Collection: ERNST MARZENDORFER & THE VIENNA CHAMBER ORCHESTRA - THE MUSICAL HERITAGE SOCIETY RECORDINGS
Marzendorfer began his professional career at the Graz Opera, initially as a répétiteur and later advancing to Kapellmeister and eventually Principal Conductor. His reputation grew, leading to guest appearances internationally, including a brief tenure at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires.
In 1961, he joined the conducting staff of the Vienna State Opera, an association that would last for decades. He became a reliable pillar of the institution, conducting a vast repertoire encompassing standard operatic works by Mozart, Strauss, Wagner, Verdi, and Puccini, as well as ballet performances. While perhaps not possessing the international star profile of some contemporaries, his deep knowledge, precise technique, and dependable musicianship were highly valued.
Marzendorfer's most enduring legacy stems from his monumental project with the Vienna Chamber Orchestra for the Musical Heritage Society (MHS) label in the late 1960s and early 1970s: the first-ever complete recording of all 107 authenticated Haydn symphonies, plus the Sinfonia Concertante. This ambitious undertaking made this vast corpus widely accessible to listeners for the first time and remains a significant achievement in recording history.
Beyond Haydn and standard repertoire, Marzendorfer also showed interest in contemporary music, notably conducting works by Austrian composer Gottfried von Einem. He passed away in Vienna in 2009, remembered as a knowledgeable and dedicated conductor, particularly significant for his groundbreaking Haydn cycle and his long service to Viennese musical life.
