Lorin Maazel | |
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 Maazel in 2003 | |
| Born | (1930-03-06)March 6, 1930 Neuilly-sur-Seine, France |
| Died | July 13, 2014(2014-07-13) (aged 84) Virginia, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Conductor, violinist, composer |
| Years active | 1950–2014 |
| Known for | Directing and conducting: Cleveland Orchestra; Orchestre National de France; Vienna State Opera; New York Philharmonic Orchestra |
| Father | Lincoln Maazel |
| Website | https://www.maestromaazel.com/ |
Lorin Varencove Maazel (/məˈzɛl/;[1] March 6, 1930 – July 13, 2014) was an Americanconductor,violinist andcomposer. He began conducting at the age of eight and by 1953 had decided to pursue a career in music. He had established a reputation in the concert halls of Europe by 1960 but his career in the U.S. progressed far more slowly. He served as music director ofThe Cleveland Orchestra,Orchestre National de France,Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra,Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, and theNew York Philharmonic, among other posts. Maazel was well regarded inbaton technique and had a photographic memory for scores. Described as mercurial and forbidding in rehearsal, he mellowed in old age.[2]
Maazel was born to American parents of Russian Jewish origin inNeuilly-sur-Seine, France.
His grandfather Isaac Maazel (1873–1925), born inPoltava, Ukraine, then in theRussian Empire, was a violinist in the Metropolitan Opera orchestra.[3] He and his wife Esther Glazer (1879–1921), originally fromKharkiv, Ukraine, then in theRussian Empire, came to North America in 1900 after the birth of their eldest son Marvin (1899–1988), who later became a pianist and composer.
Maazel was brought up in theUnited States, primarily at his parents' home in the city ofPittsburgh'sOakland neighborhood.[4] His father,Lincoln Maazel (1903–2009),[5] was a singer, teacher of voice and piano, and an actor (he co-starred inGeorge A. Romero's 1978 horror movieMartin); and his mother, Marion "Marie" Shulman Maazel (1894–1992),[6] founded thePittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra.[7]
Maazel was achild prodigy and hadperfect pitch.[8]He had his first conducting lesson at age seven withVladimir Bakaleinikov, making his debut at age eight, conducting the University of Idaho Orchestra in Schubert's "Unfinished" Symphony in Los Angeles in 1938.[9] In the same year, he conducted the National High School Orchestra at theNational Music Camp in Interlochen, Michigan. The following year, he conducted 11 concerts by the same orchestra at theNew York World's Fair.[10] At the age of eleven, he guest-conducted theNBC Symphony Orchestra on the radio. At twelve he toured the United States to conduct major orchestras. By 1943 he emerged as the conductor of thePhilharmonic-Symphony Orchestra at New York City'sLewisohn Stadium performingCésar Franck's Symphony in D minor.[11] He made his violin debut at the age of fifteen. He attended theFanny Edel Falk Laboratory School[12] at the University of Pittsburgh as a child, followed byPeabody High School and theUniversity of Pittsburgh.[13][14][15] Maazel studied briefly withPierre Monteux in 1945.[16]
In the early 1950s, Maazel toured as the conductor with the Gershwin Concert Orchestra. The orchestra consisted of 25 members and a noted array of soloists. The orchestra was organized in cooperation withIra Gershwin, to give the public a comprehensive Gershwin program. The list of soloists included George Gershwin's friend,Jesús María Sanromá,Carolyn Long andTheodor Uppman.[17]
In 1960, Maazel became the firstAmerican to conduct at theBayreuth Festspielhaus. He was chief conductor of theDeutsche Oper Berlin from 1965 to 1971 and theRadio-Symphonie-Orchester (RSO) Berlin from 1964 to 1975.
| External audio | |
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 You may hear Lorin Maazel with theCleveland Orchestra performingJohannes Brahms's Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 68 for Decca recordsHere on Archive.org |
At the age of 13, Lorin Maazel was introduced to the citizens of Cleveland in a pension fund concert atPublic Hall on March 14, 1943. He conducted a selection of pieces that included the overture fromWagner's operaRienzi andSchubert's "Unfinished" symphony, and his orchestra featured 14-year-old prodigyPatricia Travers on violin.[18] Earlier in his young career, Maazel had already guest conducted theNBC Symphony,New York Philharmonic,Los Angeles Philharmonic, andPittsburgh Symphony.[19] It wasArtur Rodziński, in the midst of defending his decision to leave Cleveland for a post with the New York Philharmonic, who half-jokingly stated: "Look [Maazel] over, he may be your next conductor."[19] However, it would be nearly thirty years before Maazel would become music director of The Cleveland Orchestra, succeedingGeorge Szell in 1972.
