Franz Konwitschny
Franz Konwitschny was born to a family consisting of several members who were professional musicians. He studied at Brno's German Musical Society and later at Leipzig Conservatory. While still a student, he was exposed to great conducting as a member of the viola section of the famous Gewandhausorchester Leipzig when he played under the direction of Wilhelm Furtwängler. In 1925, he moved to Vienna with the Fitzner Quartet and began teaching at the Vienna Volkskonservatorium. Within two years, he had decided to become a conductor. In 1927, he joined the Stuttgart Opera, first as an assistant conductor then winning promotion to chief conductor in 1930. Engagements at Freiburg, Frankfort, and Hanover occupied him until 1949 when he was awarded the helm of the venerable Gewandhausorchester Leipzig. From 1949 until his death on tour in 1962, he held that position even as opera house appointments (Dresden 1953 to 1955, and the Berliner Staatsoper from 1955 onward) occupied increasing amounts of time. His dual positions made him one of the Eastern bloc's most authoritative and celebrated musicians. In the years shortly before his death, Konwitschny appeared abroad in such venues as Salzburg and London and toured elsewhere in Austria, West Germany, Poland, Soviet Russia, and Japan. As an interpreter, he eschewed the precise attacks expected of Western conductors in favor of deeper tone coloring and a spontaneous search for meaning. For EMI, his recordings of Der fliegende Holländer and Tannhäuser are compelling, despite casting deficiencies in both title roles.
Franz Konwitschny was a yeoman conductor. Not a stellar podium personality, but a musician who respected the need for craftsmanship and still managed to probe deeply into the scores that held greatest meaning to him. While the music of his own time appealed to him less than the masterworks of the Classical and Romantic ages, he still made time for the works of such composers as Dessau and Eisler. Konwitschny's early death came as a blow to an art form that needed individuals of such gifts and such devotion to high purpose. The majority of Konwitschny's recordings were made for the East German branch of Philips, and the company's successor, Berlin Classics, honored his memory with the release of an 11-CD box set of his performances in 2001.
© TiVo
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Franz Konwitschny conducts Richard Wagner
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Franz Konwitschny
Classical - Released by Archipel on 14 Apr 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D Major, Op. 77
David Oïstrakh, Franz Konwitschny, Staatskapelle Dresden
Classical - Released by Classically on 29 Jan 2024
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Symphonie No. 5, Op. 67 & Ouverture Léonore No. 3, Op. 72b (Mono Version)
Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Leipzig, Franz Konwitschny
Classical - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1956
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Symphonie "Iena" (Now Attributed to Friedrich Witt, Mono Version)
Staatskapelle Dresden, Franz Konwitschny
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1957
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
The Great Conductors: Franz Konwitschny Conducts Anton Bruckner
Wiener Symphoniker, Franz Konwitschny
Classical - Released by Jube Classic on 8 Dec 2017
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Romances pour violon et orchestre (Mono Version)
Igor Oïstrakh, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Franz Konwitschny
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1957
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Schumann: Symphonie No. 1 & Manfred, Op. 115: Ouverture (Mono Version)
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Franz Konwitschny
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1961
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Wagner: Der fliegende Holländer (Highlights)
Staatskapelle Berlin, Chor der Staatsoper Berlin, Franz Konwitschny
Opera - Released by Eterna on 1 Jan 1962
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 7 & 8
The Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Franz Konwitschny
Symphonic Music - Released by Radio Tower Records on 13 Oct 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92
Franz Konwitschny, The Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra
Symphonic Music - Released by Radio Tower Records on 19 Jul 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
BEETHOVEN, L. van: Symphony No. 4 / Piano Concerto No. 4 (Webersinke, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Konwitschny) (Ludwig van Beethoven)
Classical - Released by Corona Classics Collection on 1 Jan 1962
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
BEETHOVEN, L. van: Symphony No. 9 (Konwitschny) (Friedrich von Schiller - Ludwig van Beethoven)
Classical - Released by Corona Classics Collection on 28 Apr 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Famous conductors of the past - Franz Konwitschny
Classical - Released by Preiser Records on 21 Aug 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach: Konzert für Violine und Orchester No. 2 / Romanzen für Violine und Orchester No. 1 & 2
Igor Oïstrakh, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Franz Konwitschny
Classical - Released by Eterna on 1 Jan 1956
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Franz Konwitschny conducts Sinfonia domestica
Staats Orchester Dresden, Franz Konwitschny
Classical - Released by Archipel on 7 Apr 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Robert Schumann: Symphony No. 1 in B-Flat Major, Op. 38 - Symphony No. 3 in E-Flat Major, Op. 97 (Album of 1962)
Franz Konwitschny, Gewandhaus Orchestrer
Pop - Released by GazzaLadra on 31 Dec 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tchaikovsky: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D Major, Op. 35
David Oïstrakh, Franz Konwitschny, Staatskapelle Dresden
Classical - Released by Classically on 29 Jan 2024
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Concerto pour violon No. 5 (Mono Version)
David Oïstrakh, Franz Konwitschny, Staatskapelle Dresden
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1955
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
R. Strauss: Pages orchestrales (Mono Version)
Wiener Symphoniker, Franz Konwitschny
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1962
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Concerto pour violon, Op. 77 (Mono Version)
David Oïstrakh, Staatskapelle Dresden, Franz Konwitschny
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1955
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Strauss: Sinfonia Domestica, Op. 53 (Mono Version)
Staatskapelle Dresden, Franz Konwitschny
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1957
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo