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Gotthold Schwarz (Bass-Baritone, Conductor, Thomaskantor) |
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Born: August 12, 1952 - Zwickau, Saxony, Germany |
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The German bass-baritone and conductor, Gotthold Schwarz, was the son of the Kantor of St. Paul Church in Zwickau, which gave him an early contact with music. He began his musical career in 1964 as a member of the Thomanerchor Leipzig, the boys' choir in Leipzig founded in 1212 and directed by J.S. Bach, among others, as the Thomaskantor. Schwarz has collaborated with the choir since in several functions. After completion of a church music education at the College of Church Music in Dresden, he studied at the Hochschule für Musik "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" in Leipzig, voice with Gerda Schriever, organ with Wolfgang Schetelich and Hannes Kästner and conducting with Max Pommer and Hans-Joachim Rotzsch. Later he studied privately with Peter Schreier, Hermann Christian Polster and Helmuth Rilling.
After graduation, Gotthold Schwarz worked as a cantatas and oratorio singer. In 1979 he was appointed by Thomaskantor Hans-Joachim Rotzsch as vocal coach of the Thomanerchor Leipzig, serving also as a deputy and interim Thomaskantor in 1992, 1999, 2002-2003, and 2015-2016. In 2011, he served as an interim conductor for Georg-Christoph Biller. Schwartz sang with conductors such as John Eliot Gardiner, Philippe Herreweghe, Peter Schreier, Martin Haselböck, and with ensembles including the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig and the Dresdner Kreuzchor. Extensive international engagements as soloist have taken him, interalia, to the USA, Finland and Japan. In Germany he has been a guest at all famous festivals, as well as at the Salzburg Festival and the Vienna Musikverein. His repertoire embraces a wide spectrum of concert and oratorio literature.
Gotthold Schwarz has taken part in numerous radio and record productions. He recorded several Bach Cantatas with John Eliot Gardiner as part of the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage. With the Thomanerchor Leipzig, conducted by Georg-Christoph Biller, he recorded J.S. Bach's Cantatas Es erhub sich ein Streit, BWV 19, Gott der Herr ist Sonn und Schild, BWV 79, and Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott, BWV 80, the Mass in B minor (BWV 232) and the Vox Christi in the St John Passion (BWV 245). He recorded J.S. Bach's solo cantatas for bass BWV 56, BWV 82, and BWV 158 with the Thomanerchor Leipzig, conducted by Michael Schneider and his orchestra La Stagione Frankfurt.
Increasingly, Gotthold Schwarz has appeared as a conductor. He founded his own ensembles Concerto Vocale Leipzig in 1984 and the Sächsisches Barockorchester (Saxon Baroque Orchestra) in 1990. As a guest conductor he worked with the choir and Gewandhausorchester Leipzig. In 1993, he founded with gambist Siegfried Pank and organist Hans-Christoph Becker-Foss a Baroque trio in order to perform mostly music of the Bach Family, but also other Baroque music.
Gotthold Schwarz has been a teacher at the Hochschule für Musik "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" in Leipzig since 1986. He was a juror of the International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition in 2004. He resides in Leipzig. In September 2016, he was appointed as the 17th Thomaskantor after J.S. Bach, succeeding Georg-Christoph Biller. He served in this post until 2021, succeeded by Andreas Reize. |
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Sources:
Liner notes to Capriccio CD 60023-2 (Johannes-Passion, conducted by Hermann Max, 1991)
Wukipedia Website (2013)
City of Leipzig Website (February 4, 2015)
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (April 2001, July 2022); Matthias Handen (February 2015); Paulo Cruz (November 2016) |
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Recordings of Bach Cantatas & Other Vocal Works |
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Conductor |
As |
Works |
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Hans-Christoph Becker-Foss |
Bass |
BWV 127, BWV 180
BWV 232[2nd], BWV 235, BWV 236, BWV 244 [1st] |
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Frieder Bernius |
Bass |
BWV 249
Bachfest Leipzig 2009: BWV 104 |
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Konstanze Beyer |
Bass |
Radio: BWV 203 |
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Georg Christoph Biller |
Bass |
BWV 1, BWV 3, BWV 4, BWV 19, BWV 23 [3rd], BWV 43, BWV 61, BWV 65, BWV 72, BWV 79, BWV 80, BWV 182
Bachfest Leipzig 2011 BWV 129 [1st recording]
[CR-49] (1995, Radio recording): BWV 49
[CR-166] (2004, Radiorecording): BWV 166
BWV 232, BWV 244 [3rd, Video], BWV 245 |
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Jürgen Budday |
Bass |
BWV 232 |
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Christophe Coin |
Bass |
BWV 6, BWV 41, BWV 49, BWV 68, BWV 85, BWV 115, BWV 175, BWV 180, BWV 183 |
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Matthias Eisenberg |
Bass |
BWV 439-507 |
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Martin Flämig |
Bass |
BWV 127, BWV 232 [4th] |
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John Eliot Gardiner |
Bass |
BWV 16, BWV 98, BWV 133, BWV 139
BCP: BWV 38, BWV 46, BWV 96, BWV 98, BWV 101, BWV 102, BWV 116, BWV 188 |
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John Eliot Gardiner |
Bass |
Member of Monteverdi Choir:
C-10 (1998); BWV 133 |
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Matthias Grünert |
Bass |
BWV 248/1-6 [2nd] |
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Klaus-Erhard Heinrich |
Bass |
BWV 248/1-6 |
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Werner Hümmeke |
Bass |
BWV 248 |
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Stefan Kordes |
Bass |
[BT5-1] (2022, Video): BWV 6, BWV 42
[BT5-2] (2022, Video): BWV 37, BWV 86, BWV 104 |
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Roderich Kreile |
Bass |
BWV 232 [1st] |
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Martin Krumbiegel |
Bass |
BWV 232 [1st], BWV 232 [2nd], BWV 245, BWV 248/1-3, BWV 248/4-6 |
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Markus Leidenberger |
Bass |
BWV 232 [2nd] |
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Leipziger Concert Ensemble |
Bass |
C-1 (2000): Movements from BWV 140, BWV 245 |
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Martin Lutz |
Bass |
BWV 245 |
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Hermann Max |
Bass |
BWV 245 |
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Hauke Ramm |
Bass |
BWV 244, BWV 245, BWV 248/1-3 |
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Ulrich Schicha |
Bass |
BWV 232 |
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Martin Schirrmeister |
Bass |
BWV 232 |
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Michael Schneider |
Bass |
BWV 56, BWV 82, BWV 158 |
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Steffen Schreyer |
Bass |
BWV 232 |
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David Timm |
Bass |
[CV-3] (2021, Video): BWV 171 |
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Wolfgang Unger |
Bass |
BWV 198 |
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Links to other Sites |
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Gotthold SchwarA (Wikipedia) [English]
Gotthold Schwarz (Wikipedia) [German]
Gotthold Schwarz übernimmt das Interim im Thomaskantorat (Stadt Leipzig) [German] |
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