Musicological curiosity, unconventional programming, joy of interpretational experimentation, innovative conveyance of musi- cal ideas, and delight in digging up forgotten masterpieces have become trademarks of Thomas Hengelbrock’s work.
He received important artistic inspiration through his activities as assistant to artists such as Witold Lutoslawski, Maurizio Kagel, and Antal Doráti, as well as through his work in Nikolaus Harnoncourt’s ensemble “Concentus musicus”. Originally involved in contempo- rary music, Thomas Hengelbrock feels at home in both the histori- cally informed performance practice as well as in the music of the nineteenth and twentieth century’s.
Thomas Hengelbrock was significantly involved in permanently establishing the performance on original instruments in Germany’s concert venues. In the 1990s, with the Balthasar-Neumann-Ensemble and the Balthasar-Neumann-Chor, he founded en- sembles that today number among the most successful of their kind. Besides his own Ensembles, he was artistic director of the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen from 1995−1998, from 2000−2006 of the Feldkirch Festival, and he worked from 2000−2003 as musical director of Vienna’s Volksoper. Thomas Hengelbrock additionally attracted attention for over a decade with spectacular rediscoveries at the Schwetzingen Festival.
Today, Thomas Hengelbrock is internationally sought-after as a conductor of both opera as well as concerts. He conducts at the Opéra de Paris, at the Teatro Real in Madrid and at the Royal Opera House London. With outstanding productions, he has become one of the most important protagonists at Baden-Baden’s Festspielhaus. Guest engagements lead him repeatedly to the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks and the Münchner Philharmoniker.
Thomas Hengelbrock made his debut at the Bayreuth Festival with a new production of Wagner’s “Tannhäuser” in July 2011. Since September 2011 he has been the new chief conductor of the tradition-rich NDR Sinfonieorchester.
