Marie-Luise Neunecker

“The precious jewel of this work shone in the horn part, in all timbres the glorious gold of the Romantic instrument, especially in the slow movement from which one could hear a strong musical connection to Brahms’ favorite instrument. ”

Hailed for her exceptional talent and virtuosity, hornist Marie-Luise Neunecker has already achieved worldwide success. She has built a successful international career and is much in demand as soloist and chamber musician.

During her tenure as principal horn of the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra from 1979 to 1989, she attracted attention as prize winner at several prestigious international competitions such as the German Music Competition in Bonn (1982), the ARD Competition in Munich (1983) and the Concert Artists’ Guild Competition in New York (1986). In 2013, Marie-Luise Neunecker was awarded the Frankfurt Music Prize and has performed on almost all the world’s major concert stages.

Besides being a successful soloist with ensembles such as the radio symphony orchestras of the NDR, SWR, MDR, hr, the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Vienna Philharmonic as well as the Bamberg Symphony, Marie-Luise Neunecker also appears regularly as a chamber musician. She often works with partners such as Christian Tetzlaff, Tobias Feldmann, Lars Vogt, Antje Weithaas, Silke Avenhaus, András Schiff, Martha Argerich and Pierre-Laurent Aimard, as well as with the Zehetmair Quartet.

She frequently appears as guest chamber musician and soloist at the most important festivals such as the Salzburg Festival, the Aldeburgh Festival, the Rheingau Musik Festival, the Marlboro Music Festival, the Risør Festival as well as at the Wiener Festwochen.

György Ligeti wrote his Hamburg Concerto for Marie-Luise Neunecker, which she premiered in January 2001. Since then, she has performed the concerto in several countries, including with the Aurora Orchestra in London. In September 2020, she presented the concerto in its namesake city of Hamburg at the Elbphilharmonie, and recorded it with the Asko Ensemble and Reinberg de Leeuw for the Ligeti Edition on Warner Classics.

Her numerous recordings, awarded with prizes such as the Echo Klassik and a Grammy Award nomination, have not only demonstrated her outstanding quality as an artist and her exceptional musical versatility, they have also contributed to a wider knowledge of horn repertoire of various epochs. She released the Strauss Concertos with the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Ingo Metzmacher and Britten’s Horn Serenade with tenor Ian Bostridge. Other recordings include the Hindemith Concerto, and horn concertos by Russian composers Reinhold Glière, Alexander Glazunov and Vissarion Shebalin. As a chamber musician she has released recordings of the horn trios by Brahms with Frank Peter Zimmermann and Wolfgang Sawallisch, a recording with works from Othmar Schoeck, Charles Koechlin and Ethel Smyth and more recently, one with works by Hindemith, Kirchner, Brahms, Beethoven and Schumann with Lars Vogt at the piano.

Marie-Luise Neunecker was Professor of Horn at the Hanns Eisler Academy of Music in Berlin for many years and travels all over the world to give masterclasses.

Season 2024/2025 | Photo: Andreas Knapp | Quote: Oberösterreichisches Volksblatt, March 2023
Amendments or edits need the consent of Künstlersekretariat Astrid Schoerke

No entries.

B. Britten
Serenade op. 31 for tenor, horn and string orchestra

L. Cherubini
2 Sonatas F major

R.M. Gliere
Concerto op. 91

J. Haydn
Concert No. 1 D major Hob. VIId: 3
Concert No. 2 D major Hob. VIId: 4

M. Haydn
Concertino D major

P. Hindemith
Concert (1949)

J.W. Kalliwoda
Introduction and Rondo op. 51

V.D. Kirchner
Concert for horn and orchestra (1996)

O. Knussen
Horn Concerto op. 28 (1994)

G. Ligeti
Hamburgisches Konzert

L. Mozart
Concerto D major

W.A. Mozart
Rondo E-flat major K 371
Concert no. 1 D major K 412
Concert no. 2 E-flat major K 417
Concert no. 3 E-flat major K 447
Concert no. 4 E-flat major K 495

A. Rosetti
Concert E-flat major
Concert D minor

C. Saint-Saens
Morceau de Concert op. 94

O. Schoeck
Concerto op. 65

R. Schumann
Adagio and Allegro A-flat major op. 70

Fr. Strauss
Concert C major op. 8

R. Strauss
Concert No. 1 E-flat major op. 11
Concert No. 2 E-flat major op. 86

G.Ph. Telemann
Concerto D major

C.M. v. Weber
Concertino E minor op. 45

Herzogenberg Trio for oboe, horn and piano
Partner: Albrecht Meyer (oboe), Markus Becker (piano)
Decca, 478 3498 (2012)

Brahms Trio for horn, violin and piano in E flatmajor op. 40
Kalevi Aho Solo X for French horn (2010)
Ligeti Trio for violin, horn and piano
Partner: Antje Weithaas (violin), Silke Avenhaus (piano)
BIS, SACD-1859 (2011)

Schoeck Horn concerto op. 65
Koechlin Poème op. 70
Smyth Concerto for horn and violin
Partner: Saschko Gawriloff (violin), NDR Radio-Philharmonie Hannover, Uri Mayer (conductor)
Koch/Schwann, 3-6312-2 H1 (1998)

R. Strauss Horn Concerto No. 1 in E flat major op. 11, Horn Concerto No. 2 in E flat major
Britten  Serenade op. 31
Partner: Ian Bostridge (tenor), Bamberger Symphoniker, Ingo Metzmacher (conductor)
EMI, 7243 5 56183 2 0 (1996)

Glière Horn Concerto op. 91, Four Pieces for horn and piano
Glazunov Rêverie op. 24 – Serenade op. 11, Idyll
Shebalin Concertino No. 2 for horn and orchestra op. 14
Partner: Paul Rivinius (piano), Bamberger Symphoniker, Werner Andreas Albert (conductor)
Koch/Schwann, 3-1357-2- H1 (1994)

Mozart Horn concerto in D major K. 412, Horn concerto in E flat major K. 417, Horn concerto in E flat major K. 447, Horn concerto in E flat major K. 495
Partner: Camerata Bern
Novalis, 150 030-2 (1988)

Mozart Quintett for horn, violin, 2 violas and violoncello in E flat major K. 407
Partner: Mannheimer Streichquartett
Novalis, 150 006-2 (1986)

Marie-Luise Neunecker – Mozart: Quintet for piano and winds K 452

Marie-Luise Neunecker – Sarah’s Horn Hangout