Fritz Reiner

Fritz Reiner earned recognition as a standout conductor during the twentieth century thanks to his command over an expansive body of work that ranged across symphonic and operatic scores from established classics to newer compositions. He also shaped a generation of musicians as a teacher, counting Leonard Bernstein among those who studied under him. Born in Budapest, Hungary, on December 19, 1888, Reiner completed a law degree at the University of Bucharest yet chose music instead; at twenty-one he was appointed chorusmaster at the Budapest Opera. A period conducting the Budapest Volksoper came next, after which he became principal conductor at the Royal Opera in Dresden in 1914 and worked closely with Richard Strauss on stagings of several of the composer’s early operas.

Reiner departed Europe for the United States in 1922, made Cincinnati, Ohio, his home, and took the podium with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Roughly ten years later he was selected to lead the orchestral and opera programs at Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute of Music, where Bernstein was again among his pupils. He next directed the Pittsburgh Symphony from 1938 to 1948 and then spent five seasons at the Metropolitan Opera. Although his repeated moves reflected an unceasing creative drive, Reiner’s famously abrasive manner often distanced colleagues; many players under his baton openly resented him even as he drew from them the finest performances of their careers.

His most enduring achievements came during his years with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, which he transformed into one of the world’s premier ensembles. Arriving in 1953, he built the group’s reputation both as a compelling live attraction and as a widely recorded orchestra. The numerous discs they produced for RCA’s Living Stereo series throughout his ten-year tenure won collectors’ admiration for the force of the interpretations and the exceptional clarity of the sound. Recordings such as Fritz Reiner Conducts Richard Strauss and Fritz Reiner Conducts Bartók continue to stand as benchmark readings of those composers. Health issues compelled him to step down in 1962, and he died in New York City on November 15 of the following year.