Michael Boder | |
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.jpg) Boderc. 2000 | |
| Born | (1958-11-09)9 November 1958 Darmstadt, Hesse,West Germany |
| Died | 7 April 2024(2024-04-07) (aged 65) Vienna, Austria |
| Education | Musikhochschule Hamburg |
| Occupation | Operatic conductor |
| Organizations | |
Michael Boder (9 November 1958 – 7 April 2024) was a German conductor of opera and concert who worked internationally. He was music director of theBasel Opera from 1989 to 1993, of theLiceu in Barcelona from 2008 to 2012, and principal conductor of theRoyal Danish Theatre to 2016. He conducted regularly at theVienna State Opera, including the world premieres ofCerha'sDer Riese vom Steinfeld and Reimann'sMedea. He also conducted the premieres of operas byPascal Dusapin,Hans Werner Henze,Luca Lombardi,Krzysztof Penderecki, andManfred Trojahn, among others.
Boder was born inDarmstadt on 9 November 1958.[1] His father was an opera singer, who appeared in the title role of Alban Berg'sWozzeck often, and the boy was on stage in the role of his son.[2] Boder studied first at theMusikhochschule Hamburg, then inFlorence where he worked withRiccardo Muti andZubin Mehta.[3] He was an assistant toMichael Gielen at theOper Frankfurt.[3][4][2] In 1988, during this time, he conducted at theOpernhaus Zürich Aribert Reimann'sLear, directed byHarry Kupfer.[2]
Shortly afterwards, with the 1988/89 season, Boder became music director of theBasel Opera,[2] serving until 1993.[5][6] In 1991, he conducted there the world premiere ofLuca Lombardi'sFaust. Un travestimento. He became a regular guest conductor at the state operas ofDresden,Hamburg andMunich. He also conducted at theSan Francisco Opera and theDeutsche Oper Berlin. He was focused on contemporary music, in opera and also in concert.[6] He contacted composers such as Reimann,Hans Werner Henze andPéter Eötvös, and discussed with them details of the music to be played, often played for the first time.[2]
Boder made his debut at theVienna State Opera on 15 December 1995, conducting Alban Berg'sWozzeck. He conducted there alsoDie Frau ohne Schatten andAriadne auf Naxos by Richard Strauss, Berg'sLulu, Wagner'sDie Meistersinger von Nürnberg and Hindemith'sCardillac.[6] The first scenic production of Schönberg'sDie Jakobsleiter was coupled with Puccini'sGianni Schicchi.[4] He conducted there the world premieres ofFriedrich Cerha'sDer Riese vom Steinfeld in 2002 and Aribert Reimann'sMedea in 2010.[5][6] TheMedea production, withMarlis Petersen in the title role, was filmed for DVD.[7] Boder's style was focused on transparency for musical structures, but he also realised sensous sonorities even in complex music.[5] His version ofElektra was described as a "nervously twitching soul document of a threatening family constellation" with brief idyllic moments of light.[5]
He conducted regularly at theTheater an der Wien, including the world premieres ofAnno Schreier'sHamlet andChristian Jost'sEgmont.[5] He conducted their new productions of Schubert'sLazarus, Stravinsky'sThe Rake's Progress, and von Einem'sDer Besuch der alten Dame.[3]
Boder made his debut at theRoyal Opera House conducting Verdi'sRigoletto in 1988;[8] he conducted there the world premiere ofMorgen und Abend by Georg Friedrich Haas, in a coproduction with theStaatsoper Berlin, in 2015.[9] Other operatic premieres were in 1991 Penderecki'sUbu Rex for the opening of theMunich Opera Festival, in 1992 Reimann'sDas Schloß, in 1998Manfred Trojahn'sWas ihr wollt at theBavarian State Opera, and in 2007 Henze'sPhaedra at the Staatsoper Berlin.[6] In 1996, he conducted the German premiere of Enescu'sŒdipe in a production shown at several houses.[4] He conducted the premiere of Pascal Dusapin'sFaustus, the Last Night at the Staatsoper Berlin in a coproduction withOpéra National de Lyon in 2006, and a reviewer noted that he "securely organised the sound architecture".[10] He returned to Zürich in 2013 to conductTri sestry by Péter Eötvös, a work requiring orchestras at different locations in the theatre.[2]
Boder was the general music director (GMD) of theLiceu in Barcelona from 2008 to 2012. He was subsequently chief conductor of theRoyal Danish Theatre to 2016.[3][5]
He was engaged in a project to commemorateArnold Schoenberg in his 150th year of birth, with a concert at the Theater an der Wien planned on 26 April 2024, played byKlangforum Wien.[1][3]
Boder died suddenly in Vienna on 7 April 2024, at the age of 65.[1][3][5]Stefan Herheim, director of the Vienna State Opera, said in memory of their first interaction for Berg'sLulu: "I got to know Michael as an artist whose satisfaction depended on whether he managed to get the best out of his counterpart fetch".[3]
| Cultural offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Music Director, Gran Teatre del Liceu 2008–2012 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Principal Conductor, Royal Danish Orchestra 2012–2016 | Succeeded by |