At the age of 21, Christoph Poppen completed
his final performance examinations. On the advice of Nathan
Milstein, he travelled to the United States for the first time,
continuing his studies with Oscar Shumsky (1917-2000), whom
Leopold Stokowski once referred to as “the most amazing genius
I’ve ever heard”. His close friend David Oistrakh revered him as
not just a soloist, but also a chamber musician and conductor,
as well as a devoted teacher.
C.P.: "Oscar Shumsky was a teacher who, unlike
Milstein, led his students step by step along a musical path. I
remain greatly indebted to him. My own students today still
benefit from the exercises he gave me at the time."
Other master classes taken with Sándor Végh,
amongst others, helped complete Christoph Poppen’s musical
training as a violinist.
Musical conquests
At the early age of 16, Christoph Poppen
founded his own string quartet, which was initially known as the
Juventus Quartet. This was strongly supported by his Düsseldorf
teacher Kurt Schaeffer, himself an enthusiastic quartet player.
C.P.: "The quartet was
for me the hand of fate, and it provided the best artistic, and
learning experience that I, or anyone else could ever wish for.
One constantly had three highly critical colleagues at one’s
side, who were at the same time friends, none of whom would ever
overindulge you. And this is how I learned how important it is
to be aware of everything, and to lead without imposing oneself
on others. This type of leadership is still my ideal method of
expressing my ideas on musical partners, especially in terms of
conducting. I admire conductors such as Claudio Abbado, who also
followed this approach so perfectly."
In 1978 he founded along with Harald
Schoneweg (second violin), Hariolf Schlichtig (viola) and Klaus
Kämper (violoncello) the Cherubini Quartet, which eventually
went on to conquer all the major stages of the world with its
impressive interpretations of the quartet literature of the
Classical and Romantic periods. In 1981 it won the Grand Prix at
the International String Quartet Competition in Evian, France.
The
fantastic four. The Cherubini Quartet - Hariolf Schlichtig,
Christoph Poppen,
Harald Schoneweg and Manuel
Fischer-Dieskau (from l. to r.)
C.P.: "Playing string
quartets was at that time more or less what I called my life’s
core. We rehearsed more or less 24 hours a day. During some
seasons we performed over 100 concerts. Although I also gave
many solo concerts, there was no doubt, that playing quartets
was always going to take precedence. This was a very intense but
enjoyable time!"
In 1984 Christoph Poppen was awarded the
Advancement Award of Nordrhein Westphalia for Young Musicians in
the discipline of music.
Grasping the baton
That same year, in 1984, Christoph Poppen
travelled again to the United States, to Bloomington, Indiana,
in order to study with Josef Gingold. Gingold (1909-1995), an
American violinist of pedagogical renown and one of the most
influential violin teachers of his time in America.
C.P.: "After those very
intense seven years on stage, I felt the burning desire to be a
student again. In retrospect, one could describe that happy year
I spent with Joseph Gingold as a sabbatical. Bloomington was the
El Dorado for violinists at the time, and Gingold, after the
death of Ivan Galamian, was simply the most coveted teacher in
the world. He taught from morning to night and passed to his
students on all the experience he had gained as concertmaster
under George Szell in Cleveland Orchestra. “If you don’t have
patience, don’t become a pedagogue!” This was one of his famous
sayings and we heard it quite often. To this day, some wonderful
recordings of his own string quartet are extant, in which he
played together with Oscar Shumsky, William Primrose and Harvey
Shapiro."
During this time in Bloomington, a new
passion was becoming noticeable: parallel to his studies,
Christoph Poppen took an increasing number of conducting lessons.
C.P.: "Actually, my interest at that time was purely of a
musical nature, and there was no such a thing as a decision to
switch from violin to conducting. Indeed, coincidence played a
major role, especially when I suddenly had time to study scores
in Bloomington. Back then, I had no idea, that I would soon
spend my life in front of musicians instead
of amongst them."
A new
instrument - the baton
In point of fact, the
psychological step from primarius of a string quartet to the
artistic director of a chamber orchestra is not that big, and I
did not hesitate for long when the chance presented itself. I
still saw myself more as a primarius or a primus inter pares
rather than a maestro. I can safely say that my main aim has
always been to make even a symphony orchestra sound like an
extended chamber music ensemble, where much personal
responsibility rests on each musician.
In 1989, Christoph Poppen took over the „Chamber
Orchestra of Detmold”, led by Tibor Varga, which was then called
„Detmold Chamber Orchestra“. He spent seven years at the helm of
the ensemble.
