100 at The Solti family in the spring of 1974 (left to right): Lady Valerie Solti, Claudia, Sir Georg, and Gabrielle. In 2012, we commemorate the centennial of the birth of Sir Georg Solti, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra s beloved eighth music director from 1969 until 1991 and music director laureate from 1991 to 1997. Here, we recall his extraordinary life, remarkable musicianship, and his many contributions to Chicago and the world. 54 By Frank Villella October 21, 1912 György Stern is born in Budapest, Hungary. 1924 1930 Attends the Liszt Academy in Budapest, where his instructors include Béla Bartók, Ernő Dohnányi, Zoltán Kodály, and Leo Weiner. July 1937 Assists Arturo Toscanini at the Salzburg Festival and plays the glockenspiel in Mozart s The Magic Flute. March 11, 1938 Debuts as conductor, leading Mozart s The Marriage of Figaro for the Budapest Opera. At the same time, Hitler orders German troops to cross the border into Austria, one step closer to World War II. 1942 Wins the piano prize at the Geneva International Music Competition in Switzerland. 1946 Appointed music director of the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, Germany.
February 1947 Newly signed with the Decca label, makes first recording as accompanist to violinist Georg Kulenkampff in Brahms s Violin Sonata no. 1 in G major, op. 78. September 12, 1949 For Richard Strauss s funeral, conducts the second movement from Beethoven s Eroica Symphony and the final trio from Strauss s Der Rosenkavalier. September 20, 1953 Makes U.S. debut with the San Francisco Opera, leading Strauss s Elektra. August 3, 1954 At the Ravinia Festival, debuts with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, leading Mozart s Symphony no. 41, C.P.E. Bach s Concerto for Cello in A major with Paul Tortelier, and Beethoven s Third Symphony. October 19, 1956 Debuts at Lyric Opera of Chicago leading Strauss s Salome with Inge Borkh in the title role. December 17, 1960 Debuts at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, leading Wagner s Tannhäuser. September 14, 1961 Begins tenure as music director of the Royal Opera, Covent Garden, conducting Gluck s Iphigénie en Tauride. He served as music director until 1971. May 15, 1963 Receives first Grammy Award for best opera recording for Verdi s Aida, recorded by RCA in June and July 1961, with Leontyne Price in the title role. December 9, 1965 Debuts with the CSO at Orchestra Hall, conducting Bartók s Dance Suite, Dvořák s Cello Concerto with Mstislav Rostropovich, and Schubert s Ninth Symphony. November 11, 1967 Georg Solti marries Valerie Pitts. 1967 Solti and John Culshaw receive the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences first Trustees Award for the recording of Wagner s complete Der Ring des Nibelungen made between 1958 and 1965. 55
December 17, 1968 Louis Sudler, president of The Orchestral Association, announces that Georg Solti will become the Chicago Symphony Orchestra s eighth music director beginning with the 1969 70 season. March 26, 1970 Begins first recording sessions with the CSO, with Mahler s Fifth and Sixth symphonies in Medinah Temple. November 27, 1969 Leads the CSO for the first time as music director, conducting Ives s Three Places in New England, Dvořák s Cello Concerto with Jacqueline du Pré, and Beethoven s Eighth Symphony. January 9, 1970 A performance of Mahler s Fifth Symphony in Carnegie Hall earns twelve curtain calls. 56 September 4, 1971 Leads the Orchestra s first concert of its first overseas trip to Europe in Edinburgh, Scotland. October 14, 1971 The CSO is welcomed back from its first European tour with a tickertape parade down State and LaSalle streets. March 25, 1972 Georg Solti is knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. May 7, 1973 Time magazine proclaims Solti the fastest baton in the West and the CSO the top U.S. orchestra, sine qua non. October 7, 1976 Conducts the world premiere of David Del Tredici s Final Alice with soprano Barbara Hendricks as soloist.
June 7, 1977 Begins the CSO s first tour to Japan with a concert in Tokyo. October 5, 1979 Conducts a performance of Bruckner s Fifth Symphony at Holy Name Cathedral, given in honor of Pope John Paul II s first visit to Chicago. September 29, 1983 Conducts the world premiere of Lutosławski s Third Symphony. January 23, 1986 Anticipating the Chicago Bears s victory in Super Bowl XX, leads the Orchestra and Chorus in an encore of Bear Down, Chicago Bears. The following week, the work is recorded by London Records. October 10, 1987 Commemorating Solti s seventy-fifth birthday, a bust is dedicated in the formal gardens in front of the Lincoln Park Conservatory. February 11, 1988 Conducts the world premiere of Husa s Trumpet Concerto, written for Adolph Bud Herseth, the CSO s longtime principal trumpet. January 29, 1988 Musical America names Solti Musician of the Year. 57
March 3, 1988 Opens the CSO s first tour to Australia, leading a concert in Perth. orchestration of Mussorgsky s Songs and Dances of Death with Sergei Aleksashkin, and Shostakovich s Symphony no. 15. August 28, 1989 Conducts the Orchestra, the Chorus in its European debut and soloists in Berlioz s The Damnation of Faust at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England. November 21, 1990 Leads the CSO s first concert of its debut in Russia in Saint Petersburg. April 19, 1991 Makes final appearance as music director of the CSO, conducting Verdi s Otello at Carnegie Hall. Principal soloists include Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Luciano Pavarotti, and Leo Nucci. 58 September 5, 1997 W hile on holiday in Antibes, France, Sir Georg Solti dies at the age of 84. December 5, 1993 Receives the Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, D.C. July 5, 1995 Conducts the first concert of the World Orchestra for Peace, founded to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations. February 25, 1998 Receives thirty-first Grammy Award more than any other recording artist for best opera recording for Wagner s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (recorded in September 1995) with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. 1996 From the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, receives the Grammy Award for lifetime achievement. March 29, 1997 Leads the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for the last time, conducting Mussorgsky s Prelude to Khovanshchina, Shostakovich s For more information, please visit the Rosenthal Archives blog at csoarchives.wordpress.com. Frank Villella is the archivist for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.