Sir Georg Solti (1912-1997), one of the greatest conductors of the 20th century, was a testament to the elegance and impeccable tastefulness of Central European music-making. Born in Budapest in 1912, he studied with Béla Bartók, Ernö von Dohnányi, Zoltán Kodály and Leo Weiner. In 1937, Toscanini chose him to be his assistant at the Salzburg Festival. After the war, Solti was appointed Music Director of the Bavarian State Opera. Further stations in his career were the Frankfurt Opera, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden and the London Philharmonic. His remarkable partnership with the Chicago Symphony began in 1954; he was named Music Director in 1969 and held this post for a phenomenal 22 years. He is credited with greatly extending and enhancing the orchestra’s worldwide reputation. Solti died in September 1997, just before his 85th birthday.
Strauss, Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche, op.28
Sir Georg Solti (1912-1997), one of the greatest conductors of the 20th century, was a testament to the elegance and impeccable tastefulness of Central European music-making. Born in Budapest in 1912, he studied with Béla Bartók, Ernö von Dohnányi, Zoltán Kodály and Leo Weiner. In 1937, Toscanini chose him to be his assistant at the Salzburg Festival. After the war, Solti was appointed Music Director of the Bavarian State Opera. Further stations in his career were the Frankfurt Opera, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden and the London Philharmonic. His remarkable partnership with the Chicago Symphony began in 1954; he was named Music Director in 1969 and held this post for a phenomenal 22 years. He is credited with greatly extending and enhancing the orchestra’s worldwide reputation. Solti died in September 1997, just before his 85th birthday. Solti has long been known as a peerless conductor of the works of Richard Strauss. On Richard Strauss’ 85th birthday, Solti, then director of the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, conducted Der Rosenkavalier in honor of the composer. “It was my very first Rosenkavalier”, recalled Solti, “and I had never been so nervous because I knew that he would come to the performance. He was very enchanting, and on that occasion we asked him to conduct the end of the second act. It was quite amazing.”
Mussorgsky, Prélude to “Khovanshchina”
One of the great talents of Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881) was his unique ability to transpose words, psychological states and even physical movements into music. And even if he left his opera “Khovanshchina” (The Khovansky Affair) incomplete and unorchestrated, the sheer theatricality of its musical text reveals the presence of a work that begs for a stage production. The first completion and orchestration was made by Mussorgsky’s contemporary Rimsky-Korsakov. Sir Georg Solti (1912-1997), one of the greatest conductors of the 20th century, was a testament to the elegance and impeccable tastefulness of Central European music-making. Born in Budapest in 1912, he studied with Béla Bartók, Ernö von Dohnányi, Zoltán Kodály and Leo Weiner. In 1937, Toscanini chose him to be his assistant at the Salzburg Festival. After the war, Solti was appointed Music Director of the Bavarian State Opera. Further stations in his career were the Frankfurt Opera, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden and the London Philharmonic. His remarkable partnership with the Chicago Symphony began in 1954; he was named Music Director in 1969 and held this post for a phenomenal 22 years. He is credited with greatly extending and enhancing the orchestra’s worldwide reputation. Solti died in September 1997, just before his 85th birthday. This recording with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra was made in October 1977 at the Orchestra Hall in Chicago.
Prokofiev, Symphonie Classiquer, op.25
Sir Georg Solti (1912-1997) personified the elegance and impeccable tastefulness of Central European music-making for many years. Solti’s remarkable partnership with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra began in 1954, when he first led the orchestra at the Ravinia Festival. After returning to conduct the ensemble several times during the following years, he was named Music Director in 1969 and held this post for a phenomenal 22 years. He is credited with greatly extending and enhancing the orchestra’s worldwide reputation. This recording with the Chicago Symphony dates from the late 1970s and represents a mellower, more lyrically accented phase in the partnership between Solti and his orchestra. At its first telecast in the United States in 1979, the Chicago Sun-Times wrote that “these are remarkable hours, firstly because of the quality of the music and secondly because of the outstanding technical competence that went into this production. What’s more, these productions convey much of the impact Solti makes on his audiences in his concerts.”
Shostakovich, Symphony No.1 in F minor, op.10
Dmitry Shostakovich (* St. Petersburg, 1906 – + Moscow, 1975) immediately made a name for himself with his First Symphony. In spite of political pressure from the Soviet authorities on account of his alleged “Western formalism”, and in spite of certain critiques from Western commentators, Shostakovich is considered as the Soviet Union’s major symphonist and one of Russia’s greatest composers. The influence of Tchaikovsky, Rimsky- Korsakov, Mahler, Stravinsky and Hindemith is evident in his early works. This concert featuring the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under its longtime principal conductor Sir Georg Solti was recorded live in 1977. At its first telecast in the United States in 1979, the Chicago Sun-Times wrote that “these are remarkable hours, firstly because of the quality of the music and secondly because of the outstanding technical competence that went into this production. What’s more, these productions convey much of the impact Solti makes on his audiences in his concerts.”
Berlioz, Excerpts from “Romeo and Juliet”
“The last of the great international orchestral and operatic maestri” (The Times), Sir Georg Solti is a living testament to the elegance and impeccable tastefulness of Central European music-making. Solti’s remarkable partnership with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra began in 1954, when he first led the orchestra at the Ravinia Festival. After returning to conduct the ensemble several times during the following years, he was named Music Director in 1969 and held this post for a phenomenal 22 years. He is credited with greatly extending and enhancing the orchestra’s worldwide reputation. This recording with the Chicago Symphony dates from the late 1970s and represents a mellower, more lyrically accented phase in the partnership between Solti and his orchestra.
Strauss, Tod und Verklärung, op. 24
Sir Georg Solti (1912-1997), one of the greatest conductors of the 20th century, was a testament to the elegance and impeccable tastefulness of Central European music-making. Born in Budapest in 1912, he studied with Béla Bartók, Ernö von Dohnányi, Zoltán Kodály and Leo Weiner. In 1937, Toscanini chose him to be his assistant at the Salzburg Festival. After the war, Solti was appointed Music Director of the Bavarian State Opera. Further stations in his career were the Frankfurt Opera, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden and the London Philharmonic. His remarkable partnership with the Chicago Symphony began in 1954; he was named Music Director in 1969 and held this post for a phenomenal 22 years. He is credited with greatly extending and enhancing the orchestra’s worldwide reputation. Solti died in September 1997, just before his 85th birthday. Solti has long been known as a peerless conductor of the works of Richard Strauss. On Richard Strauss’ 85th birthday, Solti, then director of the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, conducted Der Rosenkavalier in honor of the composer. “It was my very first Rosenkavalier”, recalled Solti, “and I had never been so nervous because I knew that he would come to the performance. He was very enchanting, and on that occasion we asked him to conduct the end of the second act. It was quite amazing.”
Strauss, Vier letzte Lieder
For many years, Sir Georg Solti was the last great representative of the central European musical tradition, which was characterized by elegance and impeccable tastefulness. Solti’s remarkable partnership with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra began in 1954, when he first led the orchestra at the Ravinia Festival. After returning to conduct the ensemble several times during the following years, he was named Music Director in 1969 and held this post for a phenomenal 22 years. He is credited with greatly extending and enhancing the orchestra’s worldwide reputation. This recording with the great soprano Lucia Popp, who passed away far too prematurely, was recorded at Chicago’s Orchestra Hall in 1977.
Schumann, Piano Concerto in A minor, op.54
Schumann dedicated his piano concerto to Ferdinand Hiller, but it was his wife Clara Schumann who premiered it on 1 January 1846 in Leipzig, thus ensuring its overwhelming success. Written after a profound study of the works of Bach, the piece bears no trace of learned polyphony or complex counterpoint. It seems to flow effortlessly, without flashy virtuosity or Beethovenian drama. Not surprisingly, it is one of the most popular piano concertos in the repertoire. Following the cycles of orchestral works by Mahler, Beethoven and Brahms, Unitel chose to honor Robert Schumann in 1984/85 with this cycle performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under Leonard Bernstein. Schumann’s orchestral works are firmly established in the repertoire of the Vienna Philharmonic. The glowing, romantic sound of this orchestra and Leonard Bernstein’s expressive interpretation complement each other in an ideal way to produce a perfect rendering of Schumann’s symphonic oeuvre. Schumann’s four symphonies, his piano concerto, the violoncello concerto and the Manfred Overture have been filmed and recorded in the “Golden Hall” of the Vienna Musikverein, held to rank acoustically among the world’s best halls. The soloists are Justus Frantz, piano, and the cellist Mischa Maisky.
Haydn, Sinfonia Concertante in B flat major
In his Sinfonia Concertante for violin, violoncello, oboe, bassoon and orchestra, Haydn combined typical stylistic features of the solo concerto with elements of the classic symphony. As a conductor, he was keenly aware of the extent to which individual orchestral players hankered after recognition as solo performers. Consequently this work, which was first performed in London on 9 March 1792, offers an opportunity for four soloists to demonstrate their virtuosity in competition with the orchestra. By making the violin the most prominent of the solo instruments, Haydn expressed his gratitude to the violinist Johann Peter Salomon, who was also the organizer of the London concerts. Leonard Bernstein began conducting Haydn’s orchestral works when he was still Music Director of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. Since then, his interpretations of the symphonies have consistently met with unreserved critical acclaim. He, of all conductors, possessed precisely the qualities which Haydn’s music requires: grace, charm and a generous measure of wit. This production with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra was recorded in 1984.