Bernhard Klee

Bernhard Klee (19 April 1936 – 10 October 2025) was a German conductor and pianist. His leadership posts included terms as Generalmusikdirektor (GMD) at the Theater Lübeck from 1966 to 1973, chief conductor of the Radiophilharmonie Hannover in Hanover from 1976 to 1979, GMD in Düsseldorf from 1977 to 1987, chief conductor of the NDR Radiophilharmonie from 1991 to 1995 and of the Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz from 1992 to 1997, Beginning in the 1970s, he was closely associated with the BBC as a regular guest conductor of several London orchestras. He performed in Munich, Vienna, at the Salzburg Festival and in the United States, among others, and recorded extensively. As a pianist, he often accompanied his first wife, soprano Edith Mathis, in Lieder repertoire.

Klee was regarded as a renowned interpreter of Mozart, discovering rarely played works such as Zaide and recognized in awards for recordings of his music such as Deutscher Schallplattenpreis and Wiener Flötenuhr. He made significant contributions to the performance of contemporary music, conducting world premieres of works by Hans-Jürgen von Bose, Wolfgang Fortner, Sofia Gubaidulina, Hans Werner Henze, Volker David Kirchner, Detlev Müller-Siemens, Dieter Schnebel and Manfred Trojahn.

 Life and career 
Bernhard Klee was born in Schleiz, Thuringia, on 19 April 1936 and grew up in Jena. Klee learned to play the piano, violin, and double bass. He was a member of the Leipzig Thomanerchor from 1948 to 1955, under Günther Ramin, eventually serving as prefect. At the age of ten, he heard his first Mozart opera (Le nozze di Figaro), which would shape him profoundly.Robert Croan: Conductor Klee. From Choir to Podium. In: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 24 April 1997.  After completing his Abitur in 1955 at the Thomasschule zu Leipzig, he studied at the State Academy of Music in Cologne, where his teachers included Günter Wand for conducting, Else Schmitz-Gohr for piano, and Maurits Frank for chamber music. He later emphasized that Fritz Schieri especially influenced his conducting technique. Wand was a role model for him as a conductor focused on the composition.

Early career
In 1957, Klee began his career as a répétiteur at the Cologne Opera, where Otto Ackermann was Generalmusikdirektor (GMD). In 1958, he moved to the Stadttheater Bern. When Wolfgang Sawallisch was GMD in Cologne, he appointed Klee as his assistant. Klee made his conducting debut in 1960 with Mozart's Die Zauberflöte; the soloists at the time included Elisabeth Grümmer, Edith Mathis, Fritz Wunderlich, and Franz Crass. He then held his first positions as Kapellmeister at the Landestheater Salzburg (1962/63), Theater Oberhausen (1963–1965), and Staatsoper Hannover (1965/66).

 Lübeck 
From 1966 to 1973, he held his first leading position as GMD at the Theater Lübeck, succeeding Gerd Albrecht. According to Klaus Matthias, who described him as "a gifted Mozart conductor," Klee devoted himself to the music of Haydn and Mozart, as well as Beethoven and Brahms. He also continued the biennial Bruckner tradition, revisited the symphonies of Mahler and programmed a Sibelius cycle. Matthias noted that Klee "particularly honored Lübeck's historically rooted orientation toward Scandinavia." Klee also performed works by other Romantic composers and representatives of classical modernism, such as Igor Stravinsky, Béla Bartók, and Dmitri Shostakovich. He also played the previously neglected Baroque and pre-Classical composers, which Matthias attributed to Klee's time with the Thomanerchor. Klee's wife, the renowned soprano Edith Mathis, frequently performed in concerts. From 1967, Klee introduced pre-concert talks and later program notes for modern works by Karl Amadeus Hartmann and Wolfgang Fortner. His concert series Musik der Zeit (Music of the time) showcased "avant-garde attempts that were rejected by the audience and not sustained." He also advocated for children's concerts. In 1973, he stepped down from his duties in Lübeck "with courageous intellectual independence ahead of schedule".Klaus Matthias: Music History of Lübeck in the 20th Century. Church Music and Concert Life. In: Arnfried Edler, Heinrich W. Schwab (eds.): Studies on the Music History of the Hanseatic City of Lübeck (= Kieler Schriften zur Musikwissenschaft, Volume 31). Bärenreiter, Kassel et al. 1989, , pp. 177 ff., here: pp. 200f.

