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.
Although this is the only one of his symphonies that Bruckner never
revised, the Sixth still managed to be mangled by well-wishing friends and
conductors who felt they knew what Bruckner had really wanted to express...
Not until the mid 20th century was the work published in its original
version. The composer himself never heard a complete performance of his
Sixth, which did not take place until 11 February 1899, more than two years
after the composer's death. It was conducted by Gustav Mahler, albeit in a
radically cut and reorchestrated version.
