Baldur Brönnimann

Baldur Brönnimann
conductor

Baldur Brönnimann has earned a reputation as a conductor of great flexibility with a broad-minded approach to music-making and a particular affinity for the most complex contemporary scores.

In 2008 Brönnimann made his English National Opera debut with a controversial new production of Olga Neuwirth’s Lost Highway, the success of which led to his conducting the new La Fura dels Baus production of Ligeti’s Le Grand Macabre in 2009/10 and John Adams’s Death of Klinghoffer in spring 2012. He also returns to Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires, for a double-bill of Schoenberg and Szymanowski in summer 2012.

Brönnimann’s debut at the Bergen International Festival 2008, conducting Saariaho’s L’Amour de Loin, led to a close and increasingly fruitful relationship with the musical life in Bergen, which ultimately resulted in his appointment in 2011 as Artistic Director of their contemporary music group, BIT20 Ensemble, and an ongoing relationship with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, with whom he conducts Stravinsky’s Petrushka in 2011/12 in a joint concert with BIT20.

Recognised internationally as an artist of diverse skills and qualities, Brönnimann is also Music Director of the National Symphony Orchestra of Colombia in Bogotá. As well as focusing on much of the 18th- and 19th-century repertoire, his third season has included a performance of the original version of Falla’s El amor brujo with the flamenco singer Carmen Linares, performances with soloists such as Natalie Klein, Gabriela Montero, Johannes Moser and Benjamin Schmid, and the first complete performance in Colombia of Bartók’s The Miraculous Mandarin.

Highly in demand by orchestras worldwide for his expertise in contemporary music, Brönnimann has conducted, for example, the Seoul Philharmonic, Stockholm Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, Philharmonia and Rai Turin orchestras, in celebrations of music by Adès, Birtwistle, Chin and Dean, for example. Also a favourite of the orchestras in Australia and New Zealand, Brönnimann makes his debut with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra in the 2011/12 season; he also works regularly with the Scottish Chamber and Iceland Symphony orchestras and with the London Sinfonietta. In December 2010 he caught the headlines when he travelled to the Middle East to conduct the newly-formed Palestine National Orchestra in Ramallah, Jerusalem and Haifa.

Committed to his work with young musicians, Brönnimann helped to set up the Colombian National Youth Orchestra in 2010 and has initiated a whole range of education activities in Bogotá. Among these have been education projects on Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring and Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé, together with the National University of Colombia’s Music Conservatory, a collaboration with Batuta (Colombia’s music and education system) on Revueltas’s La noche de los mayas, and workshops for conductors and young Colombian composers.

Born in Switzerland, Brönnimann trained at the City of Basel Music Academy and at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, where he was subsequently appointed Visiting Tutor in Conducting.

Photo © Felix Broede

Baldur Brönnimann regularly conducts the major orchestras and new music ensembles around the
world and has recently been appointed Music Director of the Colombian National Symphony
Orchestra. Renowned for his mastery of complex contemporary scores, Brönnimann returned to
English National Opera in September 2009 with Ligeti’s Le Grand Macabre.
In Europe, Brönnimann has worked regularly with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, with his latest
concerts in 2009 receiving particular critical acclaim: “the SCO's concert … was an enthralling
magical mystery tour of the world of sonority… there is nothing unfamiliar about Kodaly's gipsyinspired
Dances of Galanta or Bartok's great masterpiece, the Music for Strings, Percussion and
Celeste. But one does not often hear them like this… atmospherically and lucidly conducted by
Baldur Bronnimann.” He made his debut with the Bergen Philharmonic with Saariaho’s L’Amour de
Loin at the Bergen International Festival in 2008, receiving an immediate re-invitation for the
following year and he is due to return again in 2011.
In April 2009 Brönnimann made his debut with the Seoul Philharmonic where he conducted three
programmes, one in the main series featuring Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite (1919) and de Falla’s
Three Cornered Hat and two in Unsuk Chin’s Ars Nova series. His relationship with the Auckland
Philharmonia continues with annual visits exploring a broad range of repertoire with soloists such as
Midori and Brett Dean, and he recently made a highly successful debut with the Tasmanian
Symphony Orchestra.
Other recent highlights include performances of Stockhausen’s Gruppen in the underground car
park of Porto’s La Casa da Musica, a Birtwistle programme – including Earth Dances - at Italy’s
Settembre Musicale 2008, a Thomas Adès programme – including Asyla - at the Stockholm Adès
Festival 2009, debuts with the Iceland Symphony and Malmö Symphony Orchestra, and many
varied projects with the London Sinfonietta and Klangforum Wien, both of whom he will conduct in
their main series next season.
In 2008 Brönnimann made his debut with English National Opera, conducting Olga Neuwirth’s
adaptation of David Lynch’s Lost Highway. In September 2009 he returned to make his Coliseum
debut with Ligeti’s “anti anti-opera” Le Grand Macabre directed by the Catalan theatre company La
Fura dels Baus, and for which he received great critical acclaim.
As Music Director with the Colombian National Symphony Orchestra, Brönnimann brings his
renowned fresh approach and energy to much of the core 18th and 19th century repertoire. Now in
his second season, his plans include the inauguration of the Colombian National Youth Orchestra, a
series of Colombian music from 1810 to 2010 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of
Independence, a Symphonic Summer Festival, a Schumann series as well as a whole range of
educational activities.
Brönnimann is committed to his work with young musicians and in recent seasons has worked with
the Australian Youth Orchestra, National Youth Orchestra of Scotland and with many other student
and youth ensembles. He is always eager to incorporate educational elements into his
engagements and his presentation skills have won him great acclaim all over the world.
Brönnimann trained at the Basel Music Academy and at the Royal Northern College of Music in
Manchester, where he was subsequently appointed Visiting Tutor in Conducting.