Otto Klemperer German conductor Date of Birth: 14.05.1885 Country: Germany

Biography of Otto Klemperer

Otto Klemperer (1885-1973) was a German conductor and one of the leading figures in the mid-20th century. He made his debut in 1906 and began working at the Prague Opera in 1907. He later worked in Strasbourg, Cologne, Wiesbaden, and Berlin from 1927 to 1933. Klemperer participated in the first performances of operas such as Erich Wolfgang Korngold's "Die tote Stadt" (1920), Ernst Toch's "Die Prinzessin und der Schweinehirt" (1922), and Paul Hindemith's "Neues vom Tage" (1929). He also directed Igor Stravinsky's operas "Oedipus Rex" and "Mavra" at the Kroll Opera in Berlin. Klemperer frequently toured in the Soviet Union.

However, with the rise of the Nazis, Klemperer was forced to emigrate in 1933. He worked in the United States, Switzerland, Hungary, and other countries. In collaboration with Feliz Felzenstein, he staged "Carmen" at the Komische Oper in 1949 and at Covent Garden in the 1961/62 season, he directed "Fidelio," "The Magic Flute," and "Lohengrin."

In addition to his conducting career, Klemperer was also a composer, with one of his notable works being the opera "Die Zelle." He also wrote memoirs in 1960. However, a significant part of Klemperer's artistic legacy lies in his recordings with the London Philharmonia Orchestra (1955-1973, renamed New Philharmonia in 1964). His recordings of operas such as "Die Entführung aus dem Serail," "Le nozze di Figaro," "Don Giovanni," and especially "Fidelio" with soloists such as Christa Ludwig, Jon Vickers, and Walter Berry, all released by EMI, hold a prominent place in his artistic output.