Lorin Maazel: In Memoriam
One of America's best-loved conductors has died aged 84, reports Hazel Rowland
Culture Whisper are saddened to lean that Lorin Maazel, conductor, one of the world’s most venerated and sought-after musicians, has died aged 84 from complications associated with pneumonia.
The American conductor was a child prodigy. He first ascended the conductor’s podium at the age of nine, and by the age of fifteen he had conducted most of the major American orchestras, including the NBC Symphony at the invitation of Toscanini. He rapidly became one of the world’s most highly-prized artists, and was the first American to appear at Bayreuth in 1960.
Maazel went on to conduct many of the world’s most prestigious orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, and the Vienna State Opera. At the time of his death he was the Music Director of the Munich Philharmonic. Watch video of Maazel conducting the New York Philharmonic here.
As well as conducting, Maazel was a respected composer. His first opera was based on George Orwell’s novel, 1984 , and received its world premier at the Royal Opera House in May 2005.
Dominique Mayer, director of the Vienna State Opera, described Maazel as a 'versatile artist, a magnificent conductor and a … fine person', and said his work was 'inspiring'.