Fritz Reiner

About

Fritz Reiner was one of the most acclaimed conductors of the 20th century -- noted for the vast range of his repertoire, which included both symphonic and operatic pieces spanning from the traditional canon to contemporary material, he was also an influential educator who counted among his pupils Leonard Bernstein. Reiner was born in Budapest, Hungary on December 19, 1888; despite earning a law degree from the University of Bucharest, he pursued a career in music, and at age 21 was named Chorusmaster of the Budapest Opera. A stint as conductor with the Budapest Volksoper followed before Reiner was chosen in 1914 to serve as principal conductor of the Royal Opera in Dresden, where he collaborated with Richard Strauss on productions of several of the composer's early operas. In 1922 Reiner left Europe to relocate to America, settling in Cincinnati, OH and signing on as conductor with the city's Symphony Orchestra; a decade later he was tapped to head the orchestral and opera departments at Philadelphia's Curtis Institute of Music, where his students included Bernstein. After next serving as the music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony between 1938 and 1948, he served five years with the Metropolitan Opera. While Reiner's frequent migration might have been attributed largely to a restless creativity, he was also a notoriously difficult personality who frequently alienated those around him -- many of the musicians under his command openly loathed him, although he inevitably inspired the best work of their careers. Reiner's own best work was undoubtedly his tenure with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, which he elevated into one of the most celebrated ensembles in the world. Moving over to the CSO in 1953, he not only established the orchestra as a top-flight live attraction but also as a popular recording entity -- the countless albums they made for RCA's "Living Stereo" series during Reiner's decade-long tenure were much-acclaimed by collectors for both the power of the performances and the unusually high fidelity of the recordings themselves. Releases like Reiner Conducts Richard Strauss and Reiner Conducts Bartok in particular remain definitive interpretations of the composers in question. Health problems forced Reiner to resign his position in 1962, and he died in New York City on November 15 of the following year. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide

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Fritz Reiner Discography (32titles)

Strauss: Symphonia domestica; Suite from Le Bourgeois gentilhomme 6/26/07 88697082822 Super Audio CD Hybrid BUY NOW	Strauss: Don Quixote, Don Juan 1/23/07 88697046042 Super Audio CD Hybrid BUY NOW	Respighi: Pines of Rome; Fountains of Rome & Debussy: La mer 2/7/06 82876716142 Super Audio CD Hybrid BUY NOW
Vienna 2/7/06 82876716152 Super Audio CD Hybrid BUY NOW	Strauss: Scenes from Elektra & Salome 7/26/05 82876679002 Super Audio CD Hybrid BUY NOW	Mahler: Symphony No. 4 7/26/05 82876679012 Super Audio CD Hybrid BUY NOW
Rossini: Overtures: Classic Library Series 3/22/05 82876658442 CD Longplay BUY NOW	Dvorák: New World Symphony 1/25/05 82876663762 Super Audio CD BUY NOW	Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade 1/25/05 82876663772 Super Audio CD BUY NOW
Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra; Ein Heldenleben 9/21/04 82876613892 Super Audio CD BUY NOW	Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra; Music for Strings, Percussion & Celesta; Hungarian Sketches 9/14/04 82876613902 Super Audio CD BUY NOW	Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition 9/14/04 82876613942 Super Audio CD BUY NOW
Prokofiev: Alexander Nevsky; Khachaturian: Violin Concerto 9/12/00 09026637082 CD Longplay BUY NOW	Mahler: Symphony No. 4 3/7/00 09026635332 CD Longplay BUY NOW	Beethoven: Symphonies 5 & 7, Coriolan Overture, Op.62, Fidelio Overture Op. 72b 1/13/98 09026689762 CD Longplay BUY NOW
Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1/The Nutcracker (Excerpts) 2/11/97 09026685302 CD Longplay BUY NOW	Strauss: Don Quixote, Don Juan 3/26/96 09026681702 CD Longplay BUY NOW	Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade / Stravinsky: Song of the Nightingale 2/27/96 09026681682 CD Longplay BUY NOW
Reiner Conducts Tchaikovsky 2/27/96 09026612462 CD Longplay BUY NOW	Schumann, Prokofiev: Piano Concertos 9/12/95 09026626912 CD Longplay BUY NOW	Vienna 9/12/95 09026681602 CD Longplay BUY NOW
Respighi: Pines of Rome; Fountains of Rome; Debussy: La mer 4/11/95 09026680792 CD Longplay BUY NOW	Dvorak: New World Symphony and other orchestral masterworks 3/14/95 09026625872 CD Longplay BUY NOW	Hovhaness: Mysterious Mountain / Prokofiev: Lieutenant Kijé / Stravinsky: The Fairy's Kiss: Divertimento 3/14/95 09026619572 CD Longplay BUY NOW
Pictures At An Exhibition 3/15/94 09026619582 CD Longplay BUY NOW	Beethoven: Symphony 9 ("Choral") 1/18/94 09026617952 CD Longplay BUY NOW	Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra; Music for Strings, Percussion & Celesta; Hungarian Sketches 8/10/93 09026615042 CD Longplay BUY NOW
The Reiner Sound 3/9/93 09026612502 CD Longplay BUY NOW	Tchaikovsky, Brahms Violin Concertos 3/9/93 09026614952 CD Longplay BUY NOW	Richard Strauss In High Fidelity 3/9/93 09026614942 CD Longplay BUY NOW
Ravel/Debussy: Orchestral Works 9/12/89 GD60179 CD Longplay BUY NOW	Carmen 11/1/88 07863579812 CD Longplay BUY NOW