Karl Böhm

Karl August Leopold Böhm 28 August 1894 14 August 1981 was an Austrian conductor He was best known for his performances of the music of Mozart Wagner and Richard Strauss Karl Böhm was born in Graz The son of a lawyer he studied law and earned a doctorate in this subject before entering the music conservatory in his home town of Graz Austria He later enrolled at the Vienna Conservatory where he studied under Eusebius Mandyczewski a friend of Johannes Brahms In 1917 Böhm became a rehearsal assistant in his home town making his debut as a conductor in Viktor Nesslers Der Trompeter von Säckingen in 1917 He became the assistant director of music in 1919 and the following year the senior director On the recommendation of Karl Muck Bruno Walter engaged him at the Bavarian State Opera Munich in 1921 An early assignment here was Mozarts Die Entführung aus dem Serail with a cast which included Maria Ivogün Paul Bender and Richard Tauber In 1927 he was appointed as chief musical director in Darmstadt In 1931 he was appointed to the same post at the Hamburg State Opera a position he held until 1934 In 1933 Böhm conducted in Vienna for the first time in Tristan und Isolde by Wagner He succeeded Fritz Busch who had gone into exile as head of Dresdens Semper Opera in 1934 a position he held until 1942 This was an important period for him in which he conducted the first performances of works by Richard Strauss Die schweigsame Frau 1935 and Daphne 1938 which is dedicated to him He also conducted the first performances of Romeo und Julia 1940 and Die Zauberinsel 1942 by Heinrich Sutermeister and Strausss Horn Concerto No 2 1943 Böhm first appeared at the Salzburg Festival in 1938 conducting Don Giovanni and thereafter he became a permanent guest conductor He secured a top post at the Vienna State Opera in 1943 eventually becoming music director On the occasion of the 80th birthday of Richard Strauss on 11 June 1944 he conducted the Vienna State Opera performance of Ariadne auf Naxos After he had completed a twoyear postwar denazification ban Böhm led Don Giovanni at La Scala Milan 1948 and gave a guest performance in Paris with the Vienna State Opera company 1949 From 1950 to 1953 he directed the German season at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires and he conducted the first performance in Spanish of Wozzeck by Alban Berg translated for the occasion In 1953 he was responsible for the first performance of Gottfried von Einems work Der Prozess From 1954 to 1956 he directed the Vienna State Opera at its reconstructed home He additionally resumed ties postwar in Dresden at the Staatskapelle Source Article Karl Böhm from Wikipedia in English licensed under CCBYSA 30