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. His remarkable partnership
with the Chicago Symphony began in 1954; 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. Solti
died in September 1997, just before his 85th birthday.
Schubert began working on his Symphony No. 8 in October 1822, and finished
the first two movements as well as the first measures of the Scherzo. But
then he laid the work aside. It will never be known why he did not
continue... Even as a torso, this mighty work continues to fascinate
musicians and audiences alike with its stately, almost mysterious grandeur,
romantic appeal and typically Viennese charm.