 Guest conducting and international breakthrough 
In 1968 Klee made his debut with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra,Peter Muck: One Hundred Years of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Volume 3: The Members of the Orchestra, the Programs, the Concert Tours, Premieres and First Performances. Schneider, Tutzing 1982, , p. 458. with which he would repeatedly perform during the tenures of Karajan and Abbado. After his debut in 1979 with the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, he became a regular guest at its symphony concerts in the Berliner Philharmonie and the Haus des Rundfunks during the 1980s.Artist: Klee, Bernhard. dso-berlin.de; accessed 21 April 2020. Peter Ruzicka: 40 Years of the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra. 1946–1986. RSO, Berlin 1986.

A guest performance by the Hamburg State Opera took him to the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland in 1969 with Wagner's The Flying Dutchman. In 1971/72, he was a guest conductor with the BBC Symphony Orchestra in London,Friedrich Herzfeld (ed.): Das neue Ullstein-Lexikon der Musik. Mit 5000 Stichwörtern, 600 Notenbeispielen. Revised and updated anniversary edition, Ullstein, Frankfurt am Main et al. 1993, . where he collaborated with Pierre Boulez. At the Proms in London's Royal Albert Hall during the 1970s, he conducted not only the BBC Symphony Orchestra (1972) but also the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO / 1973, 1975). In an interview, he stated that of the three London orchestras he regularly worked with, he felt particularly connected to the LSO. He made his debut at the Royal Opera House in London in 1972 with Mozart's Così fan tutte.Così fan tutte - 21 December 1972 Evening. rohcollections.org.uk; accessed 19 April 2020. 

In 1973, he first appeared at the Salzburg Festival,Norbert Tschulik: Chronicle of the Salzburg Festival 1973. In: Österreichische Musikzeitschrift 28 (1973) 9, pp. 409f. where he performed Mozart symphonies, arias and a piano concerto with the Mozarteum Orchestra, bassist Robert Kerns and pianist  (piano).2nd Mozart Matinee – Matinee Ensemble of the Mozarteum Orchestra, Bernhard Klee. salzburgerfestspiele.at 1973; accessed 14 October 2025. Further appearances there included three performances of Jean-Pierre Ponnelle's production of Le nozze di Figaro 1979 with the Vienna Philharmonic.Wolfgang A. Mozart Le nozze di Figaro, archive.salzburgerfestspiele.at; accessed 19 April 2020. In 1975, he first conducted at the Wiener Musikverein, where he subsequently conducted the Vienna Symphony and the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra.Search in the Concert Archive. musikverein.at; accessed 25 April 2020.

Klee first conducted in Munich in the 1973/74 season, works by Hartmann and Hans Werner Henze in a musica viva concert.  praised him in the Süddeutsche Zeitung for his precise conducting.Karl Heinz Ruppel: Musica viva Commemorates Its Founder: Bernhard Klee Conducts Hartmann and Henze. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung, No. 279, 3 December 1973, p. 14. Further performances with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra followed, (ed.): 1949–1999. 50 Years of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. Commissioned by Bavarian Radio, Bärenreiter, Kassel et al. 1999, , pp. 143 ff. including at the Mozart Festival Würzburg.Wilhelm Hilpert: The Winner Must Play Without a Fee. Violin Competition for Young Talent at the 44th Würzburg Mozart Festival. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung, No. 133, 13 June 1975, p. 17. Joachim Kaiser was impressed by Klee's performance at a concert at the Herkulessaal in 1976, which "established him as a conductor of distinction."Joachim Kaiser: Klee – and the Impressionists. 9th Radio Symphony Orchestra Concert in Munich's Herkulessaal. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung, No. 61, 13/14 March 1976, p. 12. During the interim period between Rudolf Kempe and Sergiu Celibidache, Klee was one of the guest conductors with the Munich Philharmonic.Gabriele E. Meyer: Conductors/Premieres and First Performances of the Munich Philharmonic 1893–1973. In: Regina Schmoll gen. Eisenwerth (ed.): The Munich Philharmonic. From Its Founding to the Present. Wolf, Munich 1985, , pp. 431–446, here: p. 432. At his first Munich Opera Festival in 1979, he conducted the premiere of Mozart's La finta giardiniera at the Cuvilliés Theatre, directed by .Erik Werba: Premieres at the Munich Opera Festival. In: Österreichische Musikzeitschrift 34 (1979) 9, pp. 444f.

