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Maestro Matthias Kuntzsch was born in Karlsruhe, Germany and attended the Conservatory of Music in Hannover, where he studied piano under Karl Engel. In the summers Kuntzsch continued his studies at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Switzerland, attending courses of Lovro von Matacic, Hermann Scherchen, Herbert von Karajan and Pablo Casals.
Maestro Kuntzsch then became the General Music Director and Conductor of the Opera and Symphony Orchestra in Lübeck. Maestro Kuntzsh's professional position was as Assistant Conductor at the Staatstheater of Braunschweig. He also appeared in the summers at the Bayreuth Festival as Musical Assistant to Wolfgang and Wieland Wagner. Next he was engaged as Principle Conductor at the Theater in Bonn and at the Mannheim National Theater, followed by the Hamburg State Opera and the National theater, Munich, where he assumed the position of Staatskapellmeister. |
Thereafter he assumed the position of Principle Conductor at the Theater in Bonn and at the Mannheim National Theater, followed by the Hamburg State Opera and the National theater, Munich, where he assumed the position of Staatskapellmeister.
In these years Kuntzsch was named Professor of Conducting at the Conservatory of Music, Hamburg. He also had not lost track of the Nationaltheater in Munich which continued to recruit Matthias for many opera productions, alternating performances with Karl Böhm, Carlos Kleiber, Rafael Kubelik and Wolfgang Sawallisch. His next position was General Music Director and Conductor of the State Theater of the Saarland in Saarbrücken. He resided there with his family for over twelve years. |
During this period Maestro Kuntzsch conducted over 100 concerts and accompanied many famous soloists such as Yehudi Menuhin, Ruggiero Ricci, Radu Lupu, Eugene List, Stephen Hough, Andre Watts, Sylvia Anderson, Evelyn Lear, Thomas Stewart, Birgit Nilsson and Placido Domingo.
In the Saarland years Matthias Kuntzsch conducted Wagner's entire "Ring" cycle, with many famous Bayreuth singers, Verdi's operas, all of Mozart operas, and most of the operas of Richard Strauss and Puccini. He was a pioneer for composers such as Christof Penderecki, Carl Orff, Gian-Carlo Menotti, Günter Bialas, and Gyorgi Ligeti. In the many years at the Saarländisches Staatstheater, Kuntzsch conducted over 75 operas as well as many guest engagements outside of Germany. |