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   » » Wiki: Lorin Maazel
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Lorin Varencove Maazel (; March 6, 1930 – July 13, 2014) was an American , and . He began conducting at the age of eight and by 1953 had decided to pursue a career in music. He had established a reputation in the concert halls of Europe by 1960 but his career in the U.S. progressed far more slowly. He served as music director of The Cleveland Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the New York Philharmonic, among other posts. Maazel was well regarded in baton technique and had a photographic memory for scores. Described as mercurial and forbidding in rehearsal, he mellowed in old age.


Early life
Maazel was born to American parents of Russian Jewish origin in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France.

His grandfather Isaac Maazel (1873–1925), born in , Ukraine, then in the , was a violinist in the Metropolitan Opera orchestra. He and his wife Esther Glazer (1879–1921), originally from , Ukraine, then in the , came to North America in 1900 after the birth of their eldest son Marvin (1899–1988), who later became a pianist and composer.

Maazel was brought up in the , primarily at his parents' home in the city of 's Oakland neighborhood. Pittsburgh Live His father, (1903–2009), was a singer, teacher of voice and piano, and an actor (he co-starred in George A. Romero's 1978 horror movie Martin); and his mother, Marion "Marie" Shulman Maazel (1894–1992), founded the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra.Lynne Conner (13 January 2002). "The Double Life of Lincoln Maazel" , Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Maazel was a and had . He had his first conducting lesson at age seven with Vladimir Bakaleinikov, making his debut at age eight, conducting the University of Idaho Orchestra in Schubert's "Unfinished" Symphony in Los Angeles in 1938.

(1998). 9781574670462, Amadeus Press.
In the same year, he conducted the National High School Orchestra at the National Music Camp in Interlochen, Michigan. The following year, he conducted 11 concerts by the same orchestra at the New York World's Fair. At the age of eleven, he guest-conducted the NBC Symphony Orchestra on the radio. At twelve he toured the United States to conduct major orchestras. By 1943 he emerged as the conductor of the Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra at New York City's performing César Franck's Symphony in D minor. The New York Times. "Lorin Maazel at 13 Conducts Symphony; Boy Offers the Frank Work in D minor at Stadium Concert" 18 July 1943 Lorin Maazel on nytimes.com He made his violin debut at the age of fifteen. He attended the Fanny Edel Falk Laboratory School at the University of Pittsburgh as a child, followed by Peabody High School and the University of Pittsburgh. Maazel studied briefly with in 1945.Canarina J. Pierre Monteux, Maître. Amadeus Press, Pompton Plains, Cambridge, 2003, p. 228.


Early career
In the early 1950s, Maazel toured as the conductor with the Gershwin Concert Orchestra. The orchestra consisted of 25 members and a noted array of soloists. The orchestra was organized in cooperation with , to give the public a comprehensive Gershwin program. The list of soloists included George Gershwin's friend, Jesús María Sanromá, and .

In 1960, Maazel became the first to conduct at the Bayreuth Festspielhaus. He was chief conductor of the Deutsche Oper Berlin from 1965 to 1971 and the Radio-Symphonie-Orchester (RSO) Berlin from 1964 to 1975.


Tenure in Cleveland
At the age of 13, Lorin Maazel was introduced to the citizens of Cleveland in a pension fund concert at Public Hall on March 14, 1943. He conducted a selection of pieces that included the overture from 's opera and 's "Unfinished" symphony, and his orchestra featured 14-year-old prodigy on violin. Earlier in his young career, Maazel had already guest conducted the NBC Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Pittsburgh Symphony. It was Artur Rodziński, in the midst of defending his decision to leave Cleveland for a post with the New York Philharmonic, who half-jokingly stated: "Look Maazel over, he may be your next conductor." However, it would be nearly thirty years before Maazel would become music director of The Cleveland Orchestra, succeeding in 1972.

In the wake of Szell's crisp, chamber-like style, many critics fretted over Maazel's emotional interpretations. Shortly after Maazel was named to the post in Cleveland, though, his status was buoyed by both an endorsement from Philadelphia Orchestra music director and the promise of a recording contract with . In addition, Maazel chose to revitalize the Orchestra's educational outreach programs for the city's schoolchildren. He envisioned an annual concert at Public Hall where the chorus would be made up of area students. This project launched on May 19, 1973, with a program that included music from 's opera Porgy and Bess, 's A Lincoln Portrait, and an English-language version of the "Ode to Joy" from Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. With more than 5,000 people in attendance, the concert provided a capstone to Maazel's first season in Cleveland.

