Abendroth, Hermann (1883-1956)

Abendroth, Hermann

MUSICAL DIRECTOR, CONDUCTOR (GERMANY)

BORN 19 Jan 1883, Frankfurt am Main, Hessen - DIED 29 May 1956, Jena, Thüringen: Universitätsklinikum
BIRTH NAME Abendroth, Hermann Paul Maximilian
GRAVE LOCATION Weimar, Thüringen: Historischer Friedhof, Poseckscher Garten

Hermann Abendroth was the son of the bookseller August Moritz Abendroth. He attended the commercial school in Frankfurt am Main and Walter Braunfels was a schoolfriend. From 1900 to 1901 he was further educated as a bookseller in Munich. After that he studied composition with Ludwig Thuille, piano with Anna Hirzel-Langenhahn and conducting with Felix Mottl.

In 1905 he was engaged as a conductor in Lübeck and in 1907 he became the musical director of the Stadttheater Lübeck. He also assisted Mottl with the staging of Wagner operas in Munich and Bayreuth. In 1911 he married the actress Elisabeth Walter, the daughter of Hugo Walter, the theatre director of Neustrelitz. From 1911 to 1914 he was musical director In Essen and from 1914 to 1934 he was the artistic director of the Gürzenich-Orchestra in Cologne. In 1918 he was appointed General Musical Director in Cologne.

During the 1933-1934 season his co-director and friend Walter Braunfels was fired by the nazis. Abendroth joined the Reichsmusikkammer to avoid being banned from working. After being criticised for concerts in the USSR and refusing to join the NSDAP he was fired in 1934. But soon after that he became musical director of the Gewandhaus in Leipzig. In 1937 he joined the NSDAP and in 1938 he welcomed the annexation of Austria by Germany. He gave concerts in countries that were occupied by the German, like France and Belgium.

After the war he was blacklisted by the USA, but he profited from his previous visits to the USSR and he became general musical director in Weimar in 1947. He also worked for radio orchestras in Leipzig and Berlin. He died in Jena in 1956.

Related persons
• was pupil of Mottl, Felix
• was pupil of Thuille, Ludwig

Images

The grave of Hermann Abendroth at the Historischer Friedhof, Weimar.
Picture by Androom (13 Aug 2020)