Sir Georg Solti (1912-1997), one of the greatest conductors of the 20th
century, was a testament to the elegance and impeccable tastefulness of
Central European music-making. Born in Budapest in 1912, he studied with
Béla Bartók, Ernö von Dohnányi, Zoltán Kodály and Leo Weiner. In 1937,
Toscanini chose him to be his assistant at the Salzburg Festival. After the
war, Solti was appointed Music Director of the Bavarian State Opera.
Further stations in his career were the Frankfurt Opera, the Royal Opera
House Covent Garden and the London Philharmonic. Solti's remarkable
partnership with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra began in 1954, when he
first led the orchestra at the Ravinia Festival. After returning to conduct
the ensemble several times during the following years, he was named Music
Director in 1969 and held this post for a phenomenal 22 years. He is
credited with greatly extending and enhancing the orchestra's worldwide
reputation. "In Chicago he has whipped, cajoled, hammered, burnished and
conjured an orchestral sound that manages to be two entirely opposite
things at once. On the one hand, there is that seductive, mellow roar from
the winds and brass; on the other, a meticulously controlled string tone
whereby more than 60 players take on the crispness and clarity of a chamber
ensemble." (Newsweek, Oct. 19, 1987) Solti died in September 1997, just
before his 85th birthday.
Anton Bruckner began working on his Seventh Symphony in 1881 and completed
it on 5 September 1883. The first performance was led by Arthur Nikish in
Leipzig on 30 December 1884 and was a success that helped establish the
composer as a major composer. The work has since become Bruckner's most
popular symphony. This recording features the Chicago Symphony under Sir
Georg Solti.