In the wake of Szell's crisp, chamber-like style, many critics fretted over Maazel's emotional interpretations. Shortly after Maazel was named to the post in Cleveland, though, his status was buoyed by both an endorsement fromPhiladelphia Orchestra music directorEugene Ormandy[20] and the promise of a recording contract withDecca Records.[20] In addition, Maazel chose to revitalize the Orchestra's educational outreach programs for the city's schoolchildren. He envisioned an annual concert at Public Hall where the chorus would be made up of area students. This project launched on May 19, 1973, with a program that included music fromGershwin's operaPorgy and Bess,Copland'sA Lincoln Portrait, and an English-language version of the "Ode to Joy" fromBeethoven'sNinth Symphony.[21] With more than 5,000 people in attendance, the concert provided a capstone to Maazel's first season in Cleveland.
A month later, the Orchestra completed its first recording in three years —Prokofiev'sRomeo and Juliet for Decca. The ensemble also returned to international touring during the 1973-74 season with a first-ever visit to Australia and New Zealand.[22] Because of a tightly-packed schedule, conducting duties were split between Maazel,Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, and former music directorErich Leinsdorf. The season, which also featured performances ofStrauss's one-act operaElektra at Cleveland'sSeverance Hall and New York'sCarnegie Hall, closed with a dozen concerts acrossJapan.[23]
| External audio | |
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| You may hear Lorin Maazel interviewed byRobert Sherman onWQXR-FM in 1975 Here on wnyc.org |
In 1974-75, Maazel led the Orchestra on a tour of South America and Central America.[24] He also conducted the ensemble's recording of Gershwin'sPorgy and Bess — the Orchestra's first recording of an opera and Decca's first opera recording in the United States.[25] Three years later, on December 10, 1978, he guided the Orchestra's 60th anniversary concert, which includedVictor Herbert'sAmerican Fantasy — also played during the ensemble's debut concert on December 11, 1918.[26]
The following fall, however, rumors began to swirl that Maazel was the top candidate for the directorship of theVienna State Opera. Although the appointment was still several years away, arrangements were made to have Maazel conduct The Cleveland Orchestra through the 1981-82 season before departing for Europe.[27] During the final years of Maazel's tenure in Cleveland, the Musical Arts Association launched a concert to honor the life and works ofDr. Martin Luther King, Jr., which would become an annual tradition,[28] and the Orchestra hosted a 50th anniversary celebration forSeverance Hall featuring the same program as the ensemble played on the concert hall's opening night in 1931 —Bach'sPassacaglia in C Minor,Charles Martin Loeffler'sInvocation,Brahms'sFirst Symphony, and selections from Beethoven'sMissa Solemnis.[29]
Across Maazel's final season with The Cleveland Orchestra, he would conduct only seven of the season's subscription series concerts. His last performance at Severance Hall, on May 15, 1982, included a presentation ofVerdi'sRequiem, which he also brought on tour the following week toLincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, andWoolsey Hall atYale University.[30] The Verdi had been Maazel's debut piece in New York with The Cleveland Orchestra at the start of his tenure in 1972.[30]
In 1977, he became music director of theOrchestre National de France in Paris, a position he held until 1991.
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From 1982 to 1984, Maazel served at theVienna State Opera as general manager and principal conductor. In 1980, he succeededWilli Boskovsky as conductor at theVienna New Year's Concert and he led this televised annual event each year, until 1986. He returned to it four times: in 1994, 1996, 1999 and 2005.
From 1984 to 1988, Maazel was the music consultant to thePittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and its music director from 1988 to 1996.
