I was surprised and delighted!SAECULUM Award Winner 2006: Joachim Herz
The concert of the chamber orchestra Carl-Philipp-Emanuel-Bach under the direction of Prof. Hartmut Haenchen, which took place on 9th June, 2006 in Dresden's Semper Opera House, was dedicated to Mozart and his contemporaries Kraus and Haydn. The impressive concert was preceded by an award ceremony during which the opera director Joachim Herz received the €25,000 SAECULUM - Glashütte Original - Dresden Music Festival Prize.
Beside honorific speeches by Prof. Hartmut Haenchen (Director of the Dresden Music Festival) and Dr. Frank Müller (President of Glashütte Original) representing both founding institutions, the former music editor of Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Gerhard R. Koch, stressed the contributions of Joachim Herz to the international music theatre as well as his achievements in the field of stage direction.
"I was surprised and delighted when I heard the news," Herz commented on being awarded the SAECULUM. "I am amazed that after all those years some people still know that I once existed." The Leipzig production of The Ring of Nibelungen, which revolutionized the Wagner operas on stage, remains unforgotten. "As the SAECULUM shows, some people still remember me and my work - and this is truly a wonderful feeling" Herz concluded his acceptance speech.