ABSTRACT
Hungarian conductor and pianist, born in Budapest. His professional debut was as a pianist, playing a Mozart concerto at age 13. He studied at the Budapest Academy of Music, coached and conducted opera in Budapest, then from 1914-1921 directed the Court Opera in Dresden. Reiner developed a close association with Richard Strauss in Dresden (where nine of his operas had their premieres). He also conducted as a guest in many European cities. He transferred to the U.S. in 1922 to conduct the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra for nine years, teaching also at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia (Leonard Bernstein among his pupils). From 1938-1948 he was music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. He then moved to the Metropolitan Opera for five years, beginning with an acclaimed performance of Salome with Ljuba Wellitsch. In 1953 he took the post of music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, remaining until 1962 and raising that ensemble to world-class status. He died in New York while preparing a Metropolitan Opera performance of Götterdämmerung.