C.P.: "Sometime
around the beginning of a season, I noticed with astonishment
that my diary contained more appearances as conductor than as a
violinist. That was when I started to think seriously about
things and decided to accept this development. One of my first
mentors was Sir Colin Davis. Later, I took lessons from the
legendary Jorma Panula, and to this day we continue to share a
warm friendship."
New energy
In 1995 Christoph Poppen was appointed Chief
Conductor and Artistic Director of the Munich Chamber Orchestra,
an internationally highly respected ensemble. Within a short
space of time a reputation had been achieved for distinctive
programming that contrasted classical repertoire with
contemporary works. And with many new commissions, Christoph
Poppen had created a new image for the orchestra. During this
period he was often invited as a guest conductor at home and
abroad.
With
13-year-old student and soloist Veronika Eberle and the
Munich Chamber Orchestra (2001)
C.P.: "Moving from
Detmold to Munich was a crucial step, and I felt at the time
that new comparisons were being made, other benchmarks set. I
was with the Munich Chamber Orchestra for over a decade; it was
a very happy time and we still enjoy a warm, reliable friendship.
In the end, I had to face the impending pressure to leave,
simply because my longing to conduct larger symphonic repertoire
had become so strong."
In August 2006 Christoph Poppen took over
the position of chief conductor of the Radio Symphony Orchestra
Saarbrücken. One memorable highlight of this first season was
the open-air concert with pianist Hélène Grimaud on the Island
of Mainau. Among all his key tasks, the most important one for
Christoph Poppen was still a year down the line: the merger of
the Radio Symphony Orchestra Saarbrücken with the Radio
Orchestra Kaiserslautern. Thus it was that Christoph Poppen
became Principal Conductor of the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie
Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern from 2007 until 2011.
C.P.: "The challenge was
to find the right person for this uncommon task. The merger was
of course a challenge of the highest order. But I accepted it
and faced it. Generally, when it comes to conducting, I
differentiate between two distinctive poles: the music itself of
course, but also how to work with people and to take over
responsibility for a close community. In Saarbrücken, I had in
repertoire terms regions of great contrast, but in the end
reaching out towards the symphonic was ultimately correct."
Musikfestspiele Saar - Solistin Juliane Banse - Deutsche Radio
Philharmonie - Korean National Choir
Since 2007 the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie
Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern has drawn on an unusually large
repertoire: not only classic scores of the 19th and 20th
centuries, but also New Music remain core programme elements.
And the introduction of the position Composer in Residence mean
that Christoph Poppen had created another distinctive aspect to
his work.
It was not long before Christoph Poppen was
singled out for another award, the biennial Art Prize of the
Saarland, which he accepted in 2010 from the State President
Peter Müller.
At home in the
world
Christoph Poppen is a
frequent guest conductor around the world and toured
internationally on a regular basis during his engagements in
Munich and Saarbrücken. Whether it be the Amsterdam Sinfonietta,
Bamberg Symphony, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Indianapolis
Symphony Orchestra, Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Munich
Radio Orchestra, New Japan Philharmonic, the Symphony Orchestra
of the Bavarian Radio, Symphony Orchestra of India, Stuttgart
Chamber Orchestra or Vienna Symphony, Christoph Poppen is a
wellknown and welcomed guest in many of the musical centres
around the world.
With Kioi
Sinfonietta Tokio
C.P.: "Presently, I
enjoy the freedom without being bound to any one orchestra. It
is wonderful to return regularly to a particular ensemble, but
it is also exciting to work for the first time in a new place,
to open up new territories, and to meet new people. For me, it
is crucial that wherever I am, I make the music come alive. The
actual place is perhaps not so crucial. What brings me pleasure
is the feeling that I can convey my artistic thoughts and
contribute to an overall artistic experience. This is, for
example, currently happening for me in Asia, where I am so happy
to make many guest appearances. I have the feeling that what I
feel is important in musical terms is immediately taken on board
and implemented."
In recent seasons, Christoph Poppen has also
made an outstanding name for himself as an opera conductor.
After the successful musical direction of the concert
performance of Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers at the Opera House in
Frankfurt/Main in 2009, several requests followed from
international opera houses. That same year, he conducted the
stage production Sing für mich, Tod, which draws on the
biography of the composer Claude Vivier. This was a musik-Fabrik
NRW production at the Ruhr Triennale in Gelsenkirchen.
C.P.: "Opera itself has
always fascinated me. When I was 17 or 18 years old, I heard
Margaret Price as Fiordiligi and was so excited that I seriously
thought that the best thing would be to die now and be reborn as
a singer! That did not work, although I married a wonderful
singer...