When Daniel Barenboim withdrew from his commitment to the New York Philharmonic in the 1973/74 season due to an orchestra strike,John Canarina: The New York Philharmonic: From Bernstein to Maazel. Amadeus Press, New York 2010, , p. 91. Klee stepped in, making his debut in the United States at Avery Fisher Hall. Harold C. Schonberg from the New York Times described his performance of works by Weber, Hartmann, and Mahler as solid but lacking inspiration.Harold C. Schonberg: Music: Bernhard Klee Makes Debut at Philharmonic. In: The New York Times. Volume 20, April 1974, p. 16. Subsequently, Klee was invited to conduct other major U.S. orchestras, including the Big Five. He was a frequent guest with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra at Heinz Hall in the 1990s. In 1992, he made his debut with the Dutch Concertgebouw Orchestra, performing works by Mozart, Schumann, and Dvořák.Conductor: Klee, Bernhard, archief.concertgebouworkest.nl; accessed 22 April 2020. For Wolf-Eberhard von Lewinski (1976), Klee was "an equally musical and intelligent conductor, a precise craftsman, and a sovereign interpreter."

 Hannover, Düsseldorf, Ludwigshafen 
Following the death of , Klee served as chief conductor of the Radiophilharmonie Hannover from 1976 to 1979, and again from 1991 to 1995. According to Günter Katzenberger, he provided the orchestra with "decisive artistic impulses that led to its high reputation and made it known beyond the region."Günter Katzenberger, Hans-Olaf Meyer-Grotjahn (eds.): Sofia Gubaidulina. A Homage on Her 60th Birthday. Pfau, Saarbrücken 2000, , p. 12. While still active in Hannover, Klee led the Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra from 1977 to 1987, succeeding Willem van Otterloo.Hans Hubert Schieffer, Hermann Josef Müller: Neue Musik in Düsseldorf seit 1945. Ein Beitrag zur Musikgeschichte und zum Musikleben der Stadt (= Schriftenreihe des Freundeskreises Stadtbüchereien Düsseldorf, vol. 4). Dohr, Cologne 1998,  He placed a particular emphasis on the Second Viennese School, already in his inaugural concert. He conducted local premieres of music by Ravel, Stravinsky, Bartók, and Busoni. He also incorporated music by Olivier Messiaen, Karol Szymanowski, and Henryk Czyż. During his tenure the orchestra was enlarged from 90 players to 130. He planned concert programs carefully, sometimes combining seemingly incompatible pieces, with courage and instinct. The  choir was highly challenged by performances of contemporary music. Highlights included the performance of Denisov's Requiem in 1985, in the presence of the composer and Soviet ambassador Vladimir Semyonov, as well as Messiaen's La Transfiguration de Notre Seigneur Jésus-Christ. Klee also conducted works by Alexander Scriabin and Franz Schreker, as well as composers from the second half of the 20th century, including Boulez, Ligeti, Maderna, and Penderecki. Contemporary compositions by Baird, Henze, and Kotoński were also performed. Composers such as Witold Lutosławski, Heinz Holliger, and Hans Zender conducted their own works in Düsseldorf during Klee's tenure. Klee also championed Düsseldorf composers such as , Oskar Gottlieb Blarr, and Jürg Baur. He initiated a program for composers in their 20s to collaborate with the orchestra, giving each a residence of a week of watching rehearsals, speak with the musicians and try things out. Together with the choir of the Musikverein choir, Klee recorded for EMI Schumann's Scenes from Goethe's Faust, Requiem, Requiem for Mignon, and orchestral-choral ballads. In 1984, he led the choir and orchestra on a highly acclaimed guest tour to the Wratislavia Cantans festival in Wrocław, Poland. On the program were Mozart's Requiem, Schoenberg's A Survivor from Warsaw and then a repeat of the Requiem until the point where Mozart ended because he died; the program was regarded as an expression of reconciliation.

