Fischer worked hard as the general music director of National Theater Mannheim. He finished his term on July 28 with a performance of “Götterdämmerung”.

Adam started two major projects in Mannheim, one the Mannheim Mozart Week, the other the Mannheim School. Remembering works by Mozart, the National Theater focused on Mozart in December and performed many of his works including unknown pieces composed for the Mannheim orchestra. Although Adam leaves Mannheim, the Mozart Week continues and Adam will come back this December. The Mannheim School is the summer seminar for young people. It was very successful and students came from all over the world.

Looking at Opera, Adam conducted two or three new productions each year, including a Mozart series. Following is the list of Adam’s premieres in Mannheim:

Also we cannot forget the renowned Mannheim Ring cycle. The four productions were produced separately in 2000, Adam conducted 9 cycles over 5 years. Of course, the success of the Ring cycle made him famous and led to the Bayreuth engagements. Although the planned DVD production did not materialise, Adam made big achievements in opera productions.

Adam did not neglect concert activities in Mannheim. He conducted 21 programmes at the Academy concert, which is organized by the National Theater Mannheim Orchestra itself. He performed most of the Mahler symphonies, orchestral works by Bartok and R. Strauss, his first Bruckner Symphony No.7 and others. Most of them were big successes and won the storm of applause. We hope he returns someday as a Guest conductor and conducts, for example, the remaining of Mahler symphonies. (No. 5 and No.9)

Adam Fischer himself says about Mannheim years following,
“I discovered for myself that I have to conduct Wagner like I conduct Haydn. It sounds simple but it has been very important for me to realize this. And this is something I realized during my time in Mannheim and Bayreuth. The second thing I learned in Mannheim is to trust my feelings in music. This sounds also very simple and it is also very important.”

Go back to Top of Newsletter

2005/06 season overview

As soon as the 2004/05 season was over, Adam Fischer started another busy season with his debut at the Salzburg Festival. In this new season he has been invited by many major opera houses including Zurich, Vienna, Berlin and Munich.

After Salzburg, Adam opens the new season of Zurich Opera with “Le Nozze di Figaro” on August 31. Then he goes to Eisenstadt and conducts the new production of “L’anima del filosofo”. At the same time he has “Der Rosenkavalier” at the Vienna State Opera. In October he will make his debut at the Berlin State Opera, Unter-den-Linden with his signature piece “Othello”.

January 2006 is another extra busy month for Adam. He has a Ring cycle at the Vienna State Opera and “La clemenza di Tito” at Zurich Opera. In February he conducts the new production of Wagner’s “Der fliegende Holländer”, followed by another Wagner “Parsifal” in March both at Munich. These two productions are also scheduled in July as a part of Munich Opera Festival. Last but not least, Adam has the new “Aida” at the Zurich opera. The premiere is on 28 May.

He is also busy in the concert field. Since he starts as chief conductor of the Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, there are several concerts at Budapest in September. He also guests with the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra in November: In December he conducts the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, including its New Year concert!

Since 2006 is a Mozart memorial year, Adam has several Mozart concerts with the Danish Radio Sinfonietta, and he and the Haydn Orchestra are invited by Mozart Week to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the composer’s birth at Salzburg itself.

Go back to Top of Newsletter

German, Hungarian Mini Lesson

These are words useful for evening entertainment.

Go back to Top of Newsletter

Editorial Note

After five years of hard work, Adam’s appointment as the GMD at Mannheim finally ended. During these years he made the theater one of the best interpreters of Mozart. In return the National Theater Mannheim gave Adam the chance to conduct Wagner. It was an ideal cooperation.

Audiences in Mannheim liked him very much. Every year at the New Year concert, when he served his special soup, people queued patiently to enjoy his recipe. Once Adam was late for the performance and people just laughed and waited patiently.

Although he is not GMD any more, he will return to Mannheim to conduct the Requiem during the December Mozart week. The Fan Club will report the concert.

Go back to Top of Newsletter

Content © 1996 - 2008 Adam Fischer & Haydn Orchestra Fan Club 
Send comments to: fanclub@haydnphil.org