Mourning for Prof. Hans-Dieter Baum
We mourn our colleague and teacher
Prof. Hans-Dieter Baum
19.08.1936 – 12.07.2021
Completely unexpected, and therefore particularly shocking, we received the news of the passing of our honored colleague and teacher Prof. Hans-Dieter Baum.
Hans-Dieter Baum, who himself studied at the “Hanns Eisler” from 1954 to 1959, has taught at our university for 42 years and has had a decisive influence on the training of entire generations of young conductors in Germany and far beyond. Several of his students now teach at important conservatories themselves, such as Christoph Altstaedt in Helsinki, Lin Daye in Shanghai or Hee Chun Choi in Seoul.
Many of the winners of the most important international competitions went through his profound, comprehensive, sometimes strict school and benefited from his extensive experience as a conductor, his broad musical horizon, his pedagogical skills and, last but not least, from his profound humanity, which characterizes his entire teaching activities and his dealings with the students. In doing so, he always placed very high demands on both the students and the teachers of the course, which he headed for 17 years - from 1985 to 2002 - knowing full well that successful studies require all the effort, great diligence and total dedication by the students as well as the lecturers.
However, he made the highest demands on himself. Impressive evidence of this are the last few months, in which, despite increasing age-related difficulties, he teached with his "children" - as he occasionally called his students towards me - every week with the same commitment and energy. This devotion to his teaching activity to the end - at least around 20 years after his retirement - and of course the extraordinary quality of his teaching were the reasons for the respect and love, that have shown to him by all who were fortunate enough to have been taught by him.
An appreciation of the university professor Hans-Dieter Baum would be incomplete if, in addition to his teaching, his great organizational achievements for our course of study were not mentioned. It is thanks to his commitment that such important partnerships as those with the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, the orchestras in Halle, Brandenburg and Neubrandenburg, the Babelsberg Film Orchestra and the Berliner Symphoniker could be concluded.
He, who himself came from practical experience - especially music theatre - has always advocated practical training. This also shaped his work beyond our school, e.g. in the context of the Conductors' Forum of the German Music Council, which he was instrumental in launching. The basis and prerequisite for all his achievements in teaching was always his own significant artistic activity as a musician - initially as a répétiteur, later as Kapellmeister, music director in Potsdam and chief conductor of the Great Radio Orchestra in Berlin.
It may not have been easy for him to limit his own successful artistic activity in order to concentrate fully on training the next generation of conductors. But it is impressive proof of his passion for teaching, from which not only the conducting department benefited, but also countless other students whom he, as the long-time director of the university symphony orchestra, inspired with his specialist knowledge, his artistic unconditionality and his enthusiasm.
It is very difficult to imagine that all of this had to come to an end now. All of us who were lucky enough to work, teach and study with him will forever carry Hans-Dieter Baum in our hearts and remember him with love and gratitude!
On behalf of the conducting course
Prof. Christian Ehwald