When the "new" Tonhalle Düsseldorf was opened in 1978 after restoration, he also programmed chamber music works there, unprecedented since Heinrich Hollreiser. He established a second repeat of symphony concerts on Sunday mornings. Music critic Hans Winking (1985) considered him one of the "most distinguished German conductors," who had made significant contributions to contemporary music in Düsseldorf.Hans Winking: Ein Programm sollte für sich selbst sprechen. Gespräch mit dem Dirigenten Bernhard Klee. In: Neue Zeitschrift für Musik, 2/1985, p. 21.

During his Düsseldorf years, Klee became the principal guest conductor of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra in Manchester from 1985 to 1989.Carl Dahlhaus, Hans Heinrich Eggebrecht (eds.): Riemann Musiklexikon. In Four Volumes and a Supplementary Volume. Supplementary Volume: A–Z. 2nd, revised and expanded edition. Schott, Mainz 1995, . He performed regularly with them at the Proms.Performances of Bernhard Klee at BBC Proms. bbc.co.uk; accessed 19 April 2020. His final Proms concert was in 1991. After Franz Welser-Möst did not assume his post in 1991, Klee initially became interim chief conductor of the Rhine-Palatinate State Philharmonic in Ludwigshafen in 1992.Bernhard Klee Chief in Ludwigshafen. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung. 12 February 1992.

 Guest conducting in Halle 
After his initial engagement as guest conductor of the Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Halle in 1997, Klee was designated to succeed Heribert Beissel as GMD.Andreas Hillger, Johannes Killyen: Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Halle. Kein Handschlag für den Vertrag. Dirigent Bernhard Klee macht Halles Kulturdezernent Karl-Heinz Gärtner für das Scheitern seines Engagementes verantwortlich. In: Mitteldeutsche Zeitung. 17 September 1999. He assumed a formal guest conducting role in 1998.Johannes Killyen: Staatsphilharmonie Halle. Ausblick in eine unsichere Zukunft. Programm für die nächste Spielzeit vorgestellt. In: Mitteldeutsche Zeitung, 21 March 2000. According to Johannes Killyen, Klee "transformed the orchestra into a top ensemble within a few months," but was frustrated by the city of Halle's "mismanagement in the administration and failure to meet certain contractual conditions", which led to Wolf-Dieter Hauschild becoming chief conductor.

 Personal life 

Bernhard Klee settled in Switzerland with his first wife, the Swiss soprano Edith Mathis.  He frequently performed as her accompanist for Lieder; a joint recording earned the Deutscher Schallplattenpreis in 1973.  Their marriage ended in divorce.  Klee's second wife Yvonne was a Swiss psychologist. He last lived in Wagerswil and Kreuzlingen in the Canton of Thurgau.

Klee died in Kreuzlingen on 10 October 2025, at the age of 89.

 Premieres and recordings 
Klee conducted the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra in the German premieres of Henze's Second Violin Concerto and Heliogabalus Imperator in 1972.Peter Muck: One Hundred Years of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Volume 3: The Members of the Orchestra, the Programs, the Concert Tours, Premieres and First Performances. Schneider, Tutzing 1982, , p. 418. He led several world premieres, including works by Wolfgang Fortner (Triptychon, 1978), Manfred Trojahn (Abschied..., 1978), Detlev Müller-Siemens (Passacaglia, 1979), Hans-Jürgen von Bose (Idyllen, 1983), Henze (Ode an eine Äolsharfe, at the Lucerne Festival 1986), Sofia Gubaidulina (Märchenpoem, 1992), Volker David Kirchner (Second Symphony "Mythen", 1992), and Dieter Schnebel (Canones, 1995).Alain Pâris: Le Nouveau dictionnaire des interprètes. 6th edition. Éditions Robert Laffont, Paris 2015, .

