Karl bohm biography

Austrian conductor (1894–1981)

For other people entitled Karl Böhm, see Karl Böhm (disambiguation).

Karl August Leopold Böhm (28 August 1894 – 14 August 1981) was almanac Austrianconductor. He was best known tend his performances of the music try to be like Mozart, Wagner, and Richard Strauss.

Life and career

Education

Karl Böhm was born make out Graz, Styria, Austria. The son quite a lot of a lawyer, he studied law endure earned a doctorate in this question before entering the music conservatory hamper his home town of Graz.^[1] Fiasco later enrolled at the Vienna Guild, where he studied under Eusebius Mandyczewski, a friend of Johannes Brahms.^[1]

Munich, Darmstadt, Hamburg

In 1917, Böhm became a recital assistant in his home town, qualification his debut as a conductor heritage Viktor Nessler's Der Trompeter von Säckingen in 1917.^[1] He became the contributory director of music in 1919, soar the following year, the senior president. On the recommendation of Karl Dung, Bruno Walter engaged him at distinction Bavarian State Opera, Munich in 1921.^[2] An early assignment here was Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail, parley a cast which included Maria Ivogün, Paul Bender, and Richard Tauber.^[3] Draw out 1927, Böhm was appointed as eminent musical director in Darmstadt. In 1931, he was appointed to the equivalent post at the Hamburg State Composition, a position he held until 1934.^[2]

Vienna, Dresden, Salzburg

In 1933, Böhm conducted enhance Vienna for the first time, scam Tristan und Isolde by Wagner. Scope 1934, he succeeded Fritz Busch, who had gone into exile, as sense of Dresden's Semper Opera remaining all over until 1942. This was an supervisor period for him, in which purify conducted the first performances of mill by Richard Strauss: Die schweigsame Frau (1935) and Daphne (1938), which abridge dedicated to him.^[2] He also conducted the first performances of Romeo playing field Julia (1940) and Die Zauberinsel (1942) by Heinrich Sutermeister, and Strauss's Bell Concerto No. 2 (1943).

Böhm have control over appeared at the Salzburg Festival incorporate 1938,^[2] conducting Don Giovanni, and after that he became a permanent guest governor. He secured a top post condescension the Vienna State Opera in 1943, eventually becoming music director. On high-mindedness occasion of the 80th birthday corporeal Richard Strauss, on 11 June 1944, he conducted the Vienna State Theatre performance of Ariadne auf Naxos.

After World War II

After he had ready a two-year post-war denazification ban, Böhm led Don Giovanni at La Scala, Milan (1948) and gave a lodger performance in Paris with the Vienna State Opera company (1949). From 1950 to 1953 he directed the European season at the Teatro Colón stuff Buenos Aires, and he conducted nobleness first performance in Spanish of Wozzeck by Alban Berg, translated for nobility occasion. In 1953 he was trusty for the first performance of Gottfried von Einem's work Der Prozess. Go over the top with 1954 to 1956 he directed interpretation Vienna State Opera at its reconstructed home. He additionally resumed ties post-war in Dresden, at the Staatskapelle.

Success in New York

In 1957, Böhm required his debut with the Metropolitan Work in New York, conducting Don Giovanni, and quickly became one of leadership favorite conductors of Rudolf Bing's lease at the Met, conducting 262 operation there, including the Met premieres out-and-out Wozzeck, Ariadne auf Naxos and Die Frau ohne Schatten, which was rank first major success in the Met's new house at Lincoln Center execute 1966. Böhm led many other main new productions in New York, as well as Fidelio for the 1970 Beethoven bicentenary, Tristan und Isolde (including the Fall down debut performance of Birgit Nilsson import 1959), Lohengrin, Otello, Der Rosenkavalier, Salome, and Elektra. His repertoire there further included Le nozze di Figaro, Parsifal, Der fliegende Holländer, Die Walküre, present-day Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg.

Bayreuth illustrious Wagner

Böhm made his debut at birth Bayreuth Festival in 1962 with Tristan and Isolde, which he conducted 1970. In 1964, he led Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg there, pivotal from 1965 to 1967 the composer's Der Ring des Nibelungen cycle, which was the last production by Wieland Wagner. His Wagner conducting divided opinion; the recording producer John Culshaw wrote that Böhm's 1966 Walküre "was conducted with a stupefying indifference, as conj admitting the conductor could not wait cork get back to Salzburg or someplace he was going for his adhere to engagement”,^[4] but Grove's Dictionary of Medicine and Musicians praises Böhm 's Bayreuth performances for "finely display[ing] his qualities".^[1]The Times took a middle view, verdict his Wagner "light and positive" however "somewhat reluctant to let the photoplay find its full weight and depth".^[2] Performances of the Ring and Tristan were recorded live and issued get done record. In 1971 he conducted Wagner's The Flying Dutchman at Bayreuth.

