Fritz Reiner
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Frederick Martin Reiner (December 19, 1888 – November 15, 1963)
Life and career
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Reiner was born in
After early engagements at opera houses in Budapest and
He conducted the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra from 1938-1948 and made a few recordings with them for Columbia Records. He then spent several years at the Metropolitan Opera, where he conducted a historic production of Richard Strauss's Salome in 1949, with the Bulgarian soprano Ljuba Welitsch in the title role, and the American premiere of Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress in 1951.
He also conducted and made a recording of the famous 1952 Metropolitan Opera production of
In 1947, Reiner appeared on camera in the film Carnegie Hall, in which he conducted the
Reiner's music-making had been largely American-focused since his arrival in Cincinnati. But after the Second World War he began increasing his European activity. When he became music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1953 he was internationally recognised.
By common consent, the ten years that he spent in Chicago marked the height of his career, and are best-remembered today through the many recordings he made in Chicago's Orchestra Hall for RCA Victor from 1954 to 1963. The first of these — of Richard Strauss's Ein Heldenleben — occurred on March 6, 1954 and was among RCA's first to use stereophonic sound.[4] His last concerts in Chicago took place in the spring of 1963.
One of his last recordings, released in a special Reader's Digest boxed set, was a performance of Brahms' Symphony No. 4, recorded with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in October 1962 in London's Kingsway Hall. This recording was later reissued on LP by Quintessence and on CD by Chesky.
On September 13 and 16, 1963, Reiner conducted a group of New York musicians in Haydn's Symphony No. 101 in D major; this was followed by September 18 and 20, 1963, sessions devoted to Haydn's Symphony No. 95 in C minor.[5]
He also appeared with members of the Chicago Symphony in a series of telecasts on Chicago's
Personal life
Reiner was married three times (one of them to a daughter of
Repertoire and style
Reiner was especially noted as an interpreter of Richard Strauss and Bartók and was often seen as a modernist in his musical taste; he and his compatriot Joseph Szigeti convinced Serge Koussevitzky to commission the Concerto for Orchestra from Bartók. In reality, he had a very wide repertory and was known to admire Mozart's music above all else.
Reiner's conducting technique was noted for its precision and economy, in the manner of Arthur Nikisch and Arturo Toscanini.[2] It typically employed quite small gestures — it has been said that the beat indicated by the tip of his baton could be contained in the area of a postage stamp — although from the perspective of the players it was extremely expressive.
The response he drew from orchestras was one of astonishing richness, brilliance, and clarity of texture.
References
- ^ a b c "Fritz Reiner, Conductor, Dead; Led U.S. Orchestras for 40 Years". The New York Times. New York. November 16, 1963. p. 22. Retrieved 2023-06-12.
- ^ . Retrieved 2023-06-12.
- ^ "Fritz Reiner | Hungarian-American conductor | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2022-09-06.
- ^ See album notes to RCA Red Seal BMG Classics SACD
- ^ Philip Hart, Fritz Reiner: A Biography, Northwestern UP, Jan 1, 1997, p. 280.
- ^ Video Artists International 4237
- JSTOR 10.5406/j.ctt1xchjh. Retrieved 2023-06-12.
- ^ "Last Performance". National Public Radio. July 20, 2001. Retrieved 2009-06-07.
Sources
- Hart, Philip (1994). Fritz Reiner: A Biography. Evanston, Illinois: Northwestern University Press. ISBN 0-8101-1125-X.
- Morgan, Kenneth (2005). Fritz Reiner: Maestro & Martinet. Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0-252-02935-6.