Klee conducted complete opera recordings including Mozart's Zaide (1973),Karsten Steiger: Opera Discography: Catalog of All Audio and Video Complete Recordings. 2nd, fully updated and expanded edition. Saur, Munich 2008, . Nicolai's Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor (1976), Lorting's Der Wildschütz (1982), Mendelssohn's Die Hochzeit des Camacho (1988), and Mozart's La clemenza di Tito (1989). The Nicolai recording is considered a reference recording.Ekkehard Pluta: Short Reviews: Nicolai. In: Fono Forum, 1/1994, p. 82. Furthermore, according to Albrecht Dümling, Klee is regarded as "one of the most knowledgeable pioneers of the Zemlinsky renaissance."Albrecht Dümling: Up to Parnassus. Bernhard Klee and Andreas Haefliger with the BSO at the Schauspielhaus. In: Der Tagesspiegel, 18 December 1993.

Awards
 Honours
 1995: Honorary conductor of the Radiophilharmonie Hannover

 Record Awards
 1973: Deutscher Schallplattenpreis (Vocal Recital) for Mozart Lieder with Mathis – pianistihd: Deutscher Schallplattenpreis. 1973. Die 22 ausgezeichneten Aufnahmen. In: Fono Forum, 11/1973, pp. 1071–1078, here: p. 1077.
 1975: Wiener Flötenuhr for Mozart's Thamos, King of Egypt – conductorRecord Award. In: Berliner Zeitung, 2 September 1975, p. 6.
 1976: Wiener Flötenuhr for Mozart's Zaide – conductorRobert Werba et al.: The 'Wiener Flöten-Uhr' 1976. In: Österreichische Musikzeitschrift, 1976, 32, issue, pp. 50 ff.
 1984: Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik, quarterly list 2/1984 for Schumann's Requiem and other works – conductorFono Notes. In: Fono Forum, 6/1984, pp. 10 f.
 2004: Gramophone Editor's Choice; R 10 Classica; Le Timbre de Platine, for Mozart's La clemenza di Tito, live recording from the Bavarian State Opera – conductorCatalog. orfeo-international.de; accessed 20 April 2020.

 Selected discography 
 Pianist
 1973: Mozart: Lieder with Edith Mathis. Deutsche Grammophon, Hamburg. 
 1976: Mozart: Lieder with Hermann Prey. Deutsche Grammophon, Hamburg. 

