Robert Ziegler is an innovative and versatile conductor working across musical genres featuring core classical repertoire from the 18th to the 21st centuries, major film score recordings and performances and collaborations with artists from jazz and pop music.

He 2015-16 he made his debut with the London Philharmonic, Gulbenkian, Japan Philharmonic, Shanghai Symphony and Shanghai Philharmonic orchestras. Ziegler close association with the London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra saw him tour the UK in 2016 with Holst’s The Planets and together made their recording debut for Deutsche Grammophon records. They also have  performed many concerts of the music of John Williams including his 80th birthday gala concert.

Ziegler has been invited to direct orchestras including London Symphony, BBC Concert Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Manchester Camerata, Dublin’s RTE Concert Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales and the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. and Royal Scottish National orchestras. International guest conducting includes San Francisco Symphony, New Zealand Symphony and Adelaide Symphony,

Ziegler has made several landmark recordings. His early prize winning recording of chamber theatres works of Falla, Stravinsky and Milhaud “From the Salon of the Princesse du Polignac” was critically acclaimed:

‘The performances deserve the greatest praise … first class.  A fine recording … outstanding.’  Gramophone

He has a keen interest in the music of the Weimar Republic and has recorded two CDs for Decca/Universal: Berlin Cabaret Songs and But One Day with chanteuse Ute Lemper. “Quite simply, it’s a stunning disc…The release deserves the strongest possible recommendation.” Classic CD. His performances of music of Kurt Weill have also been singled out as “Conducted with verve and insight by Robert Ziegler and sung with delicate warmth and style. Financial Times.

In 2015 was Musical Director for the Deutsche Grammophon recording of Pete Townshend’s Classic Quadrophenia.  He also recorded Max Richter’s ballet Woolf Works for DG with the Babelsberg Film Orchestra and led  l’Orchestre Nationale d’Ile de France in a live performance of Max’s memoryhouse at the Paris Philharmonie. He conducted the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic for Ludovico Einaudi’s Divenire  “Live in London” DVD/CD with Randy Newman, “On an Island” and “Rattle That Lock” DVDs/CDs for David Gilmour (Pink Floyd) & Zbigniew Preisner.

In addition, Ziegler is a committed performer of new music of all genres having premiered works of many composers including Jonathan Lloyd, Joby Talbot, Mark Turnage, Mike Westbrook and performed numerous works by leading composers including Xenakis, Knussen, Lieberson, Dallapiccola, Schoenberg and many others.

Future engagements include a return to the London Philharmonic in June 2017 to conduct a live accompaniment of Bernard Herrmann’s iconic score for Hitchcock’s legendary film, Psycho and a return engagement with Lisbon’s Gulbenkian Orchestra in a programme of Strauss, Holst and Adams.  Popular engagements include two concerts at Blenheim Palaces this summer – Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra in a concert of music by John Williams, and a premiere performance of Max Richter’s Three Worlds – Music from Wolff Works.

In September 2017 Ziegler conducts the US premieres of Pete Townshend’s Classic Quadrophenia at the Metropolitan Opera in New York and in Los Angeles. Of the first performance at the Royal Albert Hall in 2014 the press said:

“…this world premiere really caught fire….The water metaphors reminiscent of Vaughn Williams turned Townshend’s magnum opus into a celebration of Britishness worthy of Danny Boyle’s Isles of Wonder at the 2012 Olympics. Quadrophenia’s place in the classical canon is assured.”    The Independent

He has also created and conducted special orchestral arrangements with Deborah Harry, Stewart Copeland, k.d. lang, Radiohead, Donny Osmond, Richard Ashcroft (The Verve), Ben Folds, and jazz legend Wayne Shorter.

The popularity of screening films with live musical accompaniment has seen Ziegler conduct the 2016 premiere of Planet of the Apes with Jerry Goldsmith’s pioneering score followed this year with Martin Scorsese’s iconic Taxi Driver featuring the first live performance of Bernard Herrmann’s final film score, both with the BBC Concert Orchestra. He conducted the   Gulbenkian Orchestra  in 2001: A Space Odyssey and will return there in 2018 to conduct Holst’s The Planets  and Strauss’ Also Sprach Zarathustra.

Ziegler’s extensive work in film includes recording original soundtracks by Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood (There Will Be Blood, Inherent Vice), Howard Shore (Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit), and Alberto Iglesias, Max Richter, Shigeru Umebayashi, Lorne Balfe, Michael Giacchino, Mark Isham and Alf Clausen for The Simpsons.

 

 

2017 – 18