Biography

Roberto Paternostro was born in Vienna where he studied at the Music University under Hans Swarowsky. Further studies under György Ligeti and Christoph von Dohnányi in Hamburg. 1978 to 1984 he was assistant of Herbert von Karajan in Berlin.

Performances include appearances at the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, Deutsche Staatsoper in Berlin, Semperoper Dresden, Teatro La Fenice in Venice, Teatro Liceu in Barcelona, Volksoper in Vienna as well as the opera houses of Madrid, Genua, Parma, Teatro San Carlo in Naples, Catania, Salerno, Seville, Budapest etc.

From 1991 to 2000 he was General Music Director of the Württembergische Philharmonie, from 1997 to 2007 General Music Director of the State Theatre in Kassel (Germany) where his new productions with works of Richard Wagner (Tristan, Ring des Nibelungen, Parsifal, Tannhäuser, Lohengrin), Verdi (Otello, Macbeth, Simone Boccanegra, La Traviata, Don Carlos, Rigoletto, Il Trovatore, Maskenball), Puccini and Richard Strauss (Elektra, Rosenkavalier, Ariadne) brought much public attention.

In the field of symphonic repertoire outstanding performances and recordings with the HR-Symphony Orchestra in Frankfurt, WDR-Symphony Orchestra in Cologne, the Munich Philharmonic, SWR-Symphony Orchestra in Stuttgart, NHK-Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo, Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, NDR Philharmonie Hanover, MDR-Symphony Orchestra in Leipzig, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Israel Chamber Orchestra, Brucknerorchester Linz, DSO in Berlin, Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, amongst others. Numerous concerts at festivals such as the Brucknerfest in Linz (Götterdämmerung), Mahlerwoche in Toblach including Mahler's 2nd, 4th and 9th symphonies and Euro Classic Berlin.

CD recordings of Wagner’s “Ring“, Verdi’s La Traviata and Simone Boccanegra, Bruckner’s symphonies (complete recording) as well as the Mass in d-minor and f-minor, Mahler’s 4th and 9th symphonies. Acclaimed television recordings were a twelve-part series with Montserrat Caballé for Arte/ZDF. A live recording of Richard Wagner's Ring des Nibelungen from Teatro Colón Buenos Aires ("Colón Ring") is available on DVD. New realeses in  2019: Carl Maria von Weber "Peter Schmoll and his neighbours" (RSO Wien) and Ernst von Dohnányi Symphony No 1.

From 2009 to 2013 Roberto Paternostro held the post of Music Director of the Israel Chamber Orchestra. Tours and guest performances lead to Austria and Germany, including the orchestra’s first performance of a work by Richard Wagner in Bayreuth and Italy in July 2011.

In 2012 Roberto Paternostro received the prestigious ECHO Klassik Award. He is regulary holding master classes for conductors and served as member of jury on invitations of Deutsche Musikrat.

At Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires Paternostro conducted premieres of Richard Wagner's Ring des Nibelungen, Elektra, Falstaff and Le Nozze di Figaro, at New National Theatre Tokyo The Magic Flute, at State Opera Prague Aida, at Volksoper Vienna Hänsel und Gretel, Carmen et al. Concert invitations lead him to Milan, Toronto, Budapest, Mannheim, Brucknerhaus Linz as well as Jerusalem Festival and Theater an der Wien (Vienna).

  • Symphony concert, orchestra of Teatro Massimo Bellini Catania
  • Portrait 5
  • Colón-Ring, Buenos Aires
  • Schlussszene Götterdämmerung, Colón-Ring
  • Roberto Paternostro