 Conductor
 1970: Beethoven: The Creatures of Prometheus. Berlin Philharmonic (Deutsche Grammophon) 
 1970: Beethoven: The Ruins of Athens and others. Berlin Philharmonic, RIAS Kammerchor; Soloists: Arleen Augér, Franz Crass, Klaus Hirte (Deutsche Grammophon) 
 1970: Beethoven: Christ on the Mount of Olives. Vienna Symphony, Vienna Singverein; Soloists: Elizabeth Harwood, James King, Franz Crass (Deutsche Grammophon) 
 1974: Mozart: Flute Concerto Nos. 1 and 2; Andante for Flute and Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra and Karlheinz Zöller. Deutsche Grammophon, Hamburg 2530 344. 
 1974: Mozart: Thamos, King of Egypt, Staatskapelle Berlin, Berliner Solistenvereinigung; Soloists: Karin Eickstaedt, Gisela Pohl, Eberhard Büchner, Theo Adam, Hermann Christian Polster (Philips Records) 
 1975: Mozart: Zaide, Berlin State Orchestra; Soloists: Edith Mathis, Peter Schreier, Ingvar Wixell, Werner Hollweg, Reiner Süß (Philips) 
 1975: Haydn: Syphonies No. 6, 7, 8, Prague Chamber Orchestra; Soloists: Petr Škvor, Oldřich Vlček, Bohumil Bayer,  (Deutsche Grammophon) 
 1976: Nicolai: Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor, Staatskapelle Berlin; Soloists: Helen Donath, Edith Mathis, Hanna Schwarz, Kurt Moll, Peter Schreier, Siegfried Vogel, Bernd Weikl. Deutsche Grammophon. 
 1979: Mozart: Coronation Mass; Sparrow Mass; Exsultate, jubilate; Ave verum corpus. Soloists: Edith Mathis, soprano, and others, Hans Otto, organ, Bavarian Radio Choir, Regensburger Domspatzen, Staatskapelle Dresden, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. Hamburg, Deutsche Grammophon/Galleria 419 060-1 (partly originally Berlin/DDR, VEB Deutsche Schallplatten, Eterna 1973) 
 1981: Zemlinsky: Lyric Symphony, Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra; Soloists: Elisabeth Söderström, Dale Duesing (Schwann Musica Mundi) 
 1982: Zemlinsky: Six Songs, Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra; Soloists: Glenys Linos (Schwann Musica Mundi) 
 1982: Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 21/22, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra; Soloist: Wilhelm Kempff (Deutsche Grammophon) 
 1980–1982: Lortzing: Der Wildschütz. Staatskapelle Berlin, Berlin Radio Choir, Berlin Radio Children's Choir; Soloists: Hans Sotin, Georgine Resick, Peter Schreier, Edith Mathis, Gottfried Hornik, Doris Soffel (LPs: Eterna 1984 > CDs: Brilliant Classics 94701, 2014) 
 1982: Schumann: Scenes from Goethe's Faust. Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra, Tölz Boys' Choir, Düsseldorf Municipal Music Association Choir; Soloists: Edith Mathis, Nicolai Gedda, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Walter Berry (EMI Classics) 
 1984: Schumann: Requiem; Requiem for Mignon; Soloists: Helen Donath, Doris Soffel, Nicolai Gedda, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, and others, Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra ([EMI Classics 1C 067/1467561]): Op. 148 also (EMI Classics 7243 5 65830 2 3) (1996) 
 1986: Schumann: Complete Ballads. Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra, Düsseldorfer Musikverein; Soloists: Walton Grönroos, Peter Meven, Walter Berry, Doris Soffel, Ilse Gramatzki, Brigitte Lindner, Josef Protschka, and others (EMI Classics) 
 1992: Bruckner: Ninth Symphony. BBC Philharmonic Orchestra (BBC Classics) 
 1993: Bruno Maderna: Grande Aulodia and others. Southwest Radio Symphony Orchestra; Soloists: Han de Vries, Roberto Fabbriciani (BVHaast) 
 1994: Sofia Gubaidulina: Piano Music. Hannover Radio Philharmonic of the NDR; Soloist: Andreas Haefliger (Sony Classical) 
 1994: Sofia Gubaidulina: Märchenbild and others. Hannover Radio Philharmonic of the NDR (cpo) 
 1995: Killmayer: Hölderlin-Lieder. Hannover Radio Philharmonic of the NDR; Soloists: Peter Schreier, Philipp Jungebluth (WERGO) 
 1996: Mozart: Requiem (Franz Beyer) + Luigi Nono: Canti di vita e d'amore (IPPNW Memorial Concert for the 50th Anniversary of Hiroshima and Nagasaki 1995); Bundesjugendorchester, Riga Academic Choir, Carl von Ossietzky Choir Berlin; Soloists: Barainsky, Kallisch, Randle, Snell (NDR/ARS MUSICI. AMP 5059-2) 
 2004: Mozart: La clemenza di Tito and others: Bavarian State Orchestra; Soloist: Julia Varady (Orfeo) 

References

External links


Category:1936 births
Category:2025 deaths
Category:Deutsche Grammophon artists
Category:EMI Classics and Virgin Classics artists
Category:German male conductors (music)
Category:People from Schleiz
Category:20th-century German conductors (music)
Category:20th-century German male musicians
Category:21st-century German conductors (music)
Category:21st-century German male musicians