A month later, the Orchestra completed its first recording in three years — 's Romeo and Juliet for Decca. The ensemble also returned to international touring during the 1973-74 season with a first-ever visit to Australia and New Zealand. Because of a tightly-packed schedule, conducting duties were split between Maazel, Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, and former music director . The season, which also featured performances of 's one-act opera Elektra at Cleveland's and New York's , closed with a dozen concerts across .

In 1974-75, Maazel led the Orchestra on a tour of South America and Central America. He also conducted the ensemble's recording of Gershwin's Porgy and Bess — the Orchestra's first recording of an opera and Decca's first opera recording in the United States. Three years later, on December 10, 1978, he guided the Orchestra's 60th anniversary concert, which included 's American Fantasy — also played during the ensemble's debut concert on December 11, 1918.

The following fall, however, rumors began to swirl that Maazel was the top candidate for the directorship of the Vienna State Opera. Although the appointment was still several years away, arrangements were made to have Maazel conduct The Cleveland Orchestra through the 1981-82 season before departing for Europe. During the final years of Maazel's tenure in Cleveland, the Musical Arts Association launched a concert to honor the life and works of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., which would become an annual tradition, and the Orchestra hosted a 50th anniversary celebration for featuring the same program as the ensemble played on the concert hall's opening night in 1931 — Bach's Passacaglia in C Minor, Charles Martin Loeffler's Invocation, 's First Symphony, and selections from Beethoven's Missa Solemnis.

Across Maazel's final season with The Cleveland Orchestra, he would conduct only seven of the season's subscription series concerts. His last performance at Severance Hall, on May 15, 1982, included a presentation of 's Requiem, which he also brought on tour the following week to , Carnegie Hall, and at . The Verdi had been Maazel's debut piece in New York with The Cleveland Orchestra at the start of his tenure in 1972.


Later years
In 1977, he became music director of the Orchestre National de France in Paris, a position he held until 1991.

From 1982 to 1984, Maazel served at the Vienna State Opera as general manager and principal conductor. In 1980, he succeeded as conductor at the Vienna New Year's Concert and he led this televised annual event each year, until 1986. He returned to it four times: in 1994, 1996, 1999 and 2005.

From 1984 to 1988, Maazel was the music consultant to the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and its music director from 1988 to 1996.

In 1989, expecting to become successor to Herbert von Karajan as chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, Maazel suddenly and publicly severed all connections with the orchestra when it was announced that was to take over. He claimed that his decision was because he was concerned for the orchestra's well-being.

From 1993 until 2002, he was chief conductor of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in .

In 2000, Maazel made a guest-conducting appearance with the New York Philharmonic in two weeks of subscription concerts after an absence of over twenty years, which met with positive reaction from the orchestra musicians. This engagement led to his appointment in January 2001 as the orchestra's next music director, starting in 2002, succeeding . Maazel conducted the New York Philharmonic on their landmark visit to , North Korea on February 26, 2008. He led the orchestra in renditions of the North Korean and United States national anthems, Dvořák's New World Symphony, 's An American in Paris, and closed with the traditional Korean folk song "". Maazel stepped down from the New York Philharmonic after the 2008/09 season.

In 2004, Maazel became the music director of the Arturo Toscanini Philharmonic. From September 2006 till March 2011, he was the musical director of the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana, the house orchestra of the Palau de les Arts, , Spain. His last concert there as Music Director took place on his 81st birthday on March 6, 2011, conducting his only opera 1984. In March 2010, Maazel was named chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic, effective with the 2012/13 season. Early in 2014, Maazel cancelled concert engagements as a result of ill health. Subsequently, in June 2014, he announced his resignation as music director of the Munich Philharmonic, effective immediately.

Maazel conducted the music for three operatic films, Don Giovanni (1979), Carmen (1984) and Otello (1986). His own compositions included a poorly reviewed opera, 1984, based on the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four and a humorous work for orchestra, flute and narrator which he composed for : Irish Vapors and Capers.

(2025). 9781574671889, Hal Leonard Corporation. .

He was depicted conducting Vienna's New Year concert on an Austrian postage stamp issued in 2005. Maazel and his wife, [[Dietlinde Turban]] together operated a summer music festival called Castleton Festival at their Castleton, Virginia  estate, Castleton Farms. Maazel [[arranged|Arrangement]] Wagner's ''[[Ring Cycle]]'' into a 70-minute suite, ''The 'Ring' Without Words'', which he recorded in 1987 with the Berlin Philharmonic.
     


Death
Maazel died on July 13, 2014, at his Castleton Farms estate in Virginia, from complications of pneumonia.


Honors
Maazel's catalogue contained over 300 recordings of works by Beethoven, Brahms, Mahler, Mozart, Schubert, Richard Strauss and others. He earned 10 Grand Prix du Disque awards.

Maazel was a Commander of the Légion d'honneur of the French Republic and of the Finnish Order of the Lion. He was decorated with the Bundesverdienstkreuz of the Federal Republic of Germany. On 27 May 2013, he received an honorary membership of the Vienna State Opera and the "Großes Goldenes Ehrenzeichen" of .

Maazel received the Italian Premio Abbiati and was an Honorary Life Member of the Israel Philharmonic. In addition, he was a .


Select recordings
  • John Adams: On the Transmigration of Souls with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (Nonesuch) · Recorded 09/19-24-2002
  • Johann Sebastian Bach: Brandenburg Concertos, with the RSO Berlin (1966, Philips);
  • Johann Sebastian Bach: Suites, with the RSO Berlin (1966, Philips);
  • Johann Sebastian Bach: Mass in B minor, with the RSO Berlin (1966, Philips);
  • Johann Sebastian Bach: , with the RSO Berlin (1966, Philips);
  • Ludwig van Beethoven: Complete Symphonies (1–9), with the Cleveland Orchestra (CBS);
  • Ludwig van Beethoven: , with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and the Vienna State Opera Choir, featuring soloists (soprano), (tenor), Kurt Böhme (bass), (baritone), Graziella Sciutti (soprano), (tenor), et al. (Decca 448104)
  • , I Capuleti e i Montecchi - Antonietta Pastori/Fiorenza Cossotto/Renato Gavarini/Lorin Maazel/Orchestra Sinfonica e Coro di Roma della Radiotelevisione Italiana, 1957 Melodram
  • : Lulu, with the Vienna State Opera Orchestra, featuring (soprano), Brigitte Fassbaender (mezzo-soprano), (baritone), Ryszard Karczykowski (tenor), et al. (RCA 74321 57734 2)
  • : Symphonie Fantastique with the Cleveland Orchestra (Telarc) · Recorded 5/10/1982
  • : Carmen (film 1984), with the Orchestre National de France and the Radio France Chorus, featuring soloists Julia Migenes (soprano), Plácido Domingo (tenor), Faith Esham (soprano), (bass-baritone), Lillian Watson (soprano), Susan Daniel (mezzo-soprano), et al. (Erato New DVD CDR10530)
  • Georges Bizet – Carmen with Chor und Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin, featuring soloists Anna Moffo (soprano) Helen Donath (soprano) Franco Corelli (tenor) Piero Cappuccilli (baritone) Arlee Augér (soprano) (BMG RCA CD 69147) -
  • : The Four Symphonies, Tragic Overture, Variations on a Theme of Haydn, Academic Festival Overture, with the Cleveland Orchestra (Decca);
  • : The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra with Lorin Maazel narrating, with the French National Radio Orchestra · Recorded 1-2/1962
  • : Symphony No.8 with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (EMI) · Recorded 1/1990

  • : Complete Symphonies, Symphony in D minor with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (BR Klassik);
  • Antonín Dvořák: Symphony No. 8 and Symphony No. 9 with the Vienna Philharmonic (DG) · Recorded 3/1981; 10/1982
  • Manuel de Falla: El amor brujo and Dances from The Three-Cornered Hat with the Radio Symphony Orchestra, Berlin (DG) · Recorded 6/1965
  • César Franck: Symphony in D minor, with the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra (DG) · Recorded 1/1967
  • : Porgy and Bess, with the Cleveland Orchestra and the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus featuring soloists , , , Barbara Hendricks, François Clemmons, McHenry Boatwright, Arthur Thompson, , et al. (Decca)
  • George Frideric Handel: Music for the Royal Fireworks and Suite, with the RSO Berlin (1966, Philips);
  • : Symphony No. 103 and Symphony No. 92, with the RSO Berlin (1969, Concert Hall)
  • : Complete symphonies (1–9 plus the Adagio of Symphony No. 10), with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (CBS/Sony)
  • Felix Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 4 and Symphony No. 5 with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (DG) · Recorded 4/1960 and 1/1961
  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Don Giovanni (1979 film), with the Choeur et Orchestre de l'Opéra national de Paris, featuring soloists , , Kiri Te Kanawa, José van Dam, et al. (CBS Masterworks)
  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 3 and Violin Concerto No. 5, with the English Chamber Orchestra (1975, Klavier Records)
  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony No. 25 and Symphony No. 29, with the RSO Berlin (1970, Concert Hall)
  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony No. 38 and Symphony No. 39, with the RSO Berlin (1967, Philips)
  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony No. 40 and Symphony No. 41, with the RSO Berlin (1967, Philips)
  • Modest Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition (orch. Ravel) and Night on Bald Mountain (orch. Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov) with the Cleveland Orchestra ( CD-80042) · Recorded 10/20/1978
  • : Peter and the Wolf, with , narrator, with the French National Radio Orchestra (DG) · Recorded 1-2/1962 (The French release features as narrator, the Italian Eduardo De Filippo, the Spanish , the German and the Japanese Tetsuko Kuroyanagi)
  • : Romeo and Juliet, with the Cleveland Orchestra (Decca)
  • : , with the Orchestra & Choir of the Vienna State Opera, featuring soloists Éva Marton, José Carreras, Katia Ricciarelli, et al. (CBS Masterworks)
  • Sergei Rachmaninoff: with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (DG)
    • Symphony No. 1 – 4&6/1984
    • Symphony No. 2 – 12/1982
    • Symphony No. 3 – 11/1981
    • Symphonic Dances, Vocalise, and Intermezzo from Aleko – 1/1983
    • The Rock – 4&6/1984
    • Isle of the Dead 11/1981
  • : L'enfant et les sortilèges, with the French National Radio Orchestra and the Radio France Chorus, featuring soloists Françoise Ogéas (soprano), Jeannine Collard (alto), Jane Berbié (soprano), Sylvaine Gilma (soprano), Colette Herzog (soprano), Michel Sénéchal (tenor), (baritone), et al. (DG 423718) Recorded 11/1960
  • : L'heure espagnole, with the French National Radio Orchestra, featuring soloists Jane Berbie (Concepcion, Torquemada's Wife), Jean Gireadeau (Torquemada), Gabriel Bacquier (Ramiro, muleteer), Jose van Dam (Don Iñigo Gomez, banker), Michel Senechal (Gonzalve, student) (DG) Recorded 2/1965
  • : Daphnis et Chloé, with the Cleveland Orchestra (Decca 4250 492)
  • Ottorino Respighi: Pines of Rome, with the Berliner Philharmonic (DG 138 033) Recorded 12/1958
  • Ottorino Respighi: Pines of Rome and Roman Festivals, with the Cleveland Orchestra (Decca) Recorded 5/1976
  • Nicholas Rimsky-Korsakov: Suite from The Golden Cockerel, with the Cleveland Orchestra (Decca) Recorded 10/1979
  • Nicholas Rimsky-Korsakov: Symphony No.2, with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (Telarc) Recorded 3/1986

  • : with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (DG)
    • Symphony No.2 – 3/1962
    • Symphony No.3 – 3/1962
    • Symphony No.4 – 11/1959
    • Symphony No.5 – 1/1961
    • Symphony No.6 – 1/1961
    • Symphony No.8 – 11/1959
  • : Complete Symphonies, with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (BR Klassik);
  • Alexander Scriabin: Piano Concerto in F sharp and Prometheus with London Philharmonic Orchestra, Vladimir Ashkenazy, piano (London) Recorded 4/1971
  • Alexander Scriabin: The Poem of Ecstasy, with the Cleveland Orchestra (London) Recorded 5/1978
  • Dmitri Shostakovich: Symphony No.5, with Cleveland Orchestra (Telarc) Recorded 4/1981
  • : Complete symphonies (1–7), with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (Decca 430778) Recorded 1963–1968
  • : Symphonic Poems, with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra.
  • : and Song of the Nightingale, with Radio Symphony Orchestra, Berlin (DG) 11/1957
  • : The Rite of Spring with the Cleveland Orchestra (Telarc) · Recorded 5/14/1980
  • Peter Tchaikovsky: Symphony No.2 with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (Telarc) · Recorded 3/1986
  • Peter Tchaikovsky: Symphony No.4 with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (DG) · Recorded 1/1960
  • Peter Tchaikovsky: Complete symphonies (1–6), Romeo and Juliet, with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (Decca 430787) Recorded 1964–1965
  • : Otello (1986 film), with the Orchestra & Choir of , featuring soloists Plácido Domingo, Katia Ricciarelli, Justino Díaz, et al. (EMI)
  • : The Four Seasons, with members of the Orchestre National de France (1984, CBS Masterworks);
  • : The "Ring" Without Words, with the Berliner Philharmoniker (TELARC CD-80154) · Recorded 1988
  • Andrew Lloyd Webber: Variations with Julian Lloyd Webber (cello) and the London Philharmonic Orchestra (Philips 420 342)
  • Andrew Lloyd Webber: Requiem with Plácido Domingo, , Paul Miles-Kington and the English Chamber Orchestra (EL 270242 1)


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