catalogue

According to the long tradition My Country by Bedřich Smetana opened the International Music Festival Prague Spring 2003. This time the honour was bestowed on the conductor Christian Arming, the youngest conductor ever to conduct the opening concert.

Christian Arming (1973) is one of todays most sought after conductors of the younger generation. He was born in Vienna and studied conducting under Karl Österreicher and Leopold Hager at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. Close collaboration with Seiji Ozawa took him to Tanglewood (Boston Symphony Orchestra) and to Tokyo (New Japan Philharmonic) several times from 1992-1998. Despite his young age Arming has already held such important posts as music director of the Lucerne Theatre and chief conductor of the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra, chief conductor of the Janáček Philharmonic in Ostrava, chief conductor designate of the New Japan Philharmonic as of the 2003/04 season. Since the beginning of his career in 1994, he has made guest appearances with, among others, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the German Symphony Orchestra, the New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, the Radio Symphony Orchestra Frankfurt, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the MDR Chamber Philharmonic, the Radio Symphony Orchestra Vienna, the Orchestra of French Switzerland, the Belgian National Orchestra, the Bruckner Orchestra and the Strasburg Philharmonic Orchestra and the Vienna Symphony Orchestra.

Arming has been recording for example for Arte Nova/BMG (Verdi, Janáček). His operatic work includes Britten’s The Turn of the Screw in Cincinnati, Rosenkavalier in Triest, Salome in Verona, Borodin’s Prince Igor, Carmen, The magic flute, Elektra in Verona, The Flying Dutchman in Frankfurt, etc.