Erich Leinsdorf

Erich Leinsdorf (born Feb. 4, 1912, Vienna, Austria-Hungary—died Sept. 11, 1993, Zürich, Switz.) was an Austrian-born American pianist and conductor.

Following musical studies at the University of Vienna and the State Academy, Leinsdorf served as rehearsal, and then solo, pianist for Anton von Webern’s Singverein der Sozialdemokratischen Kunststelle (Choral Society of the Social Democratic Arts Council). Bruno Walter took him as his assistant at Salzburg in 1934, and that same year Arturo Toscanini engaged him as pianist for a special performance in Vienna. In 1937, having already established a name in Italy as a conductor of opera, Leinsdorf was invited to join the New York Metropolitan Opera as assistant conductor. He was later promoted to full conductor and in 1939 was put in charge of the German repertory.

Leinsdorf succeeded Artur Rodzinsky at the Cleveland Orchestra in 1943 but sacrificed the post when he was inducted into the U.S. Army. He returned from overseas in 1947 to a position with the Rochester Philharmonic. In 1956 he was musical director of the New York City Opera and then in 1957 resumed work with the Metropolitan as conductor and musical consultant. He succeeded Charles Munch at the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1962, remaining there until 1969. In 1978 he was named chief conductor of the Radio Symphony of West Berlin, a post he retained until 1980.

He made guest appearances with virtually every major orchestra in Europe and the United States, and he recorded extensively. The autobiographical Cadenza: A Musical Career was published in 1976, and a book on conducting, The Composer’s Advocate, in 1981.