Erich Kleiber (
August 5, 1890 –
January 27, 1956) was an
Austrian-born conductor.
Born in
Vienna, Kleiber studied in
Prague. In
1923, after conducting a stirring performance of
Beethoven's Fidelio at the
Berlin State Opera, he became that institution's music director.
He was known for his interpretations of the standard symphonic and operatic repertoire, as well as for championing new works. In
1925, for example, he conducted the première of
Alban Berg's opera, Wozzeck. When Berg's second opera
Lulu was branded
Entartete Musik (degenerate music) by the
Nazi Party, Kleiber resigned from his post at the Berlin Opera in protest. He was not Jewish.
Later he moved to
Buenos Aires, where he worked at the
Colón Theater, becoming its music director. Here he specialized in the German operatic repertoire, particularly the works of
Wagner. Through the prestige of his name, he was able to attract such luminaries to the Colón as
Emanuel List, Kirsten Flagstad, Viorica Ursuleac (in her only American appearances) and
Set Svanholm. Some of his performances from this period have been available on CDs of varying quality, depending upon the conditions under which the original recordings were made. He took
Argentinian citizenship in
1938.
After World War II, he was offered his old position at the Berlin State Opera, which was now in the Russian zone of the city, but after discovering that the Communists were no more to his taste than the Nazis had been, he resigned without having conducted a single performance. He became a roving guest conductor, never again having any permanent post.
His son,
Carlos Kleiber, was himself a world-renowned conductor.
