Fried, Oskar

Born Aug. 10, 1871, in Berlin; died July 4, 1941, in Moscow. German conductor and composer.

Fried, who studied composition with E. Humperdinck, conducted concerts in many German cities, in various European countries, and in America; in 1905 he conducted in Russia. In 1904 he became conductor of the Society of Music Lovers and of the Stern Choral Society, both in Berlin.

Fried was the first foreign conductor to appear in Soviet Russia. In 1922 he met V. I. Lenin; this encounter had a decisive influence on Fried’s life and career. In 1931 and 1932 he gave a series of concerts in Moscow devoted to the works of Beethoven. He moved to Moscow in 1934 and eventually became a Soviet citizen. Fried was conductor of the Radiokomitet Orchestra.