Carlos Kleiber

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Carlos Kleiber (July 3, 1930 - July 13, 2004) was born Karl Ludwig Kleiber in Berlin, the son of conductor Erich Kleiber. In 1935, young Karl moved to Buenos Aires with his father, who had resigned his post at the Berlin Opera in protest over the Nazi Party's policies (and Karl became Carlos).

1 Early career
2 Mature career
3 Preserved performances
4 Impact
5 Official discography (incomplete)
6 Official DVD releases
7 References
8 External links

[edit] Early career

He composed, sang, and played piano and timpani as a boy, and his musical talents were noted by his father, who nevertheless dissuaded him from pursuing a musical career. He studied chemistry in Zürich, but soon decided to dedicate himself to music, continuing his music training in Buenos Aires. He was repetiteur at the Gartnerplatz Theatre in Munich in 1952, and became kapellmeister at Potsdam in 1954. From 1958 to 1964 he was kapellmeister at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf-Duisburg, and then at the Opera in Zürich from 1964 to 1966. Between 1966 and 1973 he was first kapellmeister in Stuttgart, his last permanent post. During the following years he was often seen in the pit at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich.

[edit] Mature career

Kleiber made his British debut in 1966 with a performance at the Edinburgh Festival of Alban Berg's opera Wozzeck, a work his father had conducted at its premiere in 1925. He made his Bayreuth debut in 1974 with a performance of Richard Wagner's Tristan und Isolde. His American debut came in 1978 with a Chicago Symphony Orchestra concert^[1], and his New York Metropolitan Opera debut in 1988 with performances of Giacomo Puccini's La bohème with Luciano Pavarotti and Mirella Freni in the lead roles. In 1989, following Herbert von Karajan's resignation from the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Kleiber was approached to be the successor, but turned the offer down.^[2]

Kleiber largely kept out of the public eye^[3]. After his resignation from the Bavarian State Opera, his appearances became less frequent, and he made only a few recordings. Most of these are regarded as very fine recordings; his versions of Ludwig van Beethoven's fifth and seventh symphonies with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra are particularly notable. Other notable recordings include Johannes Brahms' Symphony No. 4 and Franz Schubert's third and eighth ("Unfinished") symphonies, also with the Vienna Philharmonic, recordings of Dvořák's Concerto for piano and orchestra with Sviatoslav Richter, Carl Maria von Weber's Der Freischütz, Johann Strauss' Die Fledermaus, Giuseppe Verdi's La Traviata and Richard Wagner's Tristan und Isolde.

[edit] Preserved performances

Kleiber's unique conducting style is preserved on video in a number of performances: Beethoven's fourth and seventh symphonies from the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Johann Strauss' Die Fledermaus from Munich, Richard Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier from both Munich and Vienna, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's 36th symphony and Brahms' second symphony from the Musikverein in Vienna and Beethoven's Coriolan Overture, Mozart's 33rd and Brahms' fourth symphonies from Munich. He led the New Year's Concert of the Vienna Philharmonic in 1989 and 1992, and these are both preserved on video.

[edit] Impact

He effectively retired from concert life in the early 1990s, occasionally appearing to give private concerts or benefit concerts. For one such event, instead of the usual fee, Kleiber received a new Audi made to his specifications. In the opinion of many of his colleagues and audiences who have experienced his meticulously rehearsed but ever spontaneous and inspired performances, this eccentric genius is perhaps the greatest conductor of his generation, despite the paucity of his appearances.^[4]^[5]^[6] ^[7] ^[8]

He is buried in the Slovenian village of Konjšica near Litija together with his wife Stanislava Brezovar, a ballet dancer, who died 7 months earlier.^[9] He is survived by a son, Marko, and a daughter, Lillian.