Andreas Spering
Conductor
“Handelians have never had it so good. Spering’s conducting is a sheer delight.” Hugh Canning, The Sunday Times
Andreas Spering belongs to the leading specialists of historically informed performance. Spering was strongly influenced by his studies with Gerd Zacher in Essen, and his position as harpsichordist with Musica Antiqua Köln and Reinhard Goebel (1990-1994). Since 1996 Spering has been Artistic Director of the Brühl Castle Concerts and the Capella Augustina which he founded. In its tenth season he focuses on the works of Joseph Haydn for the summer concerts thus establishing the first and sole annual Haydn festival in Germany.
As an opera conductor Spering has performed in Gothenburg Mozart’s “Die Entführung aus dem Serail” and Beethoven’s “Fidelio”, in Antwerp and Gent Handel’s “Rinaldo” and Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” and “Le nozze di Figaro”. In 1999, Andreas Spering was appointed Music Director of the Handel Festival at the Baden State Theater in Karlsruhe. There he conducted Scarlatti’s “Il trionfo dell’onore”, many other Handel operas. He conducted also at the State Operas in Hanover, Essen, Oldenburg as well as at the 50th Handel Festival in Halle. In 2010 he made his debut at the Festival d’Aix en Provence with Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” and came back to the Grand Théâtre de Luxembourg with Mozart’s “Cosi fan tutte”, where he already conducted “Le nozze di Figaro” in 2007. In 2011, he also made his debut at the Teatro de la Maestranza in Sevilla with Weber’s “Der Freischütz”.
Opera highlights in the 2011/12 season include his debut at the Operas in Nantes and Angers with Gluck’s “Orphée et Eurydice” in Berlioz’ version and a new production of Mozart’s “La finta giradiniera” at the Festival d’Aix en Provence 2012.
Spering has conducted the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Royal Flemish Philharmonic, Orquesta Sinfonica de Tenerife, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, Orquesta y Coro Nacionales de España, Orquesta Filarmonica de Gran Canaria, Orchestra Sinfónica de Euskadi, Lathi Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, Orchestre National de Lille, Kammerorchester Basel, Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, Witold Lutoslawski Philharmonic Wroclaw, Musikkollegium Winterthur, New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, Staatskapelle Weimar, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Bamberger Symphoniker, Düsseldorfer Symphoniker and the radio orchestras of Hanover, Leipzig, Munich as well as the WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne and the Beethoven Orchester Bonn.
During the Season 2011/12, he will conduct the Zürcher Kammerorchester, the Bremer Philharmoniker, Lahti Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National de Lille, Staatsorchester Mainz and the Capella Cracoviensis.
Andreas Spering has made three complete opera recordings: Handel’s “Siroe” and “Imeneo” and the first ever recording of Reichardt’s “Erwin and Elmire”. In 2005 Haydn’s “Die Schöpfung”, performed on period instruments (Naxos), received international critical acclaim. There is also a prizewinning recording of early Haydn cantatas. Haydn’s seldom performed oratorio “Il ritorno de Tobia” (Naxos) received the German Recording Award 2008. Both Brahms serenades (cpo) were released in 2008, and Haydn’s “Applausus” in 2010.
SEASON 2011/2012