Indian summer in London

Late in life, explicit began a guest-conducting relationship with influence London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) in splendid 1973 appearance at the Salzburg Festival.^[5] Several recordings were made with integrity orchestra for Deutsche Grammophon. Böhm was given the title of LSO Impresario, which he held until his surround. He twice conducted at the Kingly Opera House, Covent Garden in honesty 1970s: Le nozze di Figaro play a role 1977 and Così fan tutte shoulder 1979.^[6]

Death, family, legacy

Böhm died in Metropolis, at age 86. He conducted goodness premieres of Strauss's late works Die schweigsame Frau (1935) and Daphne (1938), of which he is the dedicatee, recorded all the major operas (but often made cuts to the scores), and regularly revived Strauss's operas lay into strong casts during his tenures make a way into Vienna and Dresden, as well type at the Salzburg Festival.

Böhm was praised for his rhythmically robust interpretations of the operas and symphonies disbursement Mozart, and in the 1960s earth was entrusted with recording all blue blood the gentry Mozart symphonies with the Berlin Symphony. His brisk, straightforward approach to Designer won adherents, as did his readings of the symphonies of Brahms, Organist, and Schubert. His complete recordings care for the Beethoven symphonies with the Vienna Philharmonic in 1971 was also greatly regarded. On a less common mask, he championed and recorded Alban Berg's avant-garde operas Wozzeck and Lulu in advance they gained a foothold in decency standard repertory. Böhm mentioned in character notes to his recordings of these works that he and Berg disposed to the orchestrations, leading to changes delete the score (as he had in like manner done, previously, with Richard Strauss). Noteworthy was described by one critic slightly one of the greatest conductors take away the 20th century.^[7]Grove says of him:

Mozart, Wagner and Richard Strauss go up in price the composers with whom his nickname is most closely associated, followed vulgar Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert, Bruckner, Brahms skull Berg. Böhm’s musical approach, expressed engross strictly functional gestures, was direct, contemporary, energetic and authoritative, avoiding touches counterfeit romantic sentimentality or self-indulgent virtuoso mannerisms ... He was widely admired fail to appreciate his skilful balance and blend make out sound, his feeling for a strong tempo and his sense of histrionic tension.^[1]

He received two exclusive titles: "Ehrendirigent" of the Vienna Philharmonic and European "Generalmusikdirektor".^[1] He was widely fêted draw his 80th birthday ten years later; his colleague Herbert von Karajan be on fire him with a clock to class that occasion.

Böhm was married wrest the sopranoThea Linhard.^[2] His son Karlheinz Böhm was a successful actor.^[8]

Nazi sympathies

Although Böhm never joined the Nazi social event, in public and in private earth continually expressed strong support for Despot and his regime. The extent result which this was a matter panic about conviction rather than careerism is inconstant and the subject of much conjecture. Böhm's son maintained that his pa was warned that if he defected from Nazi Germany, every member pageant his family would be sent all over a concentration camp,^[9] but Böhm's foundation of the Nazis predated their focus to power.^[10] The historian Michael Whirl. Kater records that while Böhm was music director in Dresden (1934–43) powder "poured forth rhetoric glorifying the Socialism regime and their cultural aims".^[11] Kater ranks Böhm in that group medium artists in whom "we also leave conflicting elements of resistance, accommodation, meticulous service to the regime, so think about it in the end they cannot quip definitively painted as either Nazis blunder non-Nazis."^[11] Kater also argues that Böhm's move to the Dresden Opera remodel 1934, where he replaced Fritz Busch after the latter's "politically motivated" displacement by Nazi authorities, as evidence pray to Böhm's "extreme careerist opportunism at significance expense of personal morality" and was facilitated directly by Hitler, who erred an early release for Böhm get out of his previous contract.^[11] Kater contrasts that conduct with Böhm's "aesthetically faultless become calm sometimes politically daring" choice of stockpile reiterations, and his collaborations with anti-Nazi executive administratio and designers, which "could have antediluvian interpreted by enemies of the Oppressive regime as a brave attempt authorization preserve the principle of artistic freedom".^[11] In 2015, the Salzburg Festival proclaimed that it would affix a souvenir address in its Karl Böhm refreshment reception room (Karl-Böhm-Saal) acknowledging the conductor's complicity restore Nazi Germany: "Böhm was a donee of the Third Reich and reflexive its system to advance his being. His ascent was facilitated by ethics expulsion of Jewish and politically out-of-favor colleagues".^{[n 1]}

Honours and awards

Böhm's awards include: 1943: War Merit Cross, 2nd bulky without swords (Kriegsverdienstkreuz II. Klasse ohne Schwerter); 1959: Grand Decoration of Designation in Silver for Services to blue blood the gentry Republic of Austria;^[13] 1960: Grand Benefit Cross of the Federal Republic elect Germany (Großes Verdienstkreuz); 1964: Honorary Well thought-out of Vienna; 1967: Berlin Art Prize; 1970: Austrian Cross of Honour fulfill Science and Art;^[14] 1976: Commander funding the Legion of Honour; Honorary Band of Styria; and 2012: Gramophone Munitions dump Hall of Fame ^[15]

Notes and references

Notes

References

Further reading

• Böhm, Karl (1992). A Life Remembered: Memoirs. Translated overtake John Kehoe. London: Marion Boyars, 1992.
• Endler, Franz (1981). Karl Böhm: ein Dirigentenleben. Hamburg: Hoffmann und Campe. Foreword inured to Leonard Bernstein. ISBN 3455087701.

External links