Leopold Ludwig
Leopold Ludwig (12 January 1908 – 25 April 1979) was a German
Berlin Städtische Oper (1943–1946). From 1950–1971 he the general music director of the Hamburg State Opera; a position which brought him international recognition. He was a frequent guest conductor at the San Francisco Opera from 1958 through 1969, and also made guest appearances with the Metropolitan Opera
in the early 1970s.
Life and career
Born in
Berlin Städtische Oper.[2]
After
Edinburgh Festival in 1952 when the HSO presented the British première of Hindemith's Mathis der Maler.[2] In 1960 he conducted the world premiere of Hans Werner Henze's Der Prinz von Homburg and in 1965 he conducted the world premiere of Giselher Klebe's Jacobowsky und der Oberst
; both at the HSO.
From 1958 through 1969 Ludwig was a frequent guest conductor at the
Katerina Ismailova on 23 October 1964. Other works he conducted for the SFO included Elektra (1958), Tannhäuser (1958), The Bartered Bride (1958, 1964),Ariadne auf Naxos (1959), Die Frau ohne Schatten (1959-1960, 1964), Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (1959, 1961, 1965), Don Giovanni (1959, 1962), Simon Boccanegra (1960), Wozzeck (1960, 1962), Boris Godunov (1961), Fidelio (1961), The Rake's Progress (1962), Dialogues of the Carmelites (1963), Die Walküre (1963, 1968–1969), The Queen of Spades (1963), Die Fledermaus (1965), Lulu (1965), and Das Rheingold
(1968).
Ludwig also worked internationally with other opera houses as a guest conductor. In 1959 he conducted Glyndebourne Festival. He made his conducting debut at the Metropolitan Opera on 14 November 1970, conducting Richard Wagner's Parsifal with Christa Ludwig as Kundry and Helge Brilioth in the title role. He continued to conduct at the Met in 1971–1972 with Parsifal and Der Freischütz.
Leopold Ludwig died on 25 April 1979 in Lüneburg.[2] In 1958 he was awarded the Johannes Brahms Medal.
References
- ^ Mechthild Albus (1987), "Ludwig, Leopold", Neue Deutsche Biographie (in German), vol. 15, Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, pp. 431–432; (full text online)
- ^ .
Further reading
- Leopold Ludwig. In Die Zeit, Nr. 20/1956
- Leopold Ludwig on Munzinger
External links
- Recordings, JPC.de
- Leopold Ludwig discography at Discogs
