Sir Georg Solti

Sir Georg Solti was one of the most outstanding conductors of our century and a leading figure in the musical life of Europe and the United States. The Maestro made his first recording for Decca in 1947, as a pianist with Kulenkampff (Brahms and Beethoven Violin Sonatas) and as conductor of the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich (Beethoven's Egmont Overture). For more than half a century, Sir Georg Solti remained exclusively associated with Decca, leaving behind a monumental discography of over 250 significant recordings – including 45 complete operas – primarily with the Vienna Philharmonic, the London Philharmonic, and the Chicago and London Symphony Orchestras. For these, he received a total of 32 Grammy Awards – more than any other musician, whether in the classical or popular field. Sir Georg Solti studied piano, composition, and conducting with Bartók, Dohnányi, Kodály, and Leo Weiner at the Liszt Academy in Budapest. Although he debuted as a pianist, he was soon after engaged as a conductor by the Budapest Opera. In 1937, Toscanini appointed him as his assistant for the Salzburg Festival. Before the outbreak of World War II, Sir Georg Solti fled to Switzerland, where he again earned his living as a pianist and won first prize at the Concours International in Geneva in 1942. In 1946, Solti was asked by the American military government to conduct a performance of Beethoven's Fidelio in Munich. The great success of this performance led to his appointment as director of the Munich State Opera, whose standard and reputation he greatly solidified over the next six years. During this time, the Salzburg Festival was also revived, and Sir Georg worked there as well as in Vienna, Berlin, Paris, Rome, Florence, and Buenos Aires. In 1952, Maestro Solti took over as General Music Director of the Opera in Frankfurt am Main, a post he held for nine years. From 1961 to 1971, he led the Royal Opera House in London's Covent Garden and was appointed "Music Director Laureate" in 1992. His work at the Royal Covent Garden Opera House earned him international fame, particularly through his performance of Die Frau ohne Schatten, the British premiere of Moses und Aron, and Wagner's Ring. For Decca, Sir Georg Solti recorded the entire Ring cycle with the Vienna Philharmonic – a historic achievement that took a total of seven years and represented the first complete studio recording of this work. Sir Georg Solti's remarkable partnership with the Chicago Symphony began in 1954 when he first led the ensemble at the Ravinia Festival. In 1956, he returned to Chicago as a guest of the Lyric Opera, conducting Die Walküre, Salome, and La forza del destino. He made his debut at Orchestra Hall there on December 9, 1965, and his first concerts as conductor of the Chicago Symphony in September 1969. For 22 years, from 1969 to 1991, Maestro Solti served as Music Director for this orchestra; the worldwide reputation of this ensemble is largely attributed to his work. The CSO's first international tour in 1971 also took place under the aegis of Sir Georg Solti. In his capacity as "Music Director Laureate," he was scheduled to conduct the orchestra's thousandth concert in early October. Until his death in 1997, Sir Georg's calendar was filled with commitments that would have honored much younger colleagues; he had already accepted engagements well into the 21st century. For his outstanding contributions to music, Sir Georg Solti was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II of Britain in 1972. From 1979 to 1984, he held the post of Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the London Philharmonic Orchestra and was later appointed its "Conductor Emeritus." Maestro Solti was awarded numerous honorary doctorates in music, including from Oxford University, the University of London, and the Universities of Durham, Leeds, and Surrey; in the United States, from Roosevelt University and DePaul University in Chicago, as well as from Yale and Harvard and the Eastman School of Music. Furthermore, he received an honorary doctorate in humanities from Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina, and an honorary academic degree "in the disciplines of art, music, and drama" from the University of Bologna. In addition to his numerous Grammys, Sir Georg Solti also received many other significant awards. In 1989, he was awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Philharmonic Society, Britain's highest musical honor, which has been bestowed upon Johannes Brahms, Richard Strauss, Arturo Toscanini, and Igor Stravinsky, among others. Sir Georg was also an honorary member of the Royal College of Music in London. In September 1985, he was awarded the title of Professor Honoris Causa by the Minister-President of the state of Baden-Württemberg. He also received the Pour le Mérite Order for Science and Arts of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Loyola-Mellon Humanities Award in 1987. In the same year, on the occasion of his seventy-fifth birthday, Sir Georg Solti was awarded the Medal of Merit, the highest honor of the City of Chicago, and at the same time, a bronze bust of the Maestro was unveiled in Lincoln Park there. Also in 1987, he was honored with the Order of the Banner of the Republic of Hungary and named "Musician of the Year" by Musical America. In 1988, Sir Georg Solti received the Edward Moss Martin Award from the Union League Civic and Arts Foundation in Chicago, and in 1992, he received the Danish Leonie Sonning Music Prize. In 1993, he was presented with the Grand Cross of Merit with Star of the Republic of Hungary and the highest German award, the Grand Cross of Merit with Star and Sash. In the same year, the Vienna Philharmonic honored Sir Georg on his 80th birthday and for more than forty years of collaboration with the first "Hans Richter Medal." The following year, he received the Kennedy Center Honor and the Belgian title of "Commandeur de l'Ordre de Leopold." In 1994, the Portuguese President decorated him with the "Ordem Militar De Santiago De Espada," the country's highest civilian honor (the last musician to receive this award was Stravinsky in 1954). Sir Georg Solti also held the French Order "Légion d'Honneur," and in 1995, he received the "Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres" award. The following year, he was appointed "Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic," and the L'Académie du Disque Lyrique in Paris established the "Solti Prize," to be awarded annually to an outstanding young singer. The American soprano Renée Fleming was the first to receive this award. Decca recently remastered two of Sir Georg's classic recordings: his legendary Ring cycle was re-released in 1997, followed by recordings of Strauss's operas in the autumn of 1998. In October 1998, little more than a year after his death, Sir Georg Solti was commemorated at a special concert in London's Royal Albert Hall, which was recorded for television and CD. Mstislav Rostropovich, Angela Gheorghiu, Anne Sofie von Otter, Maxim Vengerov, and Zubin Mehta performed with the London Philharmonic Orchestra; the proceeds benefited the newly established Solti Foundation, which Sir Georg had founded shortly before his death to improve music education and promote young talent worldwide.