Joking aside, I really enjoy working with
singers, in concert, too. The opera is, of course, a very
different medium. Working with a director calls for a
collaboration of immense musical and dramatic energy. It must be
seen as an ongoing response to unforeseen circumstances
reflected in the fascination of day-to-day life."
At the Tyrolean State
Theatre in Innsbruck, Christoph Poppen first conducted Mozart’s
Magic Flute, then La Clemenza di Tito. On the basis of this
highly successful collaboration, he took over as Musical
Director of Rossini’s Otello in February 2010, the premiere of
Richard Strauss’ Arabella, and two years later Giuseppe Verdi’s
Falstaff in a new production by Brigitte Fassbaender.
The award-winning
new production of Mozart’s Abduction from the Seraglio at the
Aalto Theatre in Essen in May 2012 was followed in the current
season by numerous other performances. During the 2012/13 season
Christoph Poppen conducted a new production of Gluck’s Iphigenie
in Aulis at the Stuttgart Opera.
Prelude to the
new
At the beginning of the 2013/14 season
Christoph Poppen took on a four-year assignment as Principal
Conductor with the Cologne Chamber Orchestra. The goal was to
align the ensemble to original programming ideas, and herald in
a new era. “Poppen returns home” was the headline of the Cologne
newspaper Kölner Stadtanzeiger. In their very first season,
Poppen and the KKO made many successful guest performances at
home and abroad, as well as in the concert hall of the Cologne
Philharmonic.
Cologne
Chamber Orchestra
In addition to his post in Cologne,
Christoph Poppen makes many guest appearances in the current and
upcoming seasons with several famous symphony and chamber
orchestras in Germany, Switzerland, Italy, France, Poland, and
Greece. He also continues his successful collaboration with
orchestras in Asia, including the Singapore Symphony, the
Tongyeong Festival Orchestra, and the Hong Kong Sinfonietta.
Gidon
Kremer
C.P.: "Previously, my
diary was full, and ruled out appearances with chamber
orchestras. I was therefore very pleased to receive the request
from Cologne. With the passing of long-time Principal Conductor
Helmut Müller-Brühl, it is important for me, as Principal Guest
Conductor, and now Principal Conductor, to develop new formats,
and to lead the orchestra away from the purely classical period,
and towards the music of the 20th century. This is a very lively
collaboration, and one which still leaves room for other tasks
and challenges. We have many interesting plans for the upcoming
seasons! Furthermore, I would like to continue extending my
repertoire by appearing with familiar soloists and orchestras. I
also envisage, time permitting, more solo violin performances.
My educational activities will always remain important to me. It
is a great joy to meet on the various stages of the world
current and former students."
Since the summer of 2014, Christoph Poppen
is also one of the Artistic Directors of the international music
festival cofounded by him in Marvão, Portugal. An ambitious
festival programme is a joint effort with the Gulbenkian
Orchester Lissabon, and features an array of internationally
renowned soloists and chamber musicians
The
Festival International de Música de Marvão
C.P.: "The Festival
International de Música de Marvão is very close to my heart.
Music should be able to connect people to each other, as well as
making us happy. I truly believe that this can be achieved in
Marvão, with its unique atmosphere, and will, I believe, achieve
a healthy following within a short period of time. Visitors from
around the world will look forward to this unique experience.
There is no other place I know that can engender such strong
feelings of joy. This is where the worlds of music, nature and
architecture meet."
The
Festival International de Música de Marvão
Another new project, co-founded by Christoph
Poppen and other artists is the charitable organisation Artists
for a better Future. This project was set up to provide a better
future for children and young people world-wide.
C.P.: "As artists, we
are in the fortunate position of being able to awaken the world
to social problems. A large number of my colleagues have felt
the need to become socially active in such areas. Many of us
have started such initiatives, albeit on a smaller scale. I, for
example, set up some years ago the Philippine Child Assistance
Project, and we are convinced that with a collective effort we
could contribute more than smaller projects might. The idea
behind Artists for a better Future had been at the back of my
mind for many years. I am very pleased that it has finally come
to fruition, and that we can start working on it."
As for the distant future…
C.P.: "I could well
imagine a time, and with over eight decades of conducting behind
me, where I would render Bruckner’s symphonies and Mozart’s
operas. The road up to that point would be varied and exciting.
Of vital importance is that musical and human harmony are
connected one to another. My wish is that I would continue to
have an amicable relationship with my orchestras, and that a
spiritual openness arising out of the music forms our common
ground."