Mitropoulos, Dimitri

Mitropoulos, Dimitri

(dēmē`trē mētrô`po͞olôs), 1896–1960, Greek-American conductor. A piano pupil of BusoniBusoni, Ferruccio Benvenuto
, 1866–1924, Italian pianist and composer. A child prodigy, he gave a concert in Trieste at the age of eight, which was followed by many appearances conducting and performing his own compositions.
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, in 1930 he substituted for an indisposed piano soloist and simultaneously conducted the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. He made guest appearances in the United States and was conductor of the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra (1937–49), and of the New York Philaharmonic (1949–58). Mitropoulos wrote an opera and transcribed for orchestra many of J. S. Bach's organ works. He became a U.S. citizen in 1946.

Bibliography

See biography by W. R. Trotter (1995).

Mitropoulos, Dimitri

 

Born Mar. 1, 1896, in Athens; died Nov. 2, 1960, in Milan. Greek conductor, pianist, and composer.

Mitropoulos studied at the Athens Conservatory, where he subsequently became a professor of composition in 1930. In 1937 he emigrated to the USA. He became a conductor of the New York Philharmonic in 1949 and was its principal conductor from 1950 to 1958. He was the principal conductor of the Metropolitan Opera from 1954 to 1958.

Mitropoulos appeared at festivals in Florence and Salzburg. He performed in many cities, including Milan (La Scala) and Vienna (State Opera). In 1934 he toured the USSR. His opera repertoire included works by Mozart, Verdi, Puccini, Ravel, and Milhaud. He also conducted Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin and Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov. Mitropoulos composed the opera Soeur Béatrice (1920), music for the stage, symphonic works, and other types of music.

Mitropoulos, Dimitri

(1896–1960) conductor; born in Athens, Greece. Trained first in Athens, he held conducting posts in Berlin and Paris before making his American debut with the Boston Symphony in 1936. From 1937 to 1949 he conducted the Minneapolis Symphony, then became coconductor of the New York Philharmonic, its principal conductor from 1951 to 1957. He frequently conducted opera and died during a rehearsal at La Scala in Milan. He was noted for his remarkable technical abilities and for his advocacy of progressive composers. He was also a notable pianist and composer.