Franz von Suppé - Fantasia symphonica; Spanish Dances (Ernst Theis)

Information

Composer: Franz von Suppé

• Fantasia symphonica in A major
• Spanish Dances I “La Valenciana”
• Spanish Dances II “La Granadina”

Brandenburgisches Staatsorchester Frankfurt

Ernst Theis, conductor

Date: 2026

Label: CPO

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Vienna’s concert life on 18 March 1860 took on an unusually charged public character at the second appearance of the young Orchester-Verein Euterpe, where music, patronage, and civic display intersected in striking fashion. The programme opened with works by Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, greeted with enthusiasm in the presence of their aristocratic creator. The evening’s central achievement was a “Fantasia symphonica” on his themes, shaped by Franz von Suppé into a brilliant orchestral work that reflects both his training and his gift for transformation. While Suppé’s reputation rests largely on his operettas, this concert underscores the breadth of his craft. The programme concludes with his Twelve Spanish Dances, a sequence of vivid miniatures in which the recurring “Jota” emerges as a unifying and energetic motif.

Ernst Theis (b. 1961) is an Austrian conductor and music scholar educated at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. He began his career with the Österreichische Kammersymphoniker, serving as artistic and managing director from 1991 to 2003, where he focused on classical modernism, contemporary music, and later Viennese classical repertoire. After engagements including Kapellmeister at the Vienna Volksoper and a prize at the International Summer Courses for New Music in Darmstadt, he developed an international conducting career with leading orchestras across Europe and beyond, including in Russia, Poland, Germany, and Japan. From 2003 to 2013 he was chief conductor of the Dresden State Operetta, where he significantly expanded the institution’s artistic profile. His work also includes long-term research and recording projects such as “RadioMusiken,” collaborations with major broadcasters and orchestras, and ongoing performances spanning repertoire from early Viennese classical music to contemporary works.

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