Enoch zu Guttenberg

Georg Enoch Robert Prosper Philipp Franz Karl Theodor Maria Heinrich Johannes Luitpold Hartmann Gundeloh Freiherr von und zu Guttenberg (29 July 1946 – 15 June 2018) was a German conductor. He also owned the large winery estate Weingut Reichsrat von Buhl. He founded musical ensembles for performances of sacred choral works, and the Herrenchiemsee Festival. In 1975, he co-founded the BUND, a German organization dedicated to protecting the natural environment.

Career

Born in Guttenberg, Bavaria, Germany, on 29 July 1946, he was a member of the House of Guttenberg, and the son of CSU politician Karl Theodor von und zu Guttenberg and Rosa Sophie Prinzessin von Arenberg. He was the father of CSU politician Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg.

Guttenberg studied composition and conducting in Munich and Salzburg, influenced by Bernhard Paumgartner, Antal Doráti and Karl von Feilitzsch. He founded musical ensembles for performances of sacred choral works. In 1967, he founded the choir Chorgemeinschaft Neubeuern, leading them to international recognition within short time. They appeared at festivals such as the Schwetzingen Festival, the Berliner Festwochen, the Mozartwoche in Salzburg, the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, the Rheingau Musik Festival and the Europäische Wochen Passau. They toured in Europe and South America. Guttenberg focused on sacred choral works such as Bach's St John Passion and St Matthew Passion, and is regarded as a Bekenntnismusiker, performing the works as a personal confession. In a personal style, he combined the knowledge of historically informed performance with modern and vital expressiveness.