Erich Leinsdorf

The Austrian-born conductor Erich Leinsdorf had a reputation among musicians for being a hard taskmaster who demanded high standards from his players. He had an abrasive personality which he used to enforce his meticulous attention to detail. Although Leinsdorf may have lacked charm his ability as a conductor was never in doubt and his services were eagerly sought after by leading orchestras, particularly in the US.

After studying music at the Mozarteum in Salszburg and the Vienna Academy of Music, Leinsdorf made a timely exit from Austria and took up a job in America just months ahead of the Anschluss in 1938 when Hitler ordered the annexation of Austria. In the US he took up a position as the assistant conductor at the Metropolitan Opera in New York where he developed a reputation for the quality of his conducting of Wagner. During his tenure at the Met Leinsdorf was drafted into the US armed forces (he had become a naturalised American citizen in 1942) but when he returned from active service after World War II his contract was not renewed.

In 1947 he joined the Rochester Philharmonic, a post he held for eight years. During his career he went on to make guest appearances with many leading orchestras and made the following quote which is well known in musical circles: "The three works that make conducting worthwhile are Wagner's 'Siegfried', 'The [Beethoven] Ninth' and 'Rite of Spring'." Leinsdorf died in Zurich in 1993 at the age of 81 after developing cancer.