Lovro von Matačić (14 February 1899 – 4 January 1985) was a Croatian conductor and composer.
Early life
Lovro von Matačić was born in
Sušak to a family that was granted a noble title in the early 17th century. Growing up, he was always surrounded by music and art: his father had a career as an opera singer, and his mother as an actress. After his parents’ divorce, the family moved to Vienna, where Lovro joined the
Vienna Boys Choir
The Vienna Boys' Choir (german: Wiener Sängerknaben) is a choir of boy sopranos and altos based in Vienna, Austria. It is one of the best known boys' choirs in the world. The boys are selected mainly from Austria, but also from many other countr ...
of the Royal Court Chapel at the age of eight. The Choir's repertoire must have influenced his later affinities, but most of all through the music of
Anton Bruckner. In the Piarists’ Gymnasium in Vienna he received training in piano, organ and music theory. His music education continued under distinguished teachers at the
Vienna Hochschule für Musik, which he never attended formally, and from which he did not obtain any degrees.
After Vienna
Matačić proved his talent in practice when in 1916 he started volunteering as an accompanist at the
Cologne Opera
The Cologne Opera (German language, German: Oper der Stadt Köln or Oper Köln) refers both to the main opera house in Cologne, Germany and to its resident opera company. History of the company
From the mid 18th century, opera was performed in th ...
. When the war broke out, however, he volunteered for the army and also became an active revolutionary: in 1918 he joined the circle of left-oriented intellectuals in Vienna who recognized his artistic talent. He already had several works ready; he recited the poem ''Vigilia'' to his colleagues, and he was sixteen when the
Tonkünstlerorchester of the
Vienna Musikverein conducted by
Bernhard Paumgartner premiered his ''Fantasy for the Orchestra''.
Not many of Matačić's compositions have been completely preserved, although he did include some of them in his programs after becoming a distinguished conductor – such as the ''Confrontation Symphony'' or the ''Konjuh planina'' Cantata. After the war, he made a living mostly by playing in cafés, writing reviews, and by short-term conducting engagements in
Osijek,
Zagreb
Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb stands near the international border between Croatia and Slov ...
and
Novi Sad
Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; hu, Újvidék, ; german: Neusatz; see below for other names) is the second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the Pan ...
, where he served the required military service as a military musician. Even then, his performances were marked with opera pieces and a vocal repertoire, but he did not find a permanent position until 1922 when he was employed by the Ljubljana Opera. In the meantime, he married Karla Dubska, a Czech singer who introduced him to the golden era of Czech music. His first success in Ljubljana was the performance of
Leoš Janáček
Leoš Janáček (, baptised Leo Eugen Janáček; 3 July 1854 – 12 August 1928) was a Czech composer, musical theorist, folklorist, publicist, and teacher. He was inspired by Moravian and other Slavic musics, including Eastern European f ...
's opera ''
Jenůfa
''Její pastorkyňa'' (''Her Stepdaughter''; commonly known as ''Jenůfa'' ) is an opera in three acts by Leoš Janáček to a Czech libretto by the composer, based on the play ''Její pastorkyňa'' by Gabriela Preissová. It was first performed ...
'', which would subsequently become one of the most often performed operas of Matačić's repertoire.
Career as conductor
After Ljubljana, his engagements and successes lined up: with the
Belgrade Opera
The National Theatre ( sr-cyr, Народно позориште, Narodno pozorište) is a theatre located in Belgrade, Serbia.
Founded in the later half of the 19th century, it is located on the Republic Square, at the corner of Vasina and Fra ...
and the Obilić Academic Choir, his first appearance in front of the
Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra (1927) and the Vienna Symphonic Orchestra at the Konzerthaus (1928), the Letonic State Opera in
Riga, and the more permanent move to Zagreb in 1932 where he spread his activities to opera, symphony, and choir repertoire.
In 1936, Matačić conducted the
Berlin Philharmonic
The Berlin Philharmonic (german: Berliner Philharmoniker, links=no, italic=no) is a German orchestra based in Berlin. It is one of the most popular, acclaimed and well-respected orchestras in the world.
History
The Berlin Philharmonic was fo ...
and became the orchestra's regular guest. In 1938 he left the position of the permanent conductor at the
Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb to become the director of the Belgrade Opera and the chief conductor of the Belgrade Philharmonic.
World War II and aftermath
During World War II, Matačić spent most of the time in Zagreb as an army officer, but also continued conducting: he appeared in Zagreb with all major local orchestras, as well as in Vienna and Berlin. He was the Inspector of
Croatian Army
The Croatian Army ( hr, Hrvatska kopnena vojska or HKoV) is the largest and most significant component of the Croatian Armed Forces (CAF).
Role and deployment
The fundamental role and purpose of the Croatian Army is to protect vital national i ...
