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Georg Solti

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Sir Georg Solti, born György Stern on 21 October 1912 in Budapest, was a Hungarian-British conductor of orchestras and operas. He died on 5 September 1997. He studied with Béla Bartók, Leó Weiner and Ernő Dohnányi. In the 1930s he was a répétiteur at the Hungarian State Opera and worked for Arturo Toscanini at the Salzburg Festival. Because he was Jewish, he fled in 1938 from the antisemitic laws. He found refuge in Switzerland, where he was not allowed to conduct and earned his living as a pianist.

Music and breakthrough

After the war, in 1946, he became musical director of the Bavarian State Opera in Munich. In 1952 he moved to the opera in Frankfurt, where he stayed for nine years. From 1961 to 1971 he led the opera at Covent Garden in London, which under him received the title Royal Opera. In 1969 he became music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, a post he held for twenty-two years. He also led the Orchestre de Paris and the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

Influence

In his younger years he was known for his intensity; later he was seen as milder. He made more than 250 recordings, including 45 complete operas. Best known is the complete Der Ring des Nibelungen by Wagner for Decca, recorded between 1958 and 1965, of which Das Rheingold appeared in 1959. That recording has twice been declared the best ever made. From 1963 to 1998 he won 31 Grammys, more than anyone else until 2023. He became a British citizen in 1972.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to the opening of Das Rheingold in Solti's recording from 1959 and notice how the music builds up very slowly. Try to hear how long it takes before a melody emerges.

Discography

Studio albums

Categories: Artists