Biography
Axel Kober
General Music Director Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Düsseldorf/Duisburg
GMD Duisburg Philharmonic Orchestra
Axel Kober’s interpretations of a wide opera and concert repertoire grow on the basis of profound knowledge, enormous experience and a comprehensive musical sense into spheres of inspiring emotionality.
Since the 2009/10 season, Axel Kober has been Music Director of Deutsche Oper am Rhein Düsseldorf/Duisburg, where he sets a distinctive course in a wide repertoire – from Rameau via Mozart, Rossini, Bizet, Verdi, Wagner, Puccini, Lehár, Strauss, Britten, Poulenc and Oehring up to the world premiere of Jörg Widmann’s „Gesicht im Spiegel“. In addition, he became GMD of Duisburg Philharmonic Orchestra in 2019, after having been Chief Conductor of this orchestra since 2017.
Axel Kober has been a frequent guest at Bayreuth Festival since his debut in summer 2013, conducting revivals of “Tannhäuser” and “Der Fliegende Holländer”. In addition, he enjoys a close relationship with State Opera Vienna, where he gave his debut in 2016.
Next to his enthousiastically received full cycle of “Der Ring des Nibelungen” in January 2019, he conducted “Hänsel und Gretel” as well as “Arabella”,
and will return in May 2020 for a series of “Der Freischütz.
Further recent invitations lead him to Deutsche Oper Berlin, Hamburg State Opera, Opéra National du Rhin Strasbourg, Semperoper Dresden, and Oper Zurich, as well as to concerts of Düsseldorfer Symphoniker, Bruckner Orchester Linz, Sinfonieorchester Basel, Dortmunder Philharmoniker, Slovenian Philharmonic and Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg.
Highlights at Deutsche Oper am Rhein include new productions of a whole “Ring des Nibelungen”, of “Wozzeck” and “Alcina”, as well as the ballet productions “Ein Deutsches Requiem” and “Schwanensee” by Martin Schläpfer.
After studying conducting in Würzburg, first engagements took Axel Kober to Schwerin and Dortmund, before he became deputy, later acting GMD in Mannheim and music director of Oper Leipzig, where he also regularly con- ducted concerts of the Gewandhausorchester.