Rising from profound hardships, Christoph Eschenbach established himself among the premier pianists and conductors spanning the 20th and early 21st centuries. Worldwide performances, numerous album recordings, and multiple awards and prizes mark his career. The role of chief conductor at the Konzerthausorchester Berlin has been his since 2017. During 2022, his leadership guided the WDR Symphony Orchestra in supporting soprano Hanna-Elisabeth Müller for the release Sinnbild: Strauss Songs.
Born Christoph Ringmann on February 20, 1940, in Breslau, Germany, he lost his mother during childbirth and saw his father, the musicologist Heribert Ringmann, perish in World War II combat. His adoptive grandmother later died while fleeing Allied forces with him. After the conflict, his mother’s cousin Wallydore Eschenbach located the child in a refugee camp that might otherwise have claimed him and took him in; the surname Eschenbach derives from that branch of the family. Piano lessons began at age eight under his adoptive mother’s guidance. Recognizing his gifts, she placed him at the Hamburg Hochschule für Musik for studies in both piano and conducting. First prize at the 1952 Steinway Piano Competition came next, followed by second prize at the 1962 Munich International Competition. A decisive breakthrough arrived with first prize at the 1965 Clara Haskil Competition in Vevey, Switzerland, which opened the door to a 1966 London debut and a 1969 appearance with the Cleveland Orchestra under George Szell. Impressed by his artistry, Szell offered conducting lessons and maintained a close association until his death in 1970. Extensive European and American tours soon encompassed a broad repertoire, notably numerous 20th-century scores by Bartók, Henze, Rihm, and Ruzicka, while his interpretations of Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert earned particular acclaim.
His conducting debut occurred in 1972 with Bruckner’s Symphony No. 3, followed in 1978 by Verdi’s La Traviata at Darmstadt. From 1979 to 1981 he served as general music director of the Rheinland-Pfalz State Philharmonic. Earlier, he had held posts as permanent guest conductor and then chief conductor of the Zürich Tonhalle Orchestra from 1971 to 1985. A major chapter began in 1988 when he became music director of the Houston Symphony Orchestra, a position he held until 1999. Although the ensemble already ranked among America’s leading orchestras, Eschenbach elevated its artistic level, expanded its international profile, and enriched its programming while founding the Houston Symphony Chamber Players from within its membership. Recordings with the orchestra appeared on Koch International, Virgin, and RCA Red Seal, encompassing acclaimed Brahms and Tchaikovsky performances, all major Mozart wind concertos, Kurt Weill’s The Rise and Fall of the City Mahagonny Suite, Tobias Picker’s The Encantadas, and the violin concertos of John Adams and Philip Glass.
Joint artistic directorship of the Pacific Music Festival with Michael Tilson Thomas lasted from 1991 to 1998, after which he led the Schleswig-Holstein Festival from 1999 to 2003. Additional music directorships included the Ravinia Festival, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s summer season, from 1994 to 2005; the Orchestre de Paris from 2000 to 2010; the Philadelphia Orchestra from 2003 to 2008; and the National Symphony Orchestra from 2010 to 2017. He also served as principal conductor of the North German Radio Symphony Orchestra of Hamburg from 1998 to 2004. In 2017 he assumed the chief conductorship of the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, a post whose contract extension projected his departure after the 2022-2023 season.
Recording affiliations have encompassed Deutsche Grammophon, EMI, and Ondine. Representative releases include Elgar & Schnittke: Viola Concertos from 2009, The Best of Lang Lang from 2010, and Remembering JFK - 50th Anniversary Concert from 2011. In 2019 he led the Konzerthausorchester Berlin with Cameron Carpenter on a Sony Classical album featuring music by Rachmaninoff and Poulenc. With the WDR Symphony Orchestra he again supported soprano Hanna-Elisabeth Müller on Sinnbild: Strauss Songs.
