Great 20th century
conductor. b. 1912 - d. 1997
Born in
Hungary, inadvertantly exiled himself by seeking a conducting gig outside of Hungary in
Zurich at the onset of
WWII. Got his start as a
lieder coach and
opera conductor, heading up
orchestras and opera houses in Zurich,
Frankfurt,
London, Chicago. Finished off his life as a freelance conductor.
First wife left him because, as he says, he "lost his mystery". Once destroyed a
ballet performance by conducting at
Schumann's indicated tempo marking on the score, infuriating the dancers and almost getting him
lynched. Valerie, his second wife, was twenty years his junior, and this point illustrates just how much of a mack Solti was.
Hung out with
Strauss,
Stravinsky,
Arturo Toscanini;
Luciano Pavarotti made spaghetti for him. Conducted and acted as music supervisor on the film
Immortal Beloved.
Once
stabbed himself in the head with his baton during a performance of
Figaro at
The Met in 1976. Had enough of a sense of humor to include this in his memoirs, right before he starts talking about his massive
repertoire and work ethic as a musician.