UWE GRODD conductor
Uwe Grodd’s contributions to classical music have
brought him considerable international acclaim as
conductor, flautist, editor and teacher. To date, he
has made world premiere recordings of more than
70 works of 18th and early 19th century music. Three
of these masses and 19 symphonies have not been
heard since the 18th century. In 1997 he joined Naxos
Records as an exclusive artist, a partnership which
has allowed him to reintroduce the oeuvres of many
undervalued or forgotten composers.
Uwe Grodd initially gained worldwide attention when awarded First Prize at the
Cannes Classical Awards 2000 for Best 18th Century Orchestral Recording for his
CD of Vanhal Symphonies on which he conducted Hungary’s Nicolaus Esterházy
Sinfonia. Last year, Grodd received the coveted International Record Review
Outstanding Industry award following his recording of Ferdinand Ries’ Complete
Works for Piano and Orchestra, featuring the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic,
Bournemouth Symphony, the Gaevle and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.
Uwe Grodd recently recorded his new editions of Hummel’s arrangements of
Mozart’s last six symphonies for flute, violin, cello and piano. With their generous
suggestions for phrasing, articulation, dynamics and, most importantly, metronome
markings for tempo, they offer an intricate insight into how Mozart’s most prominent
student shaped these masterworks.
Recent performance highlights include eight concerts with the Mexico City
Philharmonic and the final concerts of the 53rd and the 54th Handel Festival in
Halle, Germany. This involved a combined choir of 280 and the Philharmonisches
Staatsorchester Halle. He also conducted sell-out seasons of Handel’s recently
rediscovered opera Imeneo in the Halle Opera House, and was awarded the Badge
of Honour for his services to the Handel Festival and the City of Halle.
Uwe Grodd is equally committed to the music of his own time, playing a pivotal role
in commissioning more than 50 works from New Zealand composers. He conducted
the premiere season of the multi-media opera Galileo, with music by John Rimmer
and libretto by Witi Ihimaera, and, in 2012, was Artistic Director of Len Lye the opera,
with music by Eve de Castro-Robinson and libretto by Roger Horrocks.
He was invited to become Music Director of the Auckland Choral Society, New
Zealand’s longest-established symphonic choir, in 2008. Uwe Grodd is a professor
at the University of Auckland’s School of Music.
15