Orchestral and Opera conductor, Carlos Kleiber, was—in my view— the greatest conductor of the past 100 years.
Kleiber was born in 1930, the son of eminent Austrian conductor Erich Kleiber.
Kleiber has conducted the Vienna State Opera, the Royal Opera in London, La Scala in Milan, the Metropolitan Opera, and the Berlin Philharmonic — although later in his life, he was not formally affiliated with any musical institution. He as known for his love of conducting in Japan, where audiences particularly adored him.
His repertoire consisted almost entirely of nine operas — including “La Bohème,” “Carmen,” “Der Rosenkavalier,” and “Wozzeck” — and a handful of symphonic works, such as Beethoven’s Symphonies Nos. 4, 5, and 7; Haydn’s Symphony No. 94, and Brahms’ Symphonies No. 2 and 4
Kleiber passed away in 2004, aged 74.
Here is Carlos Kleiber in a performance of Beethoven’s Symphony #4:
