Christoph von Dohnányi died yesterday in. Munich, two days before his 96th birthday. He was the music director of the Cleveland Orchestra from 1984 to 2002 and a revered conductor all over.
I heard him conduct only twice, both time in operas of Richard Strauss: Die Frau ohne Schatten at San Francisco Opera in 1989 and Arabella at the Royal Opera. Frau was utterly overwhelming; I had never heard a note of the score before that performance, and, well. (Also Gwyneth Jones was very, very loud.) {Looking at the page in the archive, I can't believe they started such a long opera at 7:30 p.m. in those days. Also, I stood through it, in Dress Circle standing room. This was before the renovations that removed Dress Circle standing room to add accessible seating.)
That Arabella was the only time I've liked the opera out of the three productions (three casts, three productions, three conductors). The combination of a superb cast, a slightly fantastical production, and Dohnányi's marvelous conducting worked absolute magic. This production, from the Theatre du Chatelet, used be available on DVD; watch for used copies for sale.
Dohnányi came from a distinguished family. The composer Ernst von Dohnányi was his grandfather; Dietrich Bonhoeffer was his uncle. His father, Hans von Dohnányi, was executed in 1945 for his role in the July 20 plot to assassinate Hitler.
Ave atque vale, Christoph von Dohnányi.
Elsewhere:
- Tim Page, Washington Post
- Margalit Fox, NY Times
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