’s music ensembles and was in charge of the entire corpus of military music in Croatia. His last concert before he was arrested was two weeks prior to the capitulation of Germany – on 23 April 1945 he appeared with the State Radio Orchestra. He always declined to comment in detail on his status during and after the war. In more than a year spent in prison, he was once again given a chance to work in music – he led the prison orchestra and choir. After his second wife Elizabeta Lilly Levenson, whom he married in 1933, managed to obtain a pardon for him, he relocated to
Skopje
Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and List of cities in North Macedonia by population, largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre.
The territory of Sk ...
in 1948.
Career after the war
Until 1954, when he managed to get an approval from
Tito to be issued a passport, his activities in the former country were limited to Rijeka and Ljubljana, but soon his career gained full international momentum. The recording in 1954 of highlights from
Richard Strauss's ''
Arabella'' (with
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
Dame Olga Maria Elisabeth Friederike Schwarzkopf, (9 December 19153 August 2006) was a German-born Austro-British soprano. She was among the foremost singers of lieder, and is renowned for her performances of Viennese operetta, as well as the op ...
) in London for the Columbia label marked a new beginning in the conductor's life. He replaced
Herbert von Karajan
Herbert von Karajan (; born Heribert Ritter von Karajan; 5 April 1908 – 16 July 1989) was an Austrian conductor. He was principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic for 34 years. During the Nazi era, he debuted at the Salzburg Festival, wit ...
for that recording and afterwards signed a five-year contract with the record company. The following year he replaced
Karl Böhm
Karl August Leopold Böhm (28 August 1894 – 14 August 1981) was an Austrian conductor. He was best known for his performances of the music of Mozart, Wagner, and Richard Strauss.
Life and career
Education
Karl Böhm was born in Graz. T ...
at the
Bavarian State Opera
The Bayerische Staatsoper is a German opera company based in Munich. Its main venue is the Nationaltheater München, and its orchestra the Bayerische Staatsorchester.
History
The parent ensemble of the company was founded in 1653, under Ele ...
in Munich for a triumphal performance of Strauss's ''
Ariadne on Naxos''. Appearances in Berlin,
Stuttgart,
Augsburg
Augsburg (; bar , Augschburg , links=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swabian_German , label=Swabian German, , ) is a city in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany, around west of Bavarian capital Munich. It is a university town and regional seat of the ...
, Salzburg,
Graz and elsewhere followed, where he conducted concert programs, operas, and often even directed the productions. He was invited to the Dresden State Chapel, State Opera of East Berlin, and to tours around Europe, including Ljubljana,
Split
Split(s) or The Split may refer to:
Places
* Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia
* Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay
* Split Island, Falkland Islands
* Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua
Arts, entertai ...
, and
Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik (), historically known as Ragusa (; see notes on naming), is a city on the Adriatic Sea in the region of Dalmatia, in the southeastern semi-exclave of Croatia. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterran ...
.
After leaving
Dresden
Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...
in 1958, Matačić strengthened his ties to Vienna, debuted at the
Bayreuth Festival where he also started a long-term collaboration with opera director and
Richard Wagner's grandson,
Wieland Wagner
Wieland Wagner (5 January 1917 – 17 October 1966) was a German opera director, grandson of Richard Wagner. As co-director of the Bayreuth Festival when it re-opened after World War II, he was noted for innovative new stagings of the operas, depa ...
. He finally travelled to the United States, where he performed at the
Chicago Opera. Matačić won over the Italian audience, too - in 1961 at the
Rome Opera
The Teatro dell'Opera di Roma (Rome Opera House) is an opera house in Rome, Italy. Originally opened in November 1880 as the 2,212 seat ''Costanzi Theatre'', it has undergone several changes of name as well modifications and improvements. The pre ...
he performed Wagner's ''
The Ring of the Nibelung
(''The Ring of the Nibelung''), WWV 86, is a cycle of four German-language epic music dramas composed by Richard Wagner. The works are based loosely on characters from Germanic heroic legend, namely Norse legendary sagas and the ''Nibel ...
''. In 1961 in
Frankfurt
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on it ...
he became the chief conductor of the
municipal opera and the prestigious series of Museum Concerts.
He continued working in multiple fields: he recorded for RAI in Turin, and simultaneously managed the
Dubrovnik Summer Festival. He was named Honorary Life-Time Conductor of the
NHK Symphony Orchestra in Japan, conducted orchestras such as Philharmonie, the Czech, Berlin, and Munich philharmonic orchestras. He appeared at the
Bavarian State Opera
The Bayerische Staatsoper is a German opera company based in Munich. Its main venue is the Nationaltheater München, and its orchestra the Bayerische Staatsorchester.
History
The parent ensemble of the company was founded in 1653, under Ele ...
