Ludovít Rajter

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Ludovít Rajter.jpg

Ľudovít Rajter ( ung. Rajter Lajos) (born July 30, 1906 in Bösing , Austria-Hungary , † July 6, 2000 in Bratislava , Slovakia ) was a conductor, composer and music teacher.

Life

The Slovak conductor Ľudovít Rajter with German-Hungarian roots comes from a Protestant family. His father worked as a teacher, cantor and choir conductor in the service of the Evangelical Church. AB Rajter's family came from southern Germany and came to Hungary during the time of Maria Theresa (≈1740) . At that time the family name was still written "Raiter" or "Rayter". Three languages ​​were spoken in Rajter's family: Hungarian, German and Slovak; and Rajter kept this habit until the end of his life.

Professional background

He received his first musical training from his father Lajos Rajter the Elder. Ä. (1880–1945), then (from 1920) in the music school in Preßburg (with Alexander Albrecht ); after graduating from this school and having passed the final examination at the Preßburger Evangelischen Lyzeum AB in 1924, he enrolled at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna . Here he was tutored by the Bratislava composers Franz Schmidt and Joseph Marx (composition) as well as Clemens Krauss (conducting class) and Alexander Wunderer (orchestral direction) . At that time, Rajter also became Clemens Krauss' assistant (until 1933).

Hungary

After completing his studies in Vienna, he moved to the Liszt School of Music (Liszt Ferenc Zeneművészeti Főiskola) in Budapest in 1929 , where he became a master student of Ernst von Dohnányi . In 1935 he was elected first conductor of the Hungarian Radio Orchestra in Budapest. He carried out this activity until 1945. He also worked as a professor at the University of Music in Budapest. During this time Rajter received numerous invitations from important foreign orchestras; numerous works by Béla Bartók and Zoltán Kodály were premiered under his baton.

Post-war years

In 1946 Rajter returned to Czechoslovakia and until 1949 worked as chief conductor of the Czechoslovak Radio Orchestra in Pressburg. In 1949, together with Václav Talich, he became the founder of the Slovak Philharmonic , whose first conductor he later became. In the Stalinist era (early 1950s), Rajter did not seem to be sufficiently “politically reliable” to the communist rulers at the time, which is why he was banned from conducting and was banished as an “archivist” to the Philharmonic Archive, which has been in. Since the orchestra was founded in the Pressburg Redoute had its home seat. It was not until 1953 (after Stalin's death) that he received the position of chief conductor of the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra, which he held until 1961. But even later he was never one of the "beneficiaries" of the then popular democratic Czechoslovakia. The position of chief conductor was given to the Shostakovich admirer Ladislav Slovák.

In 1966, Rajter led the master class for conductors at the International Mozarteum Summer Academy in Salzburg .

In 1968 he returned to the Radio Orchestra of the Czechoslovak Radio and worked there as chief conductor until his retirement in 1976.

Rajter was European in body and soul, even at a time when this word was not yet modern. His appearance as well as his conducting style was full of elegance and nobility. But also his overall appearance, his tall, slim figure and an unbelievable security at the conductor's desk were always impressive for the audience. He mastered and conducted numerous works of world music literature by heart. So z. B. all of Ludwig van Beethoven's symphonies as well as some of the works of Mozart and Joseph Haydn .

Since the establishment of the College of Performing Arts (Vysoká škola muzických umení v Bratislave) in 1949, he also worked as a teacher at this institution until 1976. After his rehabilitation in 1991, he was awarded the title of professor at this institution.

At an advanced age, Ludwig Rajter married Elisabeth b. Aich, the daughter of a Bratislava doctor and the older sister of the well-known Hungarian journalist Peter Aich. The marriage produced a son.

However, even in his retirement, Rajter led a lively musical life with numerous concert performances. In the 1980s he was considered the oldest active conductor in the world. Despite his old age, he received numerous invitations from many important foreign orchestras during this period. The Steinamanger Symphony Orchestra appointed him honorary conductor of the orchestra for life in 1991.

The grave of the conductor's parents at the Protestant Gaistor cemetery in Pressburg

Rajter died on July 6, 2000 in Pressburg after a fulfilled life. His remains were transferred to his hometown Bösing and buried there.

The composer

As a composer, Rajter developed his own style. His work has its roots in the Vienna and Budapest school of composition (Franz Schmidt, Ernst von Dohnányi, Béla Bartók, Alexander Albrecht). Numerous online recordings of his own work, as well as works by other important composers that were played under his baton, are available on YouTube and Spotify.

honors and awards

Rajter received numerous awards and honors in the course of his life (but also afterwards). The most important were:

On July 27, 2006, on the occasion of his centenary, a plaque was placed on his house (Bratislava, Fándlyho 1).

literature

  • P. Rainer Rudolf, Eduard Ulreich: Karpatendeutsches Biographisches Lexikon. Working Group of Carpathian Germans from Slovakia, Stuttgart 1988, ISBN 3-927096-00-8 , p. 263.

Web links

  • Prof. Dr. hc Ľudovít Rajter (online, Slovak)
  • Új szó, Bratislava from July 29, 2006 (Hungarian)
  • Legendárny conductor očami syna Adriana: Slávu sme neriešili - Aktuellity.sk (Slovak), ["A legendary conductor seen through the eyes of his son Adrian"] Interview with son Adrian Rajter from August 1st, 2010 (www.aktuality.sk)
  • Mesto Pezinok | Ľudovít Rajter (www.pezinok.sk) (Slovak)
  • Ľudovít Rajter: Symphonic Works (CD) - jpc (in https://www.jpc.de) /

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Interview with son Adrian Rajter: “Legendárny dirigent…” from August 1st, 2010
  2. ↑ a b Ľudovít Rajter in www.osobnosti.sk
  3. ↑ a b c Új szó, Bratislava, July 29, 2006
  4. ^ Anton Klipp: Pressburg. New views on an old city. Karpatendeutsches Kulturwerk, Karlsruhe 2010, ISBN 978-3-927020-15-3 , p. 69.
  5. ↑ Ladislav Slovák (1919–1999) was first a student of Václav Talich; Between 1953 and 1955 he stayed in the Soviet Union , where he did a study visit with the Leningrad Philharmonic . In 1961 he replaced Rajter as chief conductor of the Slovak Philharmonic. He held this position until 1981.
  6. ↑ The prize was donated by the widow Béla Bartók Ditta Pásztory (1903–1982) for special services to the legacy of Béla Bartók and to Hungarian music. The first handover took place in 1984. The prize is awarded by the rector of the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest on March 25th - Béla Bartók's birthday.
  7. ↑ The Pribina Cross [slow. Pribinov kríž] is a high honor of the Slovak Republic. There are three classes, with the first class being the highest. The cross is named after Prince Pribina and has been given since 2000 by the President of the Republic to Slovak citizens who have made special contributions to the country.
  8. ↑ The award was received "in memoriam" in May 2017 by his widow, Mrs. Alžbeta Rajterová.
personal data
SURNAME Rajter, Ludovít
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Rajter, Ľudovít
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Slovak conductor, composer and music teacher
DATE OF BIRTH July 30, 1906
PLACE OF BIRTH Bösing , Austria-Hungary
DATE OF DEATH July 6, 2000
Place of death Bratislava , Slovakia