George Byrd

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George Byrd, 1987

George Byrd (born March 22, 1926 in Anson County / North Carolina , USA , † March 12, 2010 in Munich ) was an American conductor who had been active in Germany since the mid-1980s. He saw himself as a "Munich by choice".

Artistic career

In 1947 George Byrd was accepted into the Juilliard School of Music in New York and began his professional music and vocal training. There he also took language courses in French, German, Italian and Spanish. Despite his talent, he was discriminated against from among his fellow students and lecturers because of his skin color. In order to escape this racism, he moved in 1951 to study at the “ Conservatoire de Paris de musique et de danse”.

There he attended rehearsals by Hans Knappertsbusch in the “ Théâtre des Champs-Élysées ” and finally spoke to the master conductor personally. He recognized his talent and wrote him a recommendation, with which Byrd traveled to Munich and finally gave his first concert with the Munich Philharmonic in the Herkulessaal in 1951 . Further guest appearances in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Yugoslavia, England, Norway, Denmark and Germany followed and many recordings followed at Bayerischer Rundfunk , RIAS Berlin and NDR Hamburg .

In 1955, George Byrd attended Herbert von Karajan's master class in Lucerne, which he soon passed with flying colors. Extensive guest conductors all over Europe followed.

In 1963, George Byrd also increasingly suffered from persistent discrimination in Europe and looked around for another place of work. He wrote to the last emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie , and suggested that he set up an orchestra there. After long mediation by the Ethiopian consulate in Paris, he finally founded the "Ethiopian Symphony Orchestra", the first symphony orchestra in Black Africa, in Addis Ababa on behalf of UNESCO and at the invitation of the Ethiopian government . A music conservatory for music, dance and folklore was also opened. George Byrd stayed there for a few years teaching. During this time he acquired knowledge of the Amharic language .

In 1967 he worked as a conductor at the American Ballet Theater in New York. In 1970 he again conducted concerts with the Munich Philharmonic. In 1972 he made guest appearances in New York with the "Symphony of the New World".

In 1973, George Byrd was appointed by the Fulbright Commission and the US State Department to the Brazilian Federal University in Salvador da Bahia . He took over the leadership of the conducting class, two master classes, the madrigal choir and a young opera company. He stayed in Brazil until 1976.

1977–1985 he worked again in Europe as a conductor with leading orchestras in a large number of countries. From 1984 he gave guest conductors in more than 50 cities in Germany. Recordings were made at WDR and Radio Bremen, as well as at the Swedish Radio Company in Gothenburg. As part of the 750th anniversary of Berlin in 1987, he gave several concerts together with the Dresden Philharmonic in Berlin and Dresden, which were recorded for radio and television.

meaning

George Byrd was an absolute and much discussed novelty in the concert halls of Europe in the 1950s and 1960s, mainly because of his skin color. However, his imposing appearance, the inherent vibrating energy as well as his rousing temperament, coupled with conducting discipline and a charming smile, quickly convinced both orchestra and audience. He usually received standing ovations in recognition of the suggestive effect and plasticity that his performance had given the symphony orchestras he conducted (around 80 in total up until the 1980s) . It was often written about him that he had made the instruments "really sing" with his beautiful interpretations. Since he “lived” the material, it was an absolute priority for him to master it down to the last detail, which conveyed a clearly noticeable authenticity for the listeners.

Despite his talent, he continued to be hostile to his skin color, but this never discouraged him. His pedagogical skills not only allowed European orchestras to surpass themselves after short rehearsals, but also brought very young orchestras in Africa and South America to excellent performances.

God gives the artist a message for many people through music. I accepted it and dedicated my life to music. "George Byrd
George Byrd's grave in Munich's North Cemetery

Acting activities

Byrd also worked as an actor. In 1979 he took on a role in Rainer Werner Fassbinder's internationally most successful film The Marriage of Maria Braun . Here he played the American soldier Bill , who fell in love with the supposed widow Maria Braun ( Hanna Schygulla ) in post-war Germany . In 1984 Byrd was again in front of the camera for the TV production Waiting for Beethoven about the life of a fictional conductor. Byrd's son Vincent Byrd Le Sage is an actor and writer. He lives in France.

Retirement

George Byrd was fluent in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese. He, who had traveled and worked in many countries under the sign of modern mobility, found his adopted home in Munich. There he also spent his old age in the city center on Viktualienmarkt . He died there on March 12, 2010 at the age of 83. He found his final resting place in Munich's north cemetery. The tombstone is the work of the artist Heidi Bayer-Wech.

Web links

Individual evidence

personal data
SURNAME Byrd, George
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American conductor
DATE OF BIRTH March 22, 1926
PLACE OF BIRTH Anson County , North Carolina, USA
DATE OF DEATH March 12, 2010
Place of death Munich