Berlin State Orchestra

Berlin State Orchestra, German symphony orchestra based in Berlin. Its antecedents were Berlin’s court orchestras, beginning from a 1542 ensemble with 12 trumpeters, a cornett (zink) player, and a drummer. Its early history was marked by alternating periods of ascendancy and decline. Conductor Johannes Wessalius introduced string players into the ensemble in 1582, and in the early 17th century it was, with 37 musicians, one of the largest orchestras of its time. Dispersed in the 18th century, it was reunited in 1740 upon the accession of Frederick II (Frederick the Great) of Prussia. Beginning in 1801, the court orchestra gave two or three annual public concerts.

Aside from Wessalius, the orchestra’s early conductors included Carl Heinrich Graun (1735–59), Gaspare Spontini (1820–42), and Felix Mendelssohn (1841–45). Its repertoire was conservative throughout most of the 19th century, but under Joseph Weingartner (1892–1907), who improved its quality of playing, it added contemporary works to its concerts. After World War I, during Richard Strauss’s tenure as director (1908–20), it became the Berlin State Orchestra; Wilhelm Furtwängler (1920–22), Erich Kleiber (1924–33), and Herbert von Karajan (1940–44) were among his successors. Following the post-World War II division of Berlin, the East Berlin-based Berlin State Orchestra was directed by Johannes Schüler (1945–49), Franz Konwitschny (1955–62), and Otmar Suitner (1964–71 and 1974–90). In 1992 Daniel Barenboim became the orchestra’s general music director.