Michael Märker

On the occasion of its 475th anniversary, the Saxon State Orchestra Dresden is publishing a comprehensive work that scientifically examines important aspects of its history over the past 100 years. The framework is set by an anniversary within an anniversary: 100 years ago, in the Weimar crisis year of 1923, the first recordings of the orchestra were made under the then General Music Director Fritz Busch. These recordings marked the beginning of a century in which brilliance and shadows met: technological progress, political upheavals, state instrumentalization, a massive expansion of international touring activities, and many other developments. The anniversary volume "Golden Shine and Shadow Play" also delves deeper into the orchestra's history during the National Socialist era and in the GDR for the first time. With the first recordings in 1923, and later complemented by a vigorous guest performance activity, a significant turning point began for the Saxon State Orchestra. Thanks to radio and records, the renowned orchestral sound soon reached audiences worldwide. In the anniversary volume, Tobias Niederschlag reflects on the recording history from the beginning of Fritz Busch's tenure to the era of the current chief conductor Christian Thielemann. Detailed contributions also address three phases of this dynamic century of orchestral history: Susanne Popp discusses the era of General Music Director Fritz Busch, which ended in 1933 with his expulsion by the National Socialists from the state theaters. Sören Frickenhaus and Wolfgang Mende explore the history of the orchestra during the National Socialist period, which has not been thoroughly examined due to the loss of documents in the destruction of Dresden in February 1945. Historian Friedemann Pestel investigates the contradictory four decades of orchestral history from 1949 to 1990, presenting the first detailed account of a leading orchestra's history in the GDR.