In 1989, expecting to become successor toHerbert von Karajan as chief conductor of theBerlin Philharmonic, Maazel suddenly and publicly severed all connections with the orchestra when it was announced thatClaudio Abbado was to take over. He claimed that his decision was because he was concerned for the orchestra's well-being.[31]
From 1993 until 2002, he was chief conductor of theBavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra inMunich.
In 2000, Maazel made a guest-conducting appearance with theNew York Philharmonic in two weeks of subscription concerts after an absence of over twenty years,[32] which met with positive reaction from the orchestra musicians.[33] This engagement led to his appointment in January 2001 as the orchestra's next music director, starting in 2002, succeedingKurt Masur.[34][35] Maazel conducted the New York Philharmonic ontheir landmark visit toPyongyang, North Korea on February 26, 2008. He led the orchestra in renditions of the North Korean and United States national anthems, Dvořák'sNew World Symphony,George Gershwin'sAn American in Paris, and closed with the traditional Korean folk song "Arirang". Maazel stepped down from the New York Philharmonic after the 2008/09 season.
| External image | |
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 Photograph ofLorin Maazel rehearsing the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in 2004Here on Getty Images |
In 2004, Maazel became the music director of the Arturo Toscanini Philharmonic. From September 2006 till March 2011, he was the musical director of theOrquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana, the house orchestra of theopera housePalau de les Arts,Valencia, Spain. His last concert there as Music Director took place on his 81st birthday on March 6, 2011, conducting his only opera1984. In March 2010, Maazel was named chief conductor of theMunich Philharmonic, effective with the 2012/13 season.[36] Early in 2014, Maazel cancelled concert engagements as a result of ill health. Subsequently, in June 2014, he announced his resignation as music director of the Munich Philharmonic, effective immediately.[37]
Maazel conducted the music for three operatic films,Don Giovanni (1979),Carmen (1984) andOtello (1986). His own compositions included a poorly reviewed opera,1984, based on theGeorge Orwell novelNineteen Eighty-Four and a humorous work for orchestra, flute and narrator which he composed forJames Galway:Irish Vapors and Capers.[38][39]
He was depicted conducting Vienna's New Year concert on an Austrian postage stamp issued in 2005.[40] Maazel and his wife,Dietlinde Turban together operated a summer music festival calledCastleton Festival at theirCastleton, Virginia 600-acre (2.4 km2) estate, Castleton Farms.[41] Maazelarranged Wagner'sRing Cycle into a 70-minutesuite,The 'Ring' Without Words, which he recorded in 1987 with the Berlin Philharmonic.
Maazel died on July 13, 2014, at his Castleton Farms estate in Virginia, from complications of pneumonia.[42]
| External audio | |
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| Lorin Maazel withJames Galway performing his "Irish Vapors and Capers" and "Farewell's", Op. 14 in 2005 Listen on Archive.org |
Maazel's catalogue contained over 300 recordings of works by Beethoven, Brahms, Mahler, Mozart, Schubert, Richard Strauss and others. He earned 10Grand Prix du Disque awards.[38]
Maazel was aCommander of the Légion d'honneur of the French Republic and of the FinnishOrder of the Lion. He was decorated with theBundesverdienstkreuz of theFederal Republic of Germany. On 27 May 2013, he received an honorary membership of theVienna State Opera and the"Großes Goldenes Ehrenzeichen" ofAustria.
Maazel received the Italian Premio Abbiati and was an Honorary Life Member of theIsrael Philharmonic. In addition, he was aKentucky Colonel.[43]
| External audio | |
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| Lorin Maazel with the Vienna Philharmonic performingAntonin Dvorak's Symphony No. 8 in 1982 Listen on Archive.org |
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| Lorin Maazel with the Israel Philharmonic in selected overtures byBeethoven: Leonore No. 1, Op. 138 Leonore No. 2, Op. 72A Leonore No. 3, Op. 72A Fidelio Overture, Op. 72B Recorded in 1962Listen on Archive.org |
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| Preceded by | Principal Conductor, Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin 1964–1975 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by (no predecessor) | Principal Conductor, Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana 2006–2011 | Succeeded by |
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