Death of an international German maestro, 84
mainWe have been notified of the death of Werner Andreas Albert, a Karajan protégé who flourished in Australia from the 1980s.
After a spell as music director in Nuremberg, he became principal conductor with the Queensland Symphony and went on to work with all the Australian orchestras.
He made numerous recordings.
Our condolences to his wife, Sabine.
This is seriously intriguing.
Albert left behind a discography that will be consulted for years to come. His complete Korngold and Hindemith editions for CPO are must-have acquisitions for anyone interested in 20th century Austro-German music. We are in his debt.
he was a great and much beloved conductor, wonderful recordings ! he also worked very succesful over the years with youth orchestras, so you ll find many musicians in today’s professional orchestras who first played and learned from Werner Andreas Albert !
I have fond memories of Werner conducting the Bavarian Youth Orchestra. A warm, friendly man and a superb musician that did much for little-played, but fine music. Rest in peace, Werner.
Werner was also very encouraging to young conductors; he gave me invaluable advice as a high school student and during my undergrad days, even helping me be invited to the Southern sinfonia in Dunedin. A wealth of knowledge and Karajan stories. No-nonsense but a great sense of humour.
Too young! One of the few who didn’t shy from the off-beat repertoire. His four disk set of Korngold led the way. I truly am sorry we only got four of Raff’s symphonies from him. A fine musician – wish there were more like him. RIP.
Hans Pfitzner created an operatic masterpiece with ‘Palestrina’ and there have been quite a few recordings of it over the years. Werner Andreas Albert’s wonderful CPO recordings of Pfitzner’s neglected orchestral music provide ample evidence of the composer’s skill in other forms. A fine conductor who will be sorely missed.
He also recorded The Complete Orchestral Works of Siegfried Wagner with the Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz and the Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg. A fascinating insight into an enigmatic and highly romantic composer.
One of the GREATS! He made fantastic recordings of Korngold’s music including that stunning recording of the Sinfonietta and Schauspiel-Ouvertüre, my first Korngold disc in 1991.
Many thanks and sincerest gratitude for his broadening of our knowledge of neglected composers and off-the-beaten path repertoire, especially through his recordings for the CPO label. He was the first conductor to record most of Korngold’s major orchestral works (sans the Violin Concerto). I remember the burst of adrenaline when I first spotted all four volumes in one of my local record shops. In the decades since, whenever I saw Albert’s name on a CD, I knew I was in good hands.
Thank you, Maestro, for your impeccable taste and the consistent high quality of your work. You will be missed, but thankfully you had such a large discography that there is much to revisit and still plenty to be explored.
Not only did Werner had a natural talent for conducting, but had also a very open and kind personality. Thanks for such beautiful music. Hoping you are in a wondrous place.
In Dec 81 was in the choir of The Messiah with Werner conducting the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, and he signed my score after the performance.
My great friend in Portugal. With him I worked in the early 70’s, when he was Artistic Director of the Gulbenkian Orchestra.
My sincere condolences to the wife and remaining family and friends.