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Günter Jena

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Günter Jena
Organ in St. Michaelis, Hamburg, where Jena was responsible for church music from 1974
Born1933 (age 90–91)
Leipzig
Education
Occupations
  • Conductor
  • Chorale conductor
  • Musicologist
  • Kirchenmusikdirektor
Organizations
  • St. Johannis, Würzburg
  • St. Michaelis
AwardsJohannes Brahms Medal
Websitewww.guenter-jena.de

Günter Jena (born 1933) is a German choral conductor and musicologist. He was the director of church music at St. Michaelis in Hamburg from 1973 to 1997. He founded the festival Bach-Tage Hamburg, and prepared the choir for ballet performances of choreographer John Neumeier at the Hamburg Opera.

Career

Born in Leipzig, Jena attended the Thomasschule there, and then studied musicology. He studied psychology and philosophy in Berlin, and conducting and organ at the Musikhochschule München with Karl Richter, becoming his assistant.[1]

Jena worked as the church musician at St. Johannis [de] in Würzburg. In 1969 he founded the festival Würzburger Bachtage [de].[1] From 1973 he was the church musician at Hamburg's Hauptkirche St. Michaelis, where he regularly conducted performances of works by Bach, music from the classical period and the romantic period.[2] He founded the festival Bach-Tage Hamburg, and was appointed director of church music (Kirchenmusikdirektor) for the region. Jena prepared the choir for performances by the choreographer John Neumeier at the Hamburgische Staatsoper, including Bach's St Matthew Passion and Mozart's Requiem.[2] He prepared and conducted the NDR Chor for a recording of the complete a cappella works by Johannes Brahms from 1981.[3] He retired in 1997.[2]

Jena published books about the musicological and theological background of Bach's Christmas Oratorio, The Art of Fugue and St Matthew Passion. He is a member of the Freie Akademie der Künste Hamburg.[1]

Awards

Jena was awarded the Würzburg Cultural Prize. The Hamburg Senate [de] appointed him an honorary professor in 1986 and awarded him the music prize Johannes Brahms Medal in 1987. He received the Plakette of the Akademie der Künste in Hamburg in 1988.

Publications

  • Günter Jena: "Das gehet meiner Seele nah". Die Matthäuspassion von Johann Sebastian Bach. Piper Verlag 1993, Herder Verlag, Freiburg 1999
  • Günter Jena: "Brich an, o schönes Morgenlicht". Das Weihnachtsoratorium von Johann Sebastian Bach. 1997
  • Günter Jena: Ich lebe mein Leben in wachsenden Ringen, with 2 CDs. 2000

Selected recordings

References

  1. ^ a b c "Günter Jena (Conductor)". Bach-Cantatas. 2003. Retrieved 5 May 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Banuscher, Doris (4 January 2003). "Günter Jena feierte mit zwei Ehrenbürgern 70. Geburtstag" (in German). Die Welt. Retrieved 5 May 2017.
  3. ^ Stäbler, Markus. "1979 bis 1998: Gänsehautmomente mit Menuhin und Karl Richter". 70 Jahre NDR Chor (in German). NDR. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
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