Karl Richter

Karl Richter was a German organist and harpist who won acclaim as a soloist and conductor of the works of Bach and Handel. He made many popular recordings and appeared with major orchestras until his death at the age of 54 in Munich in 1981.

Raised in Saxony, he studied at the School of the Holy Cross in Dresden under maestro Rudolph Mauersberger and also Karl Straube. Drafted and imprisoned during World War II, he resumed his studies at the State Academy for Music in Leipzig where his affection for Bach blossomed. He won attention for his organ playing and in 1951 he fled East Germany for Munich, where he taught music and established his artistic base.

In 1952 he recorded Heinrich Schütz's 'Musical Obsequies' with an ensemble he formed called the Heinrich-Schütz-Circle and that led to recordings of the great works of Bach by what became known as the Munich Bach Choir. Richter's Bach performances were featured in the annual Munich Concert Programme throughout the 1960s and he expanded his repertoire on concert tours as a soloist across Europe and North America. He conducted the Vienna Symphony Orchestra and the Vienna Choir Association, the Teatro Colon in Argentina, and the opera in Geneva. Deutsche Gramophone released his recording of the complete works of Bach and in the 1970s he played a cycle of 75 cantatas by Bach on each Sunday and holy day of the year. Several DVDs also feature his work.