,
Teatro Colon
Teatro may refer to:
* Theatre
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific p ...
in Buenos Aires, the State and Volksopera of Vienna. At the
Musikverein he regularly conducted the
Vienna Symphony Orchestra
The Vienna Symphony (Vienna Symphony Orchestra, german: Wiener Symphoniker) is an Austrian orchestra based in Vienna. Its primary concert venue is the Vienna Konzerthaus. In Vienna, the orchestra also performs at the Musikverein and at the The ...
, sat on the jury for Karajan's conducting competition and in 1974 became the chief conductor of the National Opera Orchestra of Monte Carlo. The list goes on with his appointment as the chief conductor of the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra in 1970 with which he realized a number of ambitious plans, including support for young conductors through a special series – ''Presenting Young Conductors''.
He died in
Zagreb
Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb stands near the international border between Croatia and Slov ...
in 1985.
Collaborations
The musicians he collaborated with include
Sviatoslav Richter
Sviatoslav Teofilovich Richter, group= ( – August 1, 1997) was a Soviet classical pianist. He is frequently regarded as one of the greatest pianists of all time, Great Pianists of the 20th Century and has been praised for the "depth of his int ...
,
Arthur Rubinstein,
Christian Ferras,
Rudolf Buchbinder
Rudolf Buchbinder (born 1 December 1946, Litoměřice, Czechoslovakia) is an Austrian classical pianist.
Biography
Buchbinder studied with Bruno Seidlhofer at the Vienna Academy of Music. In 1965, he made a tour of North and South Americas. In ...
, Marijana Radev, Ruža Pospiš Baldani,
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
Dame Olga Maria Elisabeth Friederike Schwarzkopf, (9 December 19153 August 2006) was a German-born Austro-British soprano. She was among the foremost singers of lieder, and is renowned for her performances of Viennese operetta, as well as the op ...
,
Christa Ludwig,
Renata Tebaldi,
Birgit Nilsson,
Leontyne Price
Mary Violet Leontyne Price (born February 10, 1927) is an American soprano who was the first African American soprano to receive international acclaim. From 1961 she began a long association with the Metropolitan Opera, where she was the first Af ...
,
Nicolai Gedda
Harry Gustaf Nikolai Gädda, known professionally as Nicolai Gedda (11 July 1925 – 8 January 2017), was a Swedish operatic tenor. Debuting in 1951, Gedda had a long and successful career in opera until the age of 77 in June 2003, when he made h ...
, and
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (28 May 1925 – 18 May 2012) was a German lyric baritone and conductor of classical music, one of the most famous Lieder (art song) performers of the post-war period, best known as a singer of Franz Schubert's Lieder, ...
. He recorded for labels such as Columbia and
Supraphon
Supraphon Music Publishing is a Czech record label, oriented mainly towards publishing classical music and popular music, with an emphasis on Czech and Slovak composers.
History
The Supraphon name was first registered as a trademark in 1932. ...
, covering a vast repertoire. Although Anton Bruckner was at the top of the list for his symphony and concert repertoire and Richard Wagner, along with his favorite ''Orpheus'' by Ch. W. Gluck and Janáček's ''Jenůfa'' at the top of his opera repertoire, Lovro von Matačić's interest covered a huge span from
Palestrina
Palestrina (ancient ''Praeneste''; grc, Πραίνεστος, ''Prainestos'') is a modern Italian city and ''comune'' (municipality) with a population of about 22,000, in Lazio, about east of Rome. It is connected to the latter by the Via Pre ...
,
Monteverdi
Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi (baptized 15 May 1567 – 29 November 1643) was an Italian composer, choirmaster and string player. A composer of both secular and sacred music, and a pioneer in the development of opera, he is consider ...
and
Henry Purcell, through
Handel,
Mozart,
Haydn
Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions to musical form have led ...
and
Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...
to
Mussorgsky
Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky ( rus, link=no, Модест Петрович Мусоргский, Modest Petrovich Musorgsky , mɐˈdɛst pʲɪˈtrovʲɪtɕ ˈmusərkskʲɪj, Ru-Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky version.ogg; – ) was a Russian compo ...
,
Mahler
Gustav Mahler (; 7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and the modernism ...
,
Janáček,
Smetana, R. Strauss, Wagner,
Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...
and others.
He was especially dedicated to performing the work of Croatian composers. His first appearances with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra in 1936 already included a suite from
Krešimir Baranović's ballet ''Gingerbread Heart'' and
Jakov Gotovac's ''Symphonic Kolo''. The programs of his subsequent international and Croatian performances also included the works of
Josip Hatze
Joseph Hatze (1879–1959) was one of the first and most prominent Croatian composers in the Mediterranean style in the first half of last century.
