George Alexander Albrecht

George Alexander Albrecht (15 February 1935 – 21 December 2021) was a German conductor and composer, who also worked as a musicologist and academic teacher. A prolific composer at a young age, he was Generalmusikdirektor (GMD) of the Staatsoper Hannover from 1965 for 30 years, where he led not only the major operas by Mozart and stageworks by Wagner, but contemporary composers, such as Aribert Reimann's Troades in 1987. He was GMD of the Nationaltheater Weimar from 1996, and taught at the Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt, Weimar. Albrecht promoted the works of neglected composers such as Wilhelm Furtwängler, Hans Pfitzner, and Erwin Schulhoff.

In retirement, he focused on composing again. His fairy-tale opera Die Schneekönigin, after Andersen's "The Snow Queen", was premiered in Weimar in 2015. His Requiem für Syrien for soloists, choir and orchestra was first performed in Dresden in 2018 by the Dresdner Philharmonie, and his First Symphony "Sinfonia di due Mondi" for mezzo-soprano and large orchestra was premiered in 2019 by the Staatskapelle Weimar, conducted by his son Marc Albrecht.

Biography Albrecht was born in the Leuchtenburg part of Osterholz, Hanover, Germany, the son of psychologist, psychotherapist and physician Carl Albrecht. He was a member of the Albrecht family: His brother Ernst Albrecht (1930–2014) was a politician, and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was his niece.

At age 11, in October 1946, Albrecht wrote his first composition In 1949, he conducted his first concert. and in 1954 he received the Prix d'excellence of the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena. At the age of 24, he became a répétiteur at the Theater Bremen (1958–1961).

In 1965, Albrecht became Generalmusikdirektor (GMD) of the Staatsoper Hannover, at age 29 then the youngest GMD in Germany. an opera whose composer had also been conductor at the Hannover opera. Albrecht then conducted some of the more infrequently presented operas, like Janáček's Jenufa, Handel's Jephta and Hercules, Wolf-Ferrari's Sly and Alban Berg's Lulu. and Bernd Alois Zimmermann's Die Soldaten in 1989. He conducted a production of Schoenberg's Moses und Aron, staged by George Tabori, for both Hannover and Oper Leipzig. He conducted Wagner's Der fliegende Holländer at the Vienna State Opera in 1985, and returned for other stage works by Wagner. From 1990 to 1995, Albrecht was a regular guest conductor of the Semperoper in Dresden, On 1 January 2002, he had a cardiac arrest on stage at New Year's Concert conducting Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. He taught at the Musikhochschule Hannover and Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt, Weimar.

Personal life Albrecht married twice and became a father five times. He was later married to pianist Liese Klahn, daughter of . Albrecht became involved in hospice work and was a devout Catholic.

Awards 1985 Gustav Mahler Gold Medal of the 2005 Conductors Award in the opera category from the Australian critic's Green Room Award for a new production of Wagner's The Flying Dutchman at Opera Australia in Sydney and Melbourne Commissioned by Silvius von Kessel, he wrote a motet for the Dombergchor Erfurt about the life of Saint Elisabeth. He composed many lieder for different ensembles, inspired by poetry of Gerhard Altenbourg, Ernst Barlach, Paul Celan, Gerhart Hauptmann and Erich Kästner's "Die 13 Monate", and a cycle setting texts from Buchenwald concentration camp. It was premiered in Weimar in 2015. His Requiem für Syrien (Requiem for Syria) for soloists, choir and orchestra was first performed in Dresden in June 2018 by the Dresdner Philharmonie conducted by Michael Sanderling. His First Symphony "Sinfonia di due Mondi" for mezzo-soprano and large orchestra on texts by Ulla Hahn received its world premiere in August 2019 by the Staatskapelle Weimar, conducted by his son Marc Albrecht.

His works include: 2019 Symphony No. 1 "Sinfonia di due Mondi", for mezzo-soprano and large orchestra on texts by Ulla Hahn –