Dimitri Mitropoulos


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.