Hatze was born in Split (then Austro-Hungarian Empire, now Croatia) to a family of craftsmen fro ...
,
Blagoje Bersa
Blagoje Bersa (born as Benito Bersa, 21 December 1873 – 1 January 1934) was a Croatian musical composer of substantial influence. , Božidar Širola, Božidar Kunc,
Boris Papandopulo
Boris Papandopulo (February 25, 1906 – October 16, 1991) was a Croatian composer and conductor of Greek and Russian Jewish descent. Ha-Kol (Glasilo Židovske zajednice u Hrvatskoj); Djela hrvatskih skladatelja Židovskog podrijetla u Beču; s ...
,
Antun Dobronić and
Josip Štolcer-Slavenski
Josip Štolcer-Slavenski (Serbian Cyrillic: Јосип Штолцер-Славенски; 11 May 1896 – 30 November 1955 ) was a Croatian composer and professor at the Music Academy in Belgrade.
British musicologist Jim Samson described � ...
,
Bruno Bjelinski. Matačić once said: “''One day, when they draw a line, it will not matter what I did for international composers, but how I contributed to Croatian music''. His numerous efforts in that respect should definitely include his last will and testimony by which he established the Lovro & Lilly Matačić Foundation.
Awards and acknowledgements
For his anthological interpretations (especially of works by
Bruckner
Josef Anton Bruckner (; 4 September 182411 October 1896) was an Austrian composer, organist, and music theorist best known for his symphonies, masses, Te Deum and motets. The first are considered emblematic of the final stage of Austro-Germa ...
and
Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...
and of major works of the Slavic repertoire) he was awarded the Bruckner Medal of the
International Bruckner Society, Bruckner Ring of the
Vienna Symphony Orchestra
The Vienna Symphony (Vienna Symphony Orchestra, german: Wiener Symphoniker) is an Austrian orchestra based in Vienna. Its primary concert venue is the Vienna Konzerthaus. In Vienna, the orchestra also performs at the Musikverein and at the The ...
, Janáček and Smetana Medals of the Czechoslovak Government, Cross of the 1st Order for Arts and Sciences of the President of the
Republic of Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ci ...
,
Hans von Bülow Medal of the
Berlin Philharmonic
The Berlin Philharmonic (german: Berliner Philharmoniker, links=no, italic=no) is a German orchestra based in Berlin. It is one of the most popular, acclaimed and well-respected orchestras in the world.
History
The Berlin Philharmonic was fo ...
as well as many other awards.
Composer
Matačić was also active as a composer. His most significant composition is his ''Symphony of Confrontations'' („Symphonie der Konfrontationen“, 1979, revised 1984), an hour-long work in four movements for two pianos, large string orchestra and enormous percussion sections. It deals with the threat of destruction by nuclear weapons in a harsh musical language that includes quotes from the "Dies Irae" Theme from
Hector Berlioz' ''
Symphonie Fantastique''.
Legacy
The International Lovro von Matačić Competition is held every four years in Zagreb. Notable past prize winners include
Eugene Tzigane
Eugene Tzigane (IPA – Ju:dʒi:n tsi'ga:n) (real name: Gene McDonough) is a symphonic and operatic conductor. He's serving as Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of Kuopio Symphony Orchestra in Kuopio, Finland, since 2023.
Biography
Tziga ...
and
Jakub Hrůša
Jakub Hrůša (born 23 July 1981 in Brno), is a Czech conductor.
Education
Hrůša is the son of the architect Petr Hrůša. Hrůša studied piano and trombone, and developed an interest in conducting, during his years at Gymnázium třída K ...
.
The "Lovro Matačić Lifetime Achievement Award" is awarded biannually by the
Croatian Association of Musical Artists.
Lovro Matačić Lifetime Achievement Award
See also
*Lovro and Lilly Matačić Foundation
The Lovro and Lilly Matačić Foundation was founded in 1987 according to the will of both, with an aim to improve the skill of exceptionally gifted young conductors, in Croatia and abroad.
About the foundation
The foundation is a non-profit assoc ...
*
References
External links
*
www.fondmatacic.hr
* František Sláma (musician)
František Sláma (19 November 1923 – 5 May 2004) was a Czech chamber music performer. He was the first Czech cellist who focused on Early music.
Biography
Sláma was born in Herálec. Until the age of 18 he worked in the quarry. His meeting ...
br>Archive
More on the history of the Czech Philharmonic between the 1940s and the 1980s: ''Conductors''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matacic, Lovro
1899 births
1985 deaths
Croatian conductors (music)
Male conductors (music)
Vladimir Nazor Award winners
Croatian Home Guard personnel
Croatian composers
Yugoslav composers
20th-century conductors (music)
20th-century classical composers
Musicians from Rijeka
Male classical composers
20th-century male musicians