Bernhard Kontarsky (born 26 April 1937 in Iserlohn) is a German conductor, pianist, and teacher.
From 1981 Kontarsky has been Professor of Orchestral Conducting at the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts.
Amongst other things, he conducted the world premieres of El Rey de Harlem by Hans Werner Henze (1982), Die Erschöpfung der Welt by Mauricio Kagel (1980),[1] Don Quijote de la Mancha by Hans Zender (1993), Sansibar by Eckehard Mayer (13 April 1994),[2] as well as the first German performance of the opera Die Wände by Adriana Hölszky, at the Frankfurt Opera, on 30 January 2000.
[3][4][5] In 1988 he directed a well-regarded production in Stuttgart of the opera Die Soldaten by Bernd Alois Zimmermann, a work he was previously involved with as co-repetiteur for the world premiere in 1965.
[7] He is also the conductor on the first CD recording of Luigi Nono's opera Intolleranza 1960.