Prof. Bernhard Klapprott

Bernhard Klapprott studied harpsichord in Cologne and Amsterdam with Hugo Ruf and Bob van Asperen, as well as organ with Michael Schneider and Ewald Kooiman and church music. He also attended masterclasses in basso continuo with Jesper Christensen and organ with Michael Radulescu. An intensive study of the clavichord shaped his musical development. 

In 1991, Klapprott won first prize at the 10th International Organ Competition (Bach/Mozart) of the Festival van Vlaanderen in Bruges. He performs internationally as a soloist, continuo player and conductor. He participates in radio and television recordings and is in demand as a juror at competitions. His numerous CD releases include important works such as the complete keyboard works of Thomas Tomkins (harpsichord, virginal, organ, 4 CDs, MDG), clavichord sonatas by Georg Anton Benda (clavichord by J. G. Horn, 1788, AEOLUS), concertos for 3 and 4 harpsichords by Johann Sebastian Bach (Virgin Classics) and organ works by Bach (part of the complete recording on organs by A. and J. A. Silbermann, AEOLUS). His recordings have won numerous prestigious awards, including the German Record Critics' Prize and the ECHO Klassik.

In 1999, Klapprott founded the ensemble CANTUS THURINGIA & CAPELLA, which he directs artistically together with Christoph Dittmar. The ensemble is dedicated to the performance of works from the 16th to 18th centuries for vocal and instrumental ensembles. Particularly noteworthy are revivals of unknown Central German music and stage works in conjunction with historical acting. CD recordings on the cpo label include cantatas, passions and oratorios by composers such as Reinhard Keiser, Friedrich Wilhelm Zachow, Georg Friedrich Händel, Georg Gebel the Younger, Johann Peter Kellner, Johann Christoph Rothe and Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach.

As the initiator of the ‘Musikerbe Thüringen’ (Thuringian Musical Heritage) project, Klapprott is committed to the rediscovery and publication of unknown Thuringian vocal and instrumental music, including a CD series on cpo and a corresponding edition. His scholarly work is reflected in specialist articles, including the comprehensive study ‘sangbar und zusammenhängend spielen – Aspekte der Kantabilität im Spiel des Clavichords, dargestellt anhand von Quellen der Zeit Carl Philipp Emanuel Bachs’ (Michaelsteiner Konferenzberichte Vol. 82).

His teaching career initially took him to the University of Dortmund and the universities of music in Detmold and Herford. Since 1994, he has been professor of harpsichord, historical keyboard instruments and basso continuo at the Department of Early Music at the University of Music FRANZ LISZT Weimar, as well as professor of organ (specialising in the 16th to 18th centuries) in the Church Music/Organ programme. He also teaches harpsichord/historical keyboard instruments at the Department of Early Music and Performance Practice at the University of the Arts in Bremen. In addition, he gives master classes and guest lectures in Europe and the USA, including at the Juilliard School in New York, the Eastman School in Rochester, the Oberlin Conservatory and Boston University.