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Biography of Otto KlempererName: Otto KlempererBirth Date: May 14, 1885 Death Date: July 6, 1973 Place of Birth: Breslau, Germany Nationality: German Gender: Male Occupations: conductor Otto Klemperer Otto Klemperer (1885-1973) was a multifaceted conductor, a master at interpreting opera, the avant-garde, and the classic German repertoire. Those musicians who performed under his baton recall his sternness and indomitable spirit, which enabled him to overcome personal and historical challenges.Otto Klemperer was born on May 14, 1885, in what was then the Silesian city of Breslau during a period when the area was ruled by the Germans. Following the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, Poland received parts of Silesia, including the city of Breslau, whose name has since been changed to Wroclaw. Like his birthplace, Klemperer would also be cast adrift by the tides of history.Early CareerKlemperer's musical studies brought him first to Frankfort, where he studied at the Hochschule fur Musik, then at the Stern Conservatory in Berlin, where he was a student of the Russian-German composer, Hans Pfitzner. In 1905, he caught the eye of Gustav Mahler and became …showed first 150 words…
…showed last 150 words…Klemperer had been a harbinger of European modernism in the 1920s and early 1930s. However, he retained a love for contemporary music throughout his life. Almost belying the classics is his later interest in the work of Karlheinz Stockhausen and Pierre Boulez.Klemperer was also a composer, though in this area he did not meet with very much success; his compositions are seldom, if ever, performed. His total output was six symphonies, nine string quartets, and an opera. Klemperer died on July 6, 1973 in Zurich, Switzerland. He was eighty-eight years old. Further Reading Ewen, David. The Man with the Baton: The Story of Conductors and Their Orchestras. Thomas Y. Crowell, 1936.Lebrecht, Norman. The Maestro Myth: Great Conductors in Pursuit of Power. Birch Lane Press, 1991.The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, edited by Stanley Sadie. Macmillan, 1980.Wooldridge, David. Conductor's World. Praeger Publishers, 1970.New York Times April 24, 1984; May 12, 1985.Times (London), July 7, 1996. |