Conductor Christian Thielemann has been a major force in both operatic and symphonic music in his native Germany, serving since 2012 as conductor of the Staatskapelle Dresden. He is considered one of the world's top interpreters of the music of Wagner and Richard Strauss. In 1985, Thielemann got his first principal conductor post, with the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf. Thielemann made his first conducting appearance at the Bayreuth Festival in 2000 and soon became chief musical advisor, leaving in 2021. As chief conductor of the Münchener Philharmoniker and the Staatskapelle Dresden since 2012, he has emphasized German and Austrian music in his repertory. He will leave the Staatskapelle Dresden in 2024. In 2019, he conducted the Vienna Philharmonic's popular annual New Year's Concert for the first time. In 2022, his recording of Bruckner's Symphony No. 2 in C minor appeared., Rovi