Erik Ryding and Rebecca Pechefsky
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- October 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780300087130
- eISBN:
- 9780300129274
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300087130.001.0001
- Subject:
- Music, History, Western
Bruno Walter, one of the greatest conductors in the twentieth century, lived a fascinating life in difficult times. This book starts by describing Walter's early years in Germany, where his successes ...
More
Bruno Walter, one of the greatest conductors in the twentieth century, lived a fascinating life in difficult times. This book starts by describing Walter's early years in Germany, where his successes in provincial theaters led to positions at the Berlin State Opera and the Vienna State Opera. It then tells of his decade-long term as Bavarian music director and his romantic involvement with the soprano Delia Reinhardt; his other positions in the musical community until he was ousted from Germany when the Nazi Party came to power in 1933; and his return to Vienna, where he was artistic director of the Opera House until he was again forced out by the Nazis. Finally it examines his career in the United States, where he led the New York Philharmonic and other orchestras and in his last years made numerous recordings with the Columbia Symphony Orchestra, an ensemble created especially for him. The book makes use of the thousands of unpublished letters in the Bruno Walter Papers, now in the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.Less
Bruno Walter, one of the greatest conductors in the twentieth century, lived a fascinating life in difficult times. This book starts by describing Walter's early years in Germany, where his successes in provincial theaters led to positions at the Berlin State Opera and the Vienna State Opera. It then tells of his decade-long term as Bavarian music director and his romantic involvement with the soprano Delia Reinhardt; his other positions in the musical community until he was ousted from Germany when the Nazi Party came to power in 1933; and his return to Vienna, where he was artistic director of the Opera House until he was again forced out by the Nazis. Finally it examines his career in the United States, where he led the New York Philharmonic and other orchestras and in his last years made numerous recordings with the Columbia Symphony Orchestra, an ensemble created especially for him. The book makes use of the thousands of unpublished letters in the Bruno Walter Papers, now in the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.
Erik Ryding and Rebecca Pechefsky
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- October 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780300087130
- eISBN:
- 9780300129274
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300087130.003.0017
- Subject:
- Music, History, Western
On March 7, 1957, Bruno Walter suffered a heart attack, forcing him to cancel his remaining performances for the year and to restrict his musical activities to concerts and recordings. He conducted ...
More
On March 7, 1957, Bruno Walter suffered a heart attack, forcing him to cancel his remaining performances for the year and to restrict his musical activities to concerts and recordings. He conducted only a handful of concerts in 1958, the first of which took place on February 26 with the New York Philharmonic. In the middle of March, however, he gave two performances of Franz Schubert's “Unfinished” and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Requiem in Chicago. He also performed Anton Bruckner's “Romantic” in Los Angeles and San Francisco in April and May. In 1959, his public appearances were limited to three events, including a program for the Los Angeles Philharmonic and his farewell to the Metropolitan Opera. During the 1959–1960 season, he conducted in the first Mahler Festival given by the New York Philharmonic. In February 1960, he made his first commercial recording of Bruckner's Fourth with the Columbia Symphony Orchestra. The year 1960 also witnessed his very last public performance. Walter died on the morning of February 17, 1962.Less
On March 7, 1957, Bruno Walter suffered a heart attack, forcing him to cancel his remaining performances for the year and to restrict his musical activities to concerts and recordings. He conducted only a handful of concerts in 1958, the first of which took place on February 26 with the New York Philharmonic. In the middle of March, however, he gave two performances of Franz Schubert's “Unfinished” and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Requiem in Chicago. He also performed Anton Bruckner's “Romantic” in Los Angeles and San Francisco in April and May. In 1959, his public appearances were limited to three events, including a program for the Los Angeles Philharmonic and his farewell to the Metropolitan Opera. During the 1959–1960 season, he conducted in the first Mahler Festival given by the New York Philharmonic. In February 1960, he made his first commercial recording of Bruckner's Fourth with the Columbia Symphony Orchestra. The year 1960 also witnessed his very last public performance. Walter died on the morning of February 17, 1962.
