For Daniel Auner, conducting is a logical continuation and extension of his work as a violinist. Even the movement of the bow arm can be perfectly translated into the conductor's beat, which Auner made use of for many years as a “standing violinist” (Stehgeiger) in the best tradition of his hometown Vienna. In addition, with the support of Conrad Artmüller, among others, he has been learning conducting since 2013, thereby tapping into the full expressive range of a large symphony orchestra.
Originating in the dance bands associated with the Strauss dynasty, the practice of conducting an orchestra from a standing violinist's position became established on the international stage, with the concertmaster leading the ensemble from the first desk. For Daniel Auner, this form of music-making marked the beginning of his conducting career at the helm of the Vienna Residence Orchestra and later the Hofburg Orchestra, with which he made his debut as a conductor at the Vienna Konzerthaus in 2017. Every summer, he also conducts and directs several concerts in July with the Camerata Hunyadi, the chamber orchestra of the Wienerwald Summer Concerts, with soloists such as pianists Paul Gulda and Maximilian Flieder, or his brother, cellist Thomas Auner. In addition, Daniel Auner has conducted and directed the Yambol Chamber Orchestra in Bulgaria, the Divertimento Orchestra, the Sinfonia por el Perú, and others. Since 2018, he has been one of the conductors of the Strauss Festival Orchestra Vienna, with performances in Russia, Italy, Lithuania, Japan, Estonia, and other countries.
As a conductor and standing violinist, Daniel Auner also performs worldwide with various symphony orchestras.
As with his violin playing, his primary interpretative goal in conducting orchestras is clear musical rhetoric, which leads to clear and often surprising tonal results. Auner considers it the task of a conductor not to impose this musical language on the orchestra members in an authoritarian manner, but rather to engage them in a dialogue of equal participants through good communication. He greatly values the high standard of training of today's musicians, who bring a highly virtuosic and flexible instrumental playing to the table.
Since 2019, Daniel Auner has been principal conductor and artistic director of the Mödling Symphony Orchestra (MSO), with which he creates imaginative, “through-composed” concert programs that often reveal unexpected connections between different works. Soloists such as Simon Reitmaier, Alexandra Tirsu, Marie Isabel Kropfitsch, Joseph Avila, and Nikola Djoric—numerous young artists from the Vienna area—have performed and continue to perform in the concerts.
Beyond its concert activities, the MSO's music education project in collaboration with the Keimgasse Gymnasium in Mödling has been received with keen interest and great enthusiasm. For Daniel Auner and his colleagues, spreading the universal messages of music is a valuable asset and a central concern, as well as a guiding principle of their musical activities.
Beyond its concert activities, the MSO's music education project in collaboration with the Keimgasse Gymnasium in Mödling has been received with keen interest and great enthusiasm. For Daniel Auner and his colleagues, spreading the universal messages of music is a valuable asset and a central concern, as well as a guiding principle of their musical activities.
Text: Kaja Engel, 2022
