Benjamin-Gunnar Cohrs

Benjamin-Gunnar Cohrs (born 21 September 1965 in Hameln) is a German conductor, scholar, and publicist on music.

Early career

Benjamin-Gunnar Cohrs gave his early conducting debut 1984 with the orchestra of the Youth Music School in Hameln, where he received his early musical education since 1972 (Flute, Theory, Aural Training, Piano). In the same year he founded the "Youth String Orchestra of Hameln", which performed with him numerous works of the string- and chamber orchestra repertoire until 1992. From 1986 to 1989 he studied conducting privately with the noted Italian composer and conductor Nicola Samale (Rome), and from 1989 to 1994 concert conducting (Hans-Joachim Kauffmann), voice (Hidenori Komatsu) and flute (Susanne Meier) at the Conservatory of Arts, Bremen He also attended to rehearsals and projects of numerous well-known conductors, and performed himself with several choirs and orchestras. His concert examination in 1994 included compositions by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Jean Sibelius and Frank Martin as well as the first Bremen performance of Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Fifth Symphony, recorded and broadcasted by Radio Bremen. In 1996 he finished a Postgraduate Diploma in Musicology at the University of Adelaide for which he was granted a full scholarship of the DAAD. Deutschen Akademischen Austauschdienstes Since then, he has developed a career as a freelance concert conductor, editor, scholar and publicist on music.

Conductor

Ben Cohrs made his international conducting debut in November 2000 in the Moscow Bolshoi Hall, when he introduced historically informed performing practice to the Russian National Orchestra. In March 2001 he participated in the farewell-concert of the famous Philharmonia Hungarica, which was closed by the German Government and the Orchestral Union for political reasons. He appeared with orchestras such as the Royal Flanders Philharmonic (September 2001, Sumida Triphony Hall, Tokyo), Sarajevo Symphony Orchestra, and the Janacek Philharmonic; with the latter he gave the Austrian Premiére of Bruckner’s completed Ninth Symphony in Gmunden. In 2002 the New Queen’s Hall Orchestra appointed him as a Musical Advisor and Guest Conductor.

Scholar and publicist on music

Since 1996 Cohrs contributes to international music magazines, presents pre-concert-talks as well as own radio programmes (Radio Bremen, SWR, WDR, ORF), writes programme notes, booklet notes, reports on musicological conferences and is a successful editor of music. Since 1995 he is a co-editor of the Anton Bruckner Gesamtausgabe (Bruckner Complete Edition, Vienna). Today he is a well-known Bruckner-scholar, in particular due to his studies and editions on Bruckner’s Ninth Symphony. He was also part of the editorial team of Nicola Samale which prepared the Completed Performing Version of the unfinished Finale of Bruckner’s Ninth (1986–2006). For the Magazine Musik-Konzepte he compiled Vol. 120/121/122 on request of the earlier editors, Heinz-Klaus Metzger and Rainer Riehn ("Bruckners Neunte im Fegefeuer der Rezeption", Munich 2003). He also edited new completed performing versions of Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony in b-minor and the C Minor Mass by Mozart, both based on original sources.

Selected editions of music

* Lili Boulanger: "Théme et Variations" for Piano (1915). First edition. Tonger, Cologne 2005 (ISMN-M-005-32611-3)
* "Anton Bruckner: IX. Symphonie d-moll (1. Satz–Scherzo & Trio–Adagio)." Score and parts. New edition by B. G. Cohrs, Bruckner Compete Edition, Vienna 2000 (ISMN-M-50025-225-2)
* "Anton Bruckner: IX. Symphonie, Finale (unvollendet)." Completed performing version (1986-92/rev. 1996; with Nicola Samale, John A. Phillips, Giuseppe Mazzuca); Adelaide/Bremen 1992. New critical edition 2006 (with Nicola Samale) and commentary by B.-G. Cohrs. Score: Repertoire Explorer Nr. 444 / Musikproduktion Hoeflich, Munich 2005; Parts: Artium Bremen, 2005/7. First performance: Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra, Karolos Trikolidis, 27 October 2006.
* "Anton Bruckner: Scherzo und Trio / Ältere Trios mit Viola-Solo." Study volume by B. G. Cohrs, Bruckner Complete Edition, Vienna 1998 (ISMN-M-50025-182-8)
* Anton Bruckner: "Zwei nachgelassene Trios zur IX. Sinfonie". Completed performing version for orchestra with viola solo. First edition, Doblinger, Vienna 1998 (ISMN-M-012-18480-8). First performance: Janacek Philharmonie Ostrava, B.-G. Cohrs, Gmunden, 8 October 2002
* Frank Martin: "Sonata da Chiesa" for flute and string orchestra (1993-94); score and parts (new arrangement on request of Maria Martin). First edition, Universal-Edition, Vienna 1997 (UE 30 868). First performance: Ensemble Stahlsaitenbarock, B.-G. Cohrs; Susanne Meier (flute); Bremen, 3 February 1994
* Erik Satie: "Trois Gymnopédies", arrangement for string orchestra (with harp, or lute, ad lib.), also arranged for melody instrument or soprano with harp- or piano-accompaniment, or organ solo. First edition, Doblinger, Vienna 2006 (ISMN-M-012-19299-2)

Selected writings in print

* "Bruckners Neunte im Fegefeuer der Rezeption." Musik-Konzepte 120/121/122, Munich 2003, ISBN 3-88377-738-2
* "Anton Bruckner: IX. Symphonie d-moll (1. Satz–Scherzo & Trio–Adagio)". Critical Report, Bruckner Complete Edition, Vienna 2001, ISBN 3-900270-53-8

Selected original compositions

* "L´amour perdu" (MS, 1993), Berceuse for piano op. 4 (dedicated to Ole Georg Graf). Also arranged for small orchestra (MS, 1999)
* "Trois Pastorales" (MS,1991) op. 3 for flute and clarinet (dedicated to Michael Donner)
* "Jesu, Deine Passion" EKG 67 (MS, 1987/91). Chorale prelude for organ op. 2 (in memoriam Sebastian Hedemann)
* "Komm, Herr, segne uns" (MS, 1980/4) op. 1, motet for mixed choir, flute and organ (dedicated to Daniela Scholz)