This is a biography of one of the century’s most important conductors of opera and symphonic music. Fritz Reiner (1888-1963) led major orchestras in Europe and the Americas, including those of Chicago, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh. After distinguished opera conducting in Philadelphia and San Francisco, he spent five memorable seasons at the Metropolitan Opera. He was not only a consummate musician but also a major participant in the evolution of concert and opera in America, in the development of characteristically American music, and in the education of musicians. Leonard Bernstein, his most famous pupil, declared,
Reiner is responsible for my own very high standards . His most enduring legacy, his recordings made with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, are now more highly regarded than they were in his lifetime - indeed, most of Reiner’s recorded repertory was reissued on compact disc much more quickly than that of other conductors of his era. Hart’s unique perspective - he was Reiner’s colleague at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and remained his friend until his death - informs this work and grounds Reiner’s career in the cultural context in which he worked and lived. Drawing heavily on the resources of the Fritz Reiner Library at Northwestern University and on other archives in America and Europe, as well as on his own extensive contacts in the field, Hart supplements research with personal knowledge and experience to produce an authoritative study of his complex subject. The book includes comprehensive recordings and repertory lists and an illuminating epilogue detailing the disposition of Reiner’s estate.
Fritz Reiner: A Biography
offers a portrait of a brilliant conductor. Philip Hart is the author of
Orpheus in the New World , a study of the symphony orchestra as a cultural institution in the United States. His long career in music administration has included positions at The Juilliard School and with orchestras in Portland and Seattle, as well as six years spent as the Associate Manager of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.