The conductor, organist and harpsichordist Detlef Bratschke received intensive musical training early on in the ranks of the Knabenchor Hannover under the direction of Heinz Hennig. As a teenager he had the opportunity to make formative experiences in meeting the conductors Philippe Herreweghe and Gustav Leonhardt, under whose direction he participated as a soprano soloist in the complete recording of Bach’s cantatas. From the age of 17 he was also active as a teacher in the Knabenchor Hannover and participated in the rehearsal of an extensive choral music repertoire.
Detlef Bratschke studied church music in Hanover and Freiburg i. Br. (conducting with Heinz Hennig and Hans-Michael Beuerle, organ with Ulrich Bremsteller and Zsigmond Szathmáry), he also took part in master classes with Michael Radulescu, Harald Vogel, Robert Hill and Bob van Asperen.
As part of his extensive concert activities as an ensemble singer and instrumentalist, he received essential impulses from working with musical personalities such as Ton Koopman, Frieder Bernius, Howard Arman and Joshua Rifkin. Of particular importance here is the long-standing close collaboration with the conductor Thomas Hengelbrock.
One focus of his work is directing the Orlando di Lasso Ensemble, which he founded and directed, a group of vocal soloists specialized in the music of the 15th-17th centuries. The ensemble has been one of the leading groups in this repertoire for years. It was a guest at international festivals such as the Utrecht Festival Oude Muziek, Styriarte, the Rheingau Music Festival, the Schwetzinger Festival, the MDR Music Summer, the Münchner Residenzfestspiele and others.
The Orlando di Lasso Ensemble has received numerous international recording awards for its CD releases, such as the Diapason d’Or de l’Année, the Cannes Classical Award and the Echo Klassik several times. The complete recording of the Italian madrigals by Heinrich Schütz from 1999 deserves special mention here. With the Orlando di Lasso Ensemble, Detlef Bratschke regularly leads projects in collaboration with well-known instrumental ensembles such as the Freiburger Barockorchester and Musica Alta Ripa. Since April 2004 Detlef Bratschke has been a regular guest with the RIAS Chamber Choir and the NDR Choir.
As part of his specialization in the music of the 16th and 17th centuries, Detlef Bratschke works extensively on original sources and has created a number of his own editions of previously unpublished works (Orazio Vecchi, Barbara Strozzi, Giovanni Valentini, Melchior Franck, Leonhard Schröter and others).
COLLABORATION WITH THE BALTHASAR NEUMANN CHOIR
Detlef Bratschke has been the artistic director of the Balthasar Neumann Choir since 1992, being responsible for the rehearsal of a large number of projects. As conductor of the Balthasar Neumann Choir, he has performed at the resonance festival of the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Flanders Festival and the Bremen Music Festival, among others.
