Hartmut Haenchen's high intellect and musical integrity have placed him in the forefront of musical life. Brought up in the former East Germany, he has seen his career reborn in the new Europe, where his breadth of experience and depth of understanding have won respect, while audiences have warmed to the humanity of his interpretations.

Despite the severe restrictions of the old East German regime, Hartmut Haenchen was given special permission to work with the West‘s finest ensembles, including four appearances with the Berlin Philharmonic. However, continual interference by the authorities led to severe setbacks in his career and he subsequently found a new home in the Netherlands, where a new public has recognised his genius. It is a mark of his standing that he has held the positions of Music Director of both the Netherlands Philharmonic and the Netherlands Opera.

He was Principal Guest Conductor of Netherlands Opera until 2007, having previously been Music Director for 13 years. During his directorship he has embraced a wide-ranging repertoire, including the operas of Strauss, Mozart, Wagner, Verdi, Puccini, Tchaikovsky, Gluck, Berg, Shostakovich and Mussorgsky. He continues to appear there regularly and recently enjoyed critical success conducting Wagner‘s Ring in a cycle directed by Pierre Audi. Opera magazine reported ’roof-shattering applause‘ with ’Haenchen and his orchestra getting especially thunderous ovations‘. This well reviewed Ring cycle is available on CD/DVD. Recent productions in Amsterdam include Wagner‘s Tannhäuser and Strauss‘s Capriccio, and plans include Die Soldaten and a new production of Der Fliegende Holländer.

Hartmut Haenchen has close relationships with many other important opera houses; he has several invitations to appear at the Opéra National de Paris, where recent production have included Strauss‘ Salome (2006), followed by Capriccio at the beginning of the 2007/08 season, an excellently-received new production of Parsifal in 2008, with plans including Lady Macbeth of Mtsenk and Wozzeck in 2009. In autumn 2007 he conducted Mozart‘s Don Giovanni and La Bohème for Los Angeles Opera, with further productions planned for future seasons. Other opera houses where he has received acclaim include Munich, Vienna and the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, where he will conduct Salome in 2009/10.

Among Haenchen‘s many current and forthcoming orchestral engagements throughout the world are concerts with the Munich Philharmonic, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Japan Philharmonic, Academia di Santa Cecilia, Tonhalle Zurich, Orchestra de Paris. He has made more than 120 recordings with his different orchestras, for Berlin Classics, Capriccio, Naxos, Pentatone, Philips, Sony Classical and Vanguard. These include a substantial discography with the Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach Chamber Orchestra, including several prize-winning discs. As well as being a conductor, Hartmut Haenchen is the author of many books on music, including important studies of Wagner and Mahler. His knowledge of musical structure is fundamental to the authority of his interpretations.