Ultraschall – Festival für neue Musik

Peter Rundel is one of the most sought-after partners for leading European orchestras, owing to the depth of his approach to complex music of various styles and epochs as well as his interpretive creativity.

He is regularly invited to conduct the Bavarian Radio Orchestra, DSO Berlin and the NDR, WDR and SWR Radio Symphony Orchestras. Recent international guest appearances have included the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Orchestre National de Lille, Orchestre Philharmonique de Luxembourg, Brussels Philharmonic, Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Orchestra del Teatro dell’Opera Roma, Vienna Symphony Orchestra and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony. After bringing Heiner Goebbels’ “Surrogate Cities” to Taipei this summer for its Asia premiere, he opened the 2018/19 season leading the Klangspuren Schwaz for the festival´s 25th anniversary. Additional invitations as conductor for this season include the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, the symphony orchestras of the BR and WDR, the Konzerthausorchester Berlin and the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra.

Peter Rundel has conducted the world premieres of opera productions at the Bavarian State Opera, Wiener Festwochen, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Gran Teatre del Liceu, Bregenz Festival and Schwetzinger SWR Festspiele, while also collaborating with respected directors such as Peter Konwitschny, Peter Mussbach, Philippe Arlaud, Reinhild Hoffmann, Heiner Goebbels, Carlus Padrissa (La Fura dels Baus) and Willy Decker. His work in opera includes traditional repertoire (conducting “Die Zauberflöte” at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and “König Kandaules”, “Hansel and Gretel” and “The Marriage of Figaro” at the Volksoper Vienna), as well as groundbreaking contemporary music theatre productions such as Stockhausen’s “Donnerstag” from “LICHT”, “Massacre” by Wolfgang Mitterer, the world premieres of Georg Friedrich Haas‘ “Nacht and Bluthaus”, Isabel Mundry’s “Ein Atemzug – die Odyssee” and Emmanuel Nunes’ “Das Märchen” and “La Douce”. The spectacular production of “Prometheus”, which he led at the Ruhrtriennale, was awarded the Carl-Orff-Preis in 2013. In 2016 and 2017, Peter Rundel conducted Louis Andriessen’s “De Materie” in New York’s Armory Hall and at Teatro Argentino La Plata, a production that he premiered at the Ruhrtriennale in 2014. With the world premiere of Hector Parras’s “Les Bienveillantes”, directed by Calixto Bieito, he will make his first appearance at the Opera Vlaanderen in 2019.

Born in Friedrichshafen, Germany, Peter Rundel studied violin with Igor Ozim and Ramy Shevelov, as well as conducting with Michael Gielen and Peter Eötvös. From 1984 until 1996 he was a violinist in Ensemble Modern, to which he has enjoyed long associations also as a conductor. He also maintains regular guest appearances with Klangforum Wien, Ensemble Musikfabrik, Collegium Novum Zürich, Ensemble intercontemporain and the Asko|Schönberg Ensemble. Peter Rundel has been artistic director of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of Flanders and was the founding artistic director of the Kammerakademie Potsdam. In January 2005, he was appointed artistic director of the Remix Ensemble Casa da Música in Porto and has since enjoyed great success with the contemporary music ensemble at important festivals throughout Europe.

Peter Rundel is also deeply committed to the development and promotion of young musical talent. In Porto he founded the Remix Academy for ensemble musicians and conductors. He regularly teaches at international ensemble academies including the London Sinfonietta, the Ulysseus Ensemble at Manifeste Academy in Paris, the Lucerne Festival Acadamy and at Teatro alla Scala Milan, in addition to leading his own masterclasses on conducting in Bavaria.

Peter Rundel has been awarded many prizes for his recordings of 20th century music, including the prestigious “Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik” (Nono, “Prometeo”; Kyburz, “Ensemble- und Orchesterwerke”; Reich, “City Life”; Furrer, Piano Concerto), the “Grand Prix du Disque” (Barraqué, complete work), the “Echo Klassik” (“Sprechgesänge” with the Ensemble Musikfabrik) and a Grammy Award nomination (Heiner Goebbels, “Surrogate Cities”).