The Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden (Saxon State Orchestra, Dresden, commonly known as Staatskapelle Dresden) is an orchestra based in Dresden, Germany founded in 1548 by Kurfürst Moritz (Elector Moritz, or Maurice) of Saxony.
It is one of the world's oldest orchestras. The precursor ensemble was Die Kurfürstlich-Sächsische und Königlich-Polnische Kapelle (The Saxony Elector and Royal Polish Chapel). The orchestra is the musical body of the Sächsische Staatsoper (Saxon State Opera).
Venue of the orchestra is the Semperoper opera house.The orchestra has had many eminent chief conductors. In its early years, Heinrich Schütz was associated with it, and in the nineteenth century Carl Maria von Weber and Richard Wagner were both chief conductors.
In the twentieth century, Richard Strauss became closely associated with it, as both a conductor and a composer, with several of his works being premiered by the ensemble. Karl Böhm and Hans Vonk were notable among the orchestra's chief conductors in that they served as chief conductors of both the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden and the State Opera simultaneously.
Herbert Blomstedt was musical director of the Staatskapelle from 1975 to 1985.Giuseppe Sinopoli was chief conductor from 1992 until his sudden death in 2001. In August 2002, Bernard Haitink took up the post, until his resignation in 2004 over disputes with the Staatskapelle's Intendant, Gerd Uecker, on the orchestra's choice of successor.
In August 2007 Fabio Luisi began his tenure as chief conductor, having been named to the post in January 2004. He shared with Böhm and Vonk the historic distinction of being chief conductor of both the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden and the Sächsische Staatsoper simultaneously.
Luisi was scheduled to step down as chief conductor in 2012, as of the October 2009 announcement of Christian Thielemann as the orchestra's next chief conductor, effective with the 2012-2013 season. However, Luisi resigned from the Staatskapelle chief conductorship in February 2010, with immediate effect, after reports that the Staatskapelle's management had secured a contract with the ZDF network for a scheduled televised concert on New Year's Eve, 2011, without consulting him at all in his capacity as the orchestra's GMD.
In 2007 the orchestra inaugurated the post of Capell-Compositeur or composer-in-residence, each appointed composer holding the post for one concert season. The first Capell-Compositeur was Isabel Mundry, and the current holder of the post is the British composer Rebecca Saunders.
In April 2007, the orchestra became the first orchestra ever to be awarded the "Prize of the European Culture Foundation for the Preservation of the World’s Musical Heritage". The editors-in-chief of nine European music magazines elected the Staatskapelle Dresden as one of the top five orchestras in Europe.
Kapellemeisters and Chief Conductors:1548–1554 Johann Walter1555–1568 Mattheus Le Maistre1568–1580 Antonio Scandello1580–1584 Giovanni Battista Pinelli1587–1619 Rogier Michael1615–1672 Heinrich Schütz (Hofkapellmeister)1654–1680 Vincenzo Albrici1656–1680 Giovanni Andrea Bontempi1666–1688 Carlo Pallavicini1688–1700 Nicolaus Adam Strungk (Hofkapellmeister)1697–1728 Johann Christoph Schmidt (Hofkapellmeister)1717–1719 Antonio Lotti1717–1729 Johann David Heinichen1725–1733 Giovanni Alberto Ristori1733–1763 Johann Adolph Hasse (Hofkapellmeister)1776–1801 Johann Gottlieb Naumann (Hofkapellmeister)1802–1806 Ferdinando Paer (Hofkapellmeister)1810–1841 Francesco Morlacchi (Hofkapellmeister)1816–1826 Carl Maria von Weber (Hofkapellmeister)1826–1859 Carl Gottlieb Reißiger (Hofkapellmeister)1843–1848 Richard Wagner (Hofkapellmeister)1850–1880 Carl August Krebs1874–1877 Julius Rietz1877–1884 Franz Wüllner1884–1914 Ernst von Schuch1914–1921 Fritz Reiner1922–1933 Fritz Busch1934–1943 Karl Böhm1943–1944 Karl Elmendorff1945–1950 Joseph Keilberth1949–1953 Rudolf Kempe1953–1955 Franz Konwitschny1956–1958 Lovro von Matačić1960–1964 Otmar Suitner1964–1967 Kurt Sanderling1966–1968 Martin Turnovský1975–1985 Herbert Blomstedt1985–1990 Hans Vonk1992–2001 Giuseppe Sinopoli2002–2004 Bernard Haitink2007–2010 Fabio LuisiComposers-in-residence:2007–2008 Isabel Mundry2008–2009 Bernhard Lang2009–2010 Rebecca Saunders
