HORST-HANS BÄCKER born in Bucharest (Romania) in 1959. The composer and conductor Horst-Hans Bäcker took his first
piano lessons at the age of five with Tamas Vesmas. In the summer of 1973 Bäcker left Romania with
his parents and came to Germany where he studied composition from 1981 with Professor Ludwig
Werner Weiand at the conservatory in Wuppertal.
Bäcker continued his studies at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, where he studied composition with
Professor Gyula Horvath, ensemble direction with Professor Kurt Prestel and performance practice of
early music with Professor Nikolaus Harnoncourt from 1983 to 1986.
In 1984 Bäcker founded the
SALZBURGER VOKALENSEMBEL and directed this chamber choir until his departure from Salzburg.
Bäcker completed his training in composition from 1986 to 1989 under Professor Jürg Baur at the
Rhineland Academy of Music in Cologne. Since his studies in Cologne Bäcker has been
commissioned to compose music by musicians and chamber ensembles from all over the world.
In
addition, he has been commissioned to compose music for special occasion by various
European cities. With his composition “From the Depth I Cry Out to You Lord” Bäcker won the prize
of the De Profundis Composers Competition in Cologne.
He completed his formation as a conductor in Master Classes with Jorma Panula.
In the year 1996 Horst-Hans Bäcker founded a symphony orchestra, out of which the
INTERNATIONALE PHILHARMONIE was founded two years later and for which he was appointed
Principal Conductor at the same time.
He has been a regular guest conductor for the Arad Philharmonic Orchestra, Banatul Philharmonic
Orchestra in Timisoara, Moldova Philharmonic Orchestra in Iasi, and Oradea, Sibiu and Craiova
Philharmonic Orchestras in Romania, the Northern Hungarian Symphony Orchestra in Hungary and
for the choir and orchestra of Camerata Antiqua de Curitiba (Brazil).
Among the numerous soloists he
has worked with, Bäcker has established some long-term musical partnerships, among others with the
panpipes players Gheorghe Zamfir and Matthias Schlubeck, with the violinists Christina Anghelescu,
Bogdan Dragus, Sophie Moser and Sebastian Casleanu, with the Canadian guitarist Dale Kavanagh,
the German-Canadian Amadeus Guitar Duo and the British Eden-Stell Guitar Duo, as well as with the
pianists Katja Huhn, Ekaterina Litvintseva, Mihai Ungureanu and Tamas Vesmas.
Since 2003 Horst-Hans Bäcker is permanent guest conductor of Arad State Philharmonic Orchestra
and the State Philharmonic Orchestra “Oltenia” in Craiova. Since 2006 he is also permanent guest
conductor of the State Philharmonic Orchestra “Banat” in Timisoara and was commissioned by the
orchestra to compose a work for Choir and Orchestra for the Celebration of 60 years as Romanian State
Orchestra.
The composition “Rapsodia Timisoreana” including tribute to the most important Romanian
Composer George Enescu and the most important Romanian poet Mihai Eminescu, was
enthusiastically received by the members of the choir and the orchestra as well as by the audience.
Horst-Hans Bäcker’s first CD SPANISH NIGHT including Joaquin Rodrigo’s Concertos for 1, 2 and 4
Guitars and Orchestra was enthusiastically received by the critics. Also the following recordings
SPANISH NIGHT II with the guitarist Dale Kavanagh, Amadeus Guitar Duo, panpipes player
Gheorghe Zamfir and the State Philharmonic Arad; including an orchestral work by Bäcker
“Rapsodia Mallorquina” the CD Berühmte Opernarien – Panflöte und Orchester with soloist
Gheorghe Zamfir and State Philharmonic Arad, as well as the CD ZauberPANflöte with panpipes
player Matthias Schlubeck and the State Philharmonic Transylvania were very successful and full of
tribute.
Beside his compositions Horst-Hans Bäcker, since 2006, is delighting the audience with his
Arrangements for Symphonic Orchestra and some for Choir and Orchestra of works by the Bands such
as Beatles, Queen, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, Supertramp and others. Each time
these concerts are sold out and Highlights were some Open Air Concerts with each about 25,000
enthusiastic spectators. Another positive effect of this kind of concerts is to bring young people closer to Symphony Orchestras and Choirs.
