Kurt Woess

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kurt Woess

Kurt Wöss (born May 2, 1914 in Linz , † December 4, 1987 in Dresden ) was an Austrian conductor.

Life

Kurt Wöss grew up in Zeillern , attended grammar school in Graz and until 1938 studied composition with Max Springer and Joseph Marx , violin with Ernst Moravec and, as a private student, conducting with Felix Weingartner and musicology at the University of Vienna with the Bruckner researcher at the Vienna Music Academy Robert Haas , Robert Lach, Alfred Orel and Egon Wellesz .

From 1936 he conducted the orchestra of the German Art Community in Vienna, from 1938 the Nazi chamber orchestra. In 1938 Wöss also became head of a branch of the Vienna Music School. In 1939 he became a student leader at the Reich University of Music , directed the Gaustudenten Orchestra and in 1941 took over the subject of "celebration design". Drafted into the Wehrmacht in 1942, he served as a sergeant in the Aviation Training Regiment No. 24 in Olomouc. After 1945 Wöss was dismissed from all positions because of his membership in the NSDAP , which he joined on May 1, 1938 ( membership number 6.123.360).

From 1946–51 he was chief conductor of the Lower Austrian Tonkünstlerorchester and also reintroduced the popular Sunday afternoon concerts. In 1950/51 he produced recordings with Marcel Prawy for the American record company Remington. As the first chief conductor of the NHK Symphony Orchestra (1951–54) and teacher at the Tokyo University of Music, he was a pioneer of European music performances in Japan. 1956-60 he conducted the Victorian Symphony Orchestra in Melbourne and at the Australian National Opera. 1961–68 Wöss was opera director at the Landestheater Linz and 1967–74 chief conductor of the Bruckner Orchestra Linz . Wöss acquired the Lichtenhag castle ruins in 1964 , which he only owned for a short time. From 1974 he directed the Fujiwara Opera in Tokyo and was artistic director of the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra. Since 1978 he has also conducted the Vienna Johann Strauss Orchestra . In 1984 he acquired a castle-like property in Eggenburg / Lower Austria, which also