Christian Benda is chief conductor and artistic director of the Prague Sinfonia Orchestra created under the impulse of its Honorary President Václav Havel who said: 'I am happy to have around me Christian Benda and his musicians who are developing their art in favor of the humanistic ideas I defend.'
He has performed worldwide to critical acclaim, at major music centers in Paris, Vienna, London, Rome, New York, Hong Kong, Milan, Budapest, Prague, Warsaw, Singapore, Sao Paulo, Bucharest, Florence, Zurich, Shanghai and at international festivals including George Enescu Bucharest, Schwetzingen, Echternach (Luxemburg), La Roque d’Anthéron (France), Cité de la musique (Paris), Prague Spring, Wratislavia Cantans (Poland), Clifden Arts (Ireland), Campos do Jordao (Brazil), Hong Kong Arts, Klangbogen Wien, Styriarte and Steirischer Herbst (Austria), Lugano Festival, and Menuhin Festival (Switzerland).
He is regularly invited by orchestras such as Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Moscow Virtuosi, Polish National Opera Orchestra, Shanghai Philharmonic, Slovenian Philharmonic, Matav Orchestra Budapest, Slovak Philharmonic, Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, Cyprus State Orchestra, Bucharest Radio Symphony, Belgrade Symphony, Muenster Philharmonic, Prague Chamber Orchestra, Orquestra Sinfonica do Estado de Sao Paulo, Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre d'Auvergne, Orchestre de Cannes, Orchestra della Toscana, Turin Philharmonic, Lviv Philharmonic, Janacek Philharmonic, Ulster Orchestra, Orquestra do Teatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro, Zagreb Philharmonic, Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, Brno Philharmonic, Prague Symphony Orchestra.
Christian Benda produced numerous CD and TV recordings of the standard repertoire such as the complete overtures of Schubert and Rossini, and an eclectic repertoire ranging from J S Bach’s Musical Offering to twentieth century symphonic works by Casella, Malipiero, Prokofiev, Debussy, Martinu, Enescu and Stravinsky, taking in along the way C P E Bach’s symphonies and curiosities like Philidor’s overtures and Knecht’s Pastoral Symphony. His recordings with soloists include works by Wagner and Richard Strauss with Cheryl Studer, Verdi with Simon Estes, Mozart with Barbara Hendricks, and Dvorak, Puccini and Previn with Renée Fleming. Also on the list are Frank Martin with Paul Badura-Skoda, Haydn with Jean-Jacques Kantorow and the Verdi Requiem with the Prague Philharmonic Choir. His most recent release is a double album for Sony Classical 'Mozart versus Salieri: Rivalry?' featuring also the symphony Nr. 35 'Haffner' and the symphony Nr. 38 'Prague'.
Christian Benda also conducts melodramas with stage actors and directors of the Wiener Schauspielhaus, the Volkstheater, the Burgtheater (Vienna) and the Comédie Française (Paris) such as: Maddalena Crippa, Andrea Jonasson, Hertha Schell, Peter Uray, Brigitte Quadlbauer, Mercedes Echerer, Erika Pluhar, Jean-Luc Bideau, and Francois Rochaix.
Among the instrumentalists having performed with Christian Benda we also find Lazar Berman, Michel Béroff, Till Fellner, Francois-René Duchable, Mikhail Rudy, Philippe Entremont, Jean-Philippe Collard, Cristina Ortiz, Paul Tortelier, Boris Pergamenschikov, Marc Coppet, Bruno Giuranna, Pierre Amoyal, Uto Ughi, Josef Suk, and Vladimir Spivakov.
He has appeared also as a cellist performing the complete Bach solo suites, Haydn and Dvorak concertos, Tchaikovsky Rococo Variations, and has recorded the Schumann and Stamitz cello concertos. He appeared with Vladimir Spivakov, Josef Suk, Norbert Brainin, and Paul Badura-Skoda in Brahms' double and Beethoven's triple concertos, and in Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante. He has recorded a number of complete works for the cello, such as those of Schumann, Beethoven, Brahms, Stamitz, and Martinu, as well as Boccherini sonatas. Pierre Fournier who was his guide in cello expression wrote about him: 'His high artistic qualities are in the most absolute sense totally devoted to the service of music. It is a personal privilege to have him as a disciple and my long professional experience can predict for him a career wide open to success. His human qualities equal his great artistic talent and he deserves the recognition of all musicians who will have the privilege of assuring the cooperation of his great talent.'
As a composer, he has created the concept of micro-opera, and his works have been premiered at the Vienna Konzerthaus and the Prague Smetana Hall.
Christian Benda received his professional training within his family, where the musical tradition has been maintained through generations.
For the cello, he created the 'Christian Benda System', a device which regulates the distance between chest and instrument, giving advantages which are both anatomical and technical. |