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
-
Mozart: Symphonie No. 41 "Jupiter" (Mono Version)
Franz Konwitschny, Dresdner Philharmonie
Classique - Paru chez BNF Collection le 1 janv. 1956
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert: Symphonie No. 9, D. 944 (Mono Version)
Česká filharmonie, Franz Konwitschny
Divers - Paru chez BNF Collection le 1 janv. 1963
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Sinfonie No. 4
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Franz Konwitschny
Musique symphonique - Paru chez Eterna le 1 janv. 1958
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Richard Wagner : Die Walküre (London 1959)
The Covent Garden Orchestra, Franz Konwitschny, Astrid Varnay
Opéra - Paru chez OperaPrima-Carillon le 1 janv. 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tristan und Isolde
Opéra - Paru chez Preiser Records le 20 sept. 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2
The Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Franz Konwitschny
Musique symphonique - Paru chez OBX Records le 19 janv. 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Elly Ney plays Brahms & Beethoven
Elly Ney, Franz Konwitschny, Leipziger Gewandhausorchester
Classique - Paru chez G.O.P. le 23 sept. 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Gottlob Frick sings arias from: Der fliegende Holländer · Das Rheingold
Gottlob Frick, Franz Konwitschny, Chor und Orchester der Deutschen Staatsoper, Berlin
Opéra - Paru chez G.O.P. le 14 mai 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 "Choral"
Franz Konwitschny, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig
Classique - Paru chez Curb - Edel Records le 31 oct. 1995
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
Classique - Paru chez Ancien Prodige le 29 janv. 2024
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D Major, Op. 77
David Oïstrakh, Franz Konwitschny, Staatskapelle Dresden
Classique - Paru chez Ancien Prodige le 29 janv. 2024
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Franz Konwitschny with Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Vol. 8
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Franz Konwitschny
Classique - Paru chez Intense Media GmbH le 7 déc. 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
More Piano Giants: Wilhelm Kempff, Vol. 9
Wilhelm Kempff, Staatskapelle Dresden, Franz Konwitschny
Classique - Paru chez Intense Media GmbH le 15 mars 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Franz Konwitschny with Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Vol. 5
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Franz Konwitschny
Classique - Paru chez Intense Media GmbH le 7 déc. 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Symphony No. 8 in F Major, Op. 93
Franz Konwitschny, The Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra
Musique symphonique - Paru chez Sunday Club Records le 25 mars 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Op. 125 - 2nd Movement
Franz Konwitschny, The Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra
Musique symphonique - Paru chez Sunday Club Records le 25 févr. 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Milestones of a Violin Legend: Igor Oistrach, Vol. 6
Igor Oistrach, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Franz Konwitschny, Eugene Goosens
Classique - Paru chez Intense Media GmbH le 7 juin 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Franz Konwitschny with Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Vol. 9
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Franz Konwitschny
Classique - Paru chez Intense Media GmbH le 7 déc. 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo