Kleiber, Erich

born Aug. 5, 1890, Vienna, Austria

died Jan. 27, 1956, Zürich, Switz.

Austro-Hungarian conductor.

After his Prague debut in 1911, he held a series of posts that led him to the Berlin State Opera, where he was music director from 1923 to 1934. There he premiered important works such as Alban Berg's Wozzeck (1925). When the Nazis forbade the premiere of Berg's Lulu (1934), he managed to program the suite from the opera for his last concert. After moving to Buenos Aires, he was head of the German Opera at the Teatro Colón (1937–49). His son Carlos (b. 1930) also became an internationally celebrated conductor, especially of opera, with a reputation for perfectionism equal to his father's.

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▪ Austrian conductor

born Aug. 5, 1890, Vienna, Austria

died Jan. 27, 1956, Zürich, Switz.

 Austrian conductor who performed many 20th-century works but was especially known for his performances of works by W.A. Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Richard Wagner, and Richard Strauss and for his fidelity to composers' intentions.

      Kleiber studied in Prague and between 1912 and 1922 conducted at several German opera houses. In 1923 he became general music director of the Berlin State Opera, where he gave the first performance of Alban Berg's Wozzeck in 1925. In 1935 he left Germany. He conducted German opera at Buenos Aires (1936–49) and became an Argentine citizen. In 1954 he became chief conductor of the Berlin State Opera (in East Berlin) but resigned in 1955 after difficulties with the East German government. He composed concerti for piano and for violin, orchestral and chamber works, and songs.

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