Music has been part of my life as a performer, violinist, and a member of several orchestras for many years. As such, I have srong opinions on some musical topics. One such opinion:
My sense is that Carlos Kleiber was the greatest orchestral and Opera conductor of the past 100 years.
Carlos Kleiber was born on July 3, 1930 in Berlin, Germany. He died on July 13, 2004 in Konjusica, Slovenia.
His parents settled in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1935, and he began music lessons in 1950, making his début at La Plata in 1952.
He was considered by many musicians as one of the great conductors of the late 20th century along with Leonard Bernstein, Herbert von Karajan and Georg Solti. He was a mysterious figure in the music world, refusing all interviews, but he repeatedly left orchestra players notes filled with instructions, which became known as “Kleibergrams.”
Carlos Kleiber made his U.S. debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1978, conducting the overture to Weber’s “Der Freischutz,” Schubert’s Third Symphony and Beethoven’s Fifth. His only other American performances were at the Metropolitan Opera, where he made his debut in 1988.
Here is his legendary performance of Beethoven’s Symphony #7:
