Fricsay Ferenc
conductor
Place of Birth
Budapest
Date of Birth
1914
9 July 1914 Budapest - 20 February 1963 Basel
At the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music he was pupil of Zoltán Kodály and Béla Bartók. From 1936 to 1944 he worked as opera- and orchestral conductor in Szeged. In Budapest he debuted in 1939, and 1945 he became conductor of the Opera House and leader of the Philharmonic Orchestra.
In 1947 he substituted Otto Klemperer at the Salzburg Festival, where he conducted Danton’s death by Einem. Next year he instructed the first premiere of Frank Martin’s Zaubertrank and Orff’s Antigone. In 1948 he debuted with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau in Berlin presenting Verdi’s Don Carlos. Until 1952 he worked in the Staatsoper of Vienna and until 1954 and from 1960 to 1963 he was leading conductor of the Berlin RIAS Symphonic Orchestra.
Fricsay, who is primarily known by his Mozart- and Verdi-interpretations, introduced himself in America with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. In 1954 he became leader of the Houston Symphony, and from 1956 he was conductor of the Munich Opera House. From 1961 he was general music director of Deutsche Oper in Berlin.
In 1962 he wrote a book on Mozart and Bartók. His most renowned recordings are: The Magic Flute (1955) and Don Giovanni (1958).
At the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music he was pupil of Zoltán Kodály and Béla Bartók. From 1936 to 1944 he worked as opera- and orchestral conductor in Szeged. In Budapest he debuted in 1939, and 1945 he became conductor of the Opera House and leader of the Philharmonic Orchestra.
In 1947 he substituted Otto Klemperer at the Salzburg Festival, where he conducted Danton’s death by Einem. Next year he instructed the first premiere of Frank Martin’s Zaubertrank and Orff’s Antigone. In 1948 he debuted with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau in Berlin presenting Verdi’s Don Carlos. Until 1952 he worked in the Staatsoper of Vienna and until 1954 and from 1960 to 1963 he was leading conductor of the Berlin RIAS Symphonic Orchestra.
Fricsay, who is primarily known by his Mozart- and Verdi-interpretations, introduced himself in America with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. In 1954 he became leader of the Houston Symphony, and from 1956 he was conductor of the Munich Opera House. From 1961 he was general music director of Deutsche Oper in Berlin.
In 1962 he wrote a book on Mozart and Bartók. His most renowned recordings are: The Magic Flute (1955) and Don Giovanni (1958).
| Year | Title | Publisher | Code | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Bartók Béla: Piano Concerto No.2 - Csajkovszkij, Pjotr Iljics: Symphony No.5 | ORFEO Music Foundation | C276921B | |
| 2000 | Bartók Béla: Piano Concerto No.3 - Csajkovszkij, Pjotr Iljics: Symphony No.6 "Pathétique" | ORFEO Music Foundation | C200891B |