Kurt Masur
Kurt Masur's tenure with the New York Philharmonic in the 1990s superficially seemed a throwback to the days when American orchestras always looked to the European continent when naming their conductors. In fact, the appointment was both unusual and forward-thinking. Born in Brieg, Silesia (in modern-day Poland) in 1927, Masur was one of the most respected conductors of his generation and was well known for his human rights activities.
Masur studied cello and piano while at the Breslau Music School from 1942 to 1944. After the war he found himself in the Soviet-occupied zone of Germany, which became the German Democratic Republic (DDR) or East Germany. His education then continued at the Leipzig Hochschule für Musik, where he studied piano, composition, and conducting (1946-1948). His professional career began as a coach and assistant conductor in the Halle Landestheater. He then became Kapellmeister of the Erfurt City Theater (1951-1953). Next, he was his appointed as Kapellmeister of the Leipzig Opera Theater. (1953-1955).
His first orchestral position came with the Dresden Philharmonic (1955-1958). He then returned to opera, becoming Generalmusikdirektor of the Mecklenburg State Theater in Schwerin (1958-1960). One of his most important appointments came in 1960, when he took the post as Senior Director of Music at the Berlin Komische Oper, where he worked with the famous director and producer Walter Felsenstein. He returned to the Dresden Philharmonic as its music director (1967-1972). In 1970 he became Gewandhauskapellmeister of Leipzig, a position of high prestige ever since the Gewandhaus Orchestra had been led by Wilhelm Furtwängler, Bruno Walter, and indeed Felix Mendelssohn. He remained at the Gewandhaus through 1996, during one of the most important stretches in the orchestra's history. Together they made numerous recordings for the East German state recording company, many of which became generally available in the West only during the 1990s. He also took the orchestra on significant foreign tours, and in 1975 he became a professor at the Leipzig Academy.
Masur was a frequent guest conductor with the world's leading orchestras. His U.S. debut came in 1974, when he led the Cleveland Orchestra and also took the Gewandhaus Orchestra on its first American tour. His New York Philharmonic debut took place in 1981.
Masur became outspoken in his opposition to DDR policies, and in 1989 he played a central role in the growing demonstrations against Communist rule. As a result he was awarded several of Germany's highest civilian honors, and his profile in the West was raised still further.
In 1991 Masur was appointed music director of the New York Philharmonic. Although the orchestra was in fine form when he took it, he was been credited with sharpening its precision, creating a more incisive sound. Masur and the Philharmonic recorded extensively on the Teldec label. Under his tenure, the orchestra resumed its historic series of live national radio broadcasts, becoming the only orchestra in the United States with such a program in place. In 1999, the orchestra's "Messages for the Millennium" project commissioned works by Thomas Ades, John Corigliano, Hans Werner Henze, Giya Kancheli, and Kaija Saariaho, and in June of the following year, Masur and the Philharmonic completed their fifth European tour.
In 1996 he stepped down from his position with the Gewandhaus, which elected to give him the title of Conductor Laureate -- the first time it had bestowed that honor. Since 1992, he held the lifetime title of Honorary Guest Conductor of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. In September 2000, Masur assumed the position of Principal Conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, which he held until 2007. At the end of his contract with the New York Philharmonic in 2002, Masur became music director of the Orchestre National de France, a position he held until 2008. He remained active as a guest conductor for a few more years, although his age and health placed some limitations on his engagements.
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Artistas semelhantes
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SCHUMANN, R.: Piano Concerto / Introduction and Allegro appassionato / Introduction and Concert Allegro (Rosel, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Masur)
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Peter Rösel, Kurt Masur
Classical - Lançado por Eterna em 18/08/2006
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Liszt - Works for Piano & Orchestra
Michel Béroff, Kurt Masur, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig
Classical - Lançado por Warner Classics em 01/01/1980
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Gubaidulina: Two Paths (A Dedication to Mary and Martha): Concerto for Two Violas and Orchestra (Recorded 1999) (Live)
New York Philharmonic, Kurt Masur
Classical - Lançado por New York Philharmonic em 08/12/2017
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Prokofiev: Romeo & Juliet - excerpts
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Kurt Masur
Classical - Lançado por Decca Music Group Ltd. em 01/01/1988
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
BEETHOVEN. L. van: Missa Solemnis (Tomowa-Sintow, Burmeister, Schreier, Polster, Leipzig Radio Chorus, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Masur)
Sacred Vocal Music - Lançado por Berlin Classics em 17/04/2020
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 3 "Polish"
Kurt Masur, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig
Classical - Lançado por Warner Classics International em 01/01/1990
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Ein deutsches Requiem, Op. 45
Classical - Lançado por Warner Classics em 01/01/1995
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bruckner: Symphony No. 7 (Live, Avery Fisher Hall, New York, 1991)
Classical - Lançado por Warner Classics em 14/05/2021
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mendelssohn : Symphonies No. 3 "Scottish" & No. 4 "Italian"
Kurt Masur, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig
Classical - Lançado por Warner Classics International em 01/02/1993
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MENDELSSOHN, F.: String Symphony No. 8 (original version and version with winds) (Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Masur)
Classical - Lançado por Berlin Classics em 01/01/2004
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
MENDELSSOHN, Felix: Midsummer Night's Dream (A) / Die schone Melusine / Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage (Masur) (Felix Mendelssohn)
Classical - Lançado por Berlin Classics em 01/01/1977
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dukas: The Sorcerer's Apprentice (Recorded 1992) (Live)
New York Philharmonic, Kurt Masur
Classical - Lançado por New York Philharmonic em 08/12/2017
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Stravinsky: Pulcinella Suite (Recorded 1999) (Live)
New York Philharmonic, Kurt Masur
Classical - Lançado por New York Philharmonic em 08/12/2017
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 2 "Little Russian" & Romeo and Juliet, Fantasy Overture
Kurt Masur, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig
Classical - Lançado por Warner Classics International em 01/01/1990
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 5
Kurt Masur, London Philharmonic Orchestra
Symphonic Music - Lançado por London Philharmonic Orchestra em 15/03/2019
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Klavierkonzerte No. 26 & 27
Annerose Schmidt, Dresdner Philharmonie, Kurt Masur
Classical - Lançado por Eterna em 01/01/1974
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Prokofiev: Alexander Nevsky & Scythian Suite
Classical - Lançado por Warner Classics International em 01/05/1991
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
SHOSTAKOVICH, D.: Violin Concerto No. 1 / PROKOFIEV, S.: Symphony No. 1, "Classical" (Schmahl, Dresden Philharmonic, Masur)
Kurt Masur, Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra
Classical - Lançado por Berlin Classics em 01/01/1995
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Liszt: Les préludes/Mephisto-Walzer/Orpheus/Mazeppa
Kurt Masur, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig
Classical - Lançado por Warner Classics em 01/01/1993
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 1 (Recorded 2001) (Live)
New York Philharmonic, Kurt Masur
Classical - Lançado por New York Philharmonic em 08/12/2017
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ruggles: Sun-treader (Recorded 1994) (Live)
New York Philharmonic, Kurt Masur
Classical - Lançado por New York Philharmonic em 08/12/2017
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo