Conductors Archive

Composer Joseph Haydn composed 104 symphonies, but Schubert did just 9, and one of them was “unfinished”. But Schubert was only 31 when he died… My personal favorite is the Schubert #5, and the reason …

Piotr Tchaikovsky composed his Fifth Symphony between May and August 26, 1888, and conducted the first performance in Saint Petersburg on November 17 of that year. Theodore Thomas, who would found the Chicago Orchestra two …

Conductor Carlos Kleiber was the man I have most admired as a musician who lived during my time. As such, I do not include composers such as Franz Schubert, Mozart and others. Kleiber was even …

Johannes Brahms’ mother died in February 1865, a loss that caused him much grief and may well have inspired the Requiem in her memory. Also, Brahms’ lingering feelings over Robert Schumann’s death in July 1856 …

David Oistrakh studied violin as a child with Pyotr Stoliarsky in Odessa, making his debut there at the age of 6, and then continued his studies with Stoliarsky at the Odessa Conservatory during 1923-26. Oistrakh’s …