Kurt Masur Plays Beethoven Symphonies


GEWANDHAUS ORCHESTRA Leipzig Conducted B: KURT MASUR The first recording to be based on the new critical edition published by C.F.Peters, Leipzig and Edited by Peter Gulke and Peter Hauschild Kurt Masur , (born July 18, 1927,  Brieg , Germany [now Brzeg, Poland]—died December 19, 2015,  Greenwich ,  Connecticut , U.S.), German  conductor , known for his heartfelt interpretations of the German  Romantic   repertoire , who rose to prominence in  East Germany  in the 1970s. Masur studied piano and cello at the National Music School in Breslau, Germany (now  Wrocław , Poland), from 1942 to 1944. He then studied conducting,  piano , and  composition  at the  Leipzig  Conservatory (now Leipzig University of Music and Theatre) from 1946 to 1948. He spent the next seven years conducting in regional East German opera houses before securing a position as conductor of the Dresden Philharmonic in 1955. After working in Mecklenburg (1958–60) and  Berlin  (1960–64), among other cities, he rejoined the  Dresden  orchestra from 1967 to 1972. During his long  tenure  as conductor of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra (1970–96), Masur became internationally known and toured widely throughout the world. He was noted for his  comprehensive  repertoire, which featured the works of German  Romantic  composers such as  Ludwig van Beethoven  and  Gustav Mahler . A prestigious cultural figure in East Germany, Masur participated in the popular agitation that led to the fall of the  communist  government in late 1989. Although he was an unexpected choice as  music  director of the  New York Philharmonic  (1991–2002), he was credited with reinvigorating the  orchestra , which had been in decline since the departure in 1969 of  Leonard Bernstein , and raising its standards of performance. From 2000 to 2007 Masur was principal conductor of the  London Philharmonic Orchestra , with which he recorded and toured extensively, and from 2002 to 2008 he was also music director of the Orchestre National de France. In addition, he continued to appear as guest conductor with a number of major orchestras in the United States and Europe.