Marek Janowski is in his inaugural season as Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Dresdner Philharmonie. He is one of the great masters of the music of the German tradition, recognized throughout the world for his interpretations of Wagner, Strauss, Bruckner, Brahms, Hindemith, and the Second Viennese School, with an extensive and distinguished discography in this repertoire. Janowski conducted a complete Wagner Ring Cycle at the Tokyo Spring Festival between 2014-2017. He returns in 2020 to conduct performances of Tristan and Isolde.
Janowski works with a chosen number of orchestras as guest conductor - the Berlin Philharmonic, WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, Bayreuth Festival and Orchestra, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Oslo Philharmonic, NHK Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Opera Nomori, San Francisco Symphony, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and National Symphony Orchestra, among others.
Born in Warsaw and educated in Germany, Janowski's artistic path led him from Assistant positions in Aachen, Cologne, Düsseldorf, and Hamburg to his appointment as General Music Director in Freiburg im Breisgau (1973-75) and Dortmund (1975-79). While in Dortmund, his reputation grew rapidly, and he was invited to conduct in many of Europe's leading opera houses. There is no world renowned opera house where he has not been a regular guest since the late 1970s, from the Metropolitan Opera New York to the Bayerischer Staatsoper Munich; from Chicago and San Francisco to Hamburg; from Vienna and Berlin to Paris. He stepped back from the opera scene in the 1990s to concentrate on the great German symphonic repertoire, and he now enjoys an outstanding reputation among the premier orchestras of Europe and North America. Janowski's return to the Dresdner Philharmonie (he held the position of Chief Conductor from 2001 to 2003) marks the city's confidence since the opening of the new Kulturpalast Dresden.
Between 1984 and 2000, as Musical Director of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Janowski took the orchestra to a position of preeminence, in France and abroad. From 1986 to 1990, in addition to his position in Paris, Janowski held the title of Chief Conductor of the Gürzenich Orchester Köln, and between 1997 and 1999 he was also First Guest Conductor of the Deutsche Symphonie-Orchester Berlin. From 2000 to 2005 Janowski served as Music Director of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo. From 2002 to 2016 he was Artistic Director of the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin.
Janowski's distinguished discography, built over the past 30 years, includes the iconic recording of Wagner's Ring Cycle with the Staatskapelle Dresden (1980-83). It also includes several other complete operas and symphonic cycles, many of which have been awarded international prizes. His Bruckner cycle with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, recorded for Pentatone, has also been accorded high praise. Janowski's most recent release with Pentatone is Carl Maria von Weber's Der Freischütz, featuring Lise Davidsen and Andreas Schager, along with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony and MDR Rundfunkchor Leipzig.
This is his first appearance at PMF.