Lovro Von Matacic

Lovro von Matačić belonged to that generation of artists which drew inspiration from the spiritual and musical atmosphere of that blessed period at the junction of the 19th and 20th centuries. He studied piano, organ and conducting in Vienna and continued his studies in Cologne. His conducting career peaked in 1938 when left the theater in Zagreb to take simultaneous appointments as general musical director of the Belgrade opera and principal conductor of the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra. World War Two cruelly interrupted his artistic plans. By the mid-1950’s he was general musical director in Skopje. As conditions in Europe returned to normal, Matačić became a typical travelling conductor. His diverse artistic journey led him to Münich (the Bavarian State Opera), Dresden (the State Orchestra), Berlin (the State Opera), Vienna (the State Opera), Milan (La Scala), and Bayreuth (the Festspiele) as well as Chicago and other American opera houses. Significant engagements included Frankfurt and the National Orchestra of the Monte Carlo Opera. He stood at the podium of the Czech Philharmonic for the first time in 1958, and was a regular guest for the next three decades, appearing for the last time in May of 1984, when he conducted Smetana’s Má Vlast at the opening concert of the Prague Spring Festival. His recordings of Bruckner’s 5th, 7th and 9th symphonies, Tchaikovsky’s two last symphonies and Beethoven’s Eroica are part of the Supraphon Gold Fund.