Clemens Krauss

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Clemens Heinrich Krauss [Krauß] (March 31, 1893 – May 16, 1954) was a leading Austrian conductor, particularly associated with the music of Richard Strauss.

He was born in Vienna, out of wedlock, and was given his mother's maiden surname. His mother was Clementine Krauss, a leading Viennese actress and singer. He was also related to Gabrielle Krauss (1842 - 1904), an important nineteenth-century soprano. His father was a figure in the Austrian Imperial Court. When Clemens went into music, he used his mother's name because of its theatrical history.

When he was a boy, he was a chorister in the Hofkapelle (Imperial Choir). He attended the Vienna Conservatory, graduating in 1912. He studied composition with Grädener and theory with Heuberger. After graduation he was chorus master in the Brno Theater (1912 - 1913). There he made his conducting debut in 1913.

He was married to the soprano Viorica Ursuleac, with whom he often performed.

He made the rounds of regional centers, conducting in Riga (1913 - 1914), Nürnberg (1915), and Sczeczin (1916 - 1921). The latter appointment gave him ample opportunity to travel to Berlin to hear Arthur Nikisch conduct the Berlin Philharmonic, a major influence.

His next appointment was back in Austria, where he became director of the opera and symphony concerts in Graz. In 1922 he joined the conducting staff of the Vienna State Opera and teacher of the conducting class at the State Academy of Germany. In 1923 he became conductor of the Vienna Tonkünstler Concerts (until 1927), and Intendant of the opera in Frankfurt am Main and director of the Museum Concerts in 1924, until 1929.

He visited the United States in 1929, conducting in Philadelphia and at the New York Philharmonic. Also in 1929 he was appointed director of the Vienna State Opera. Its orchestra, in its independent concert form as the Vienna Philharmonic, appointed him its music director in 1930. He was a regular conductor at the Salzburg Festival from 1926 to 1934. In 1930 he conducted Berg's Wozzeck.

In 1933 and 1934 he gave up his Vienna positions, becoming director of the Berlin State Opera in 1935 after Erich Kleiber resigned in protest over Nazi rule. In 1933 he took over the preparations for the premieres of Strauss' Arabella when the conductor Fritz Busch left. In 1937 he was appointed Intendant of the Munich National Theater, following the resignation there of Hans Knappertsbusch. He became a close friend of Richard Strauss, wrote the libretto to the opera Capriccio (which he premiered in Munich in 1942) and Die Liebe der Danae. He also conducted the premiere of Strauss' anti-war cantata Friedenstag.

After the Munich opera house was bombed, shutting it down, he returned to conduct the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra until it closed shortly before the end of the War (1944 - 1945). After the War, Allied officials investigated his pro-Nazi activities and because of them forbade him from appearing in public until 1947. They also found that he had frequently acted to assist a number of individual Jews escape the Third Reich machine. When his ban was lifted he resumed frequently conducting the Vienna Philharmonic, including its famous New Year's Day concerts.

He conducted at Covent Garden in London (1951 to 1953) and in the 1953 Bayreuth Festival.

He died during a visit to Mexico City and was buried there.

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• Discography

Preceded by: Wilhelm Furtwängler	Principal Conductor, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra 1929–1933	Succeeded by: Last Principal Conductor
Preceded by: Franz Schalk	Director, Vienna State Opera 1929–1934	Succeeded by: Felix Weingartner
Preceded by: Hans Knappertsbusch	General Music Director, Bavarian State Opera 1937–1944	Succeeded by: Hans Knappertsbusch