Brussels Philharmonic | Andreas Spering

Andreas Spering

Andreas Spering is one of Germany's leading specialists in historically informed performance practice.

Opera productions have taken him to Antwerp, Essen, Gothenburg, Hanover, Copenhagen, Luxembourg, Nantes, Nuremberg, Rouen, Seville and Strasbourg, among other places, where he conducted the great Mozart operas, as well as Beethoven's "Fidelio" and Weber's "Freischütz". At the Aix-en-Provence Festival he gave guest performances of "Don Giovanni" and "La finta giardiniera". In Brussels and Amsterdam he conducted Pierre Audi's production of "And you must suffer" and Wagner's "Rheingold" at the Kulturwald Festival.

The work of Handel has played an important role in his career. For many years, he was Music Director of the Händelfestspiele Karlsruhe, where he conducted numerous productions. For the festival's 40th anniversary, he returned with a celebrated production of "Alcina". He is also a regular guest at the Halle Handel Festival.

Recent highlights include his return to the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg with Beethoven symphonies, his debut with the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra with Beethoven's Triple Concerto and Bruckner's 2nd Symphony, and a new production of “Le nozze di Figaro” at the Opéra National de Lorraine.

He was influenced by his studies with Gerd Zacher in Essen and by Reinhard Goebel's ensemble Musica Antiqua Köln, of which he was a member as harpsichordist for several years.

His great passion is the Viennese Classical period, especially Joseph Haydn. As artistic director of the Brühl Castle Concerts, he established the first and only Haydn Festival in Germany. There he conducted over 60 symphonies, the great oratorios and eight operas by the composer.

His discography includes several recordings, some of which have won awards. His recording of Haydn's early cantatas (harmonia mundi), for example, received an award from "Le Monde de La Musique". His recording of Haydn's "Il ritorno di Tobia" (Naxos) received the "Jahrespreis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik". Most recently, a Mozart CD with Sabine Meyer and the Basel Chamber Orchestra was released by Sony.

Andreas Spering lives in Cologne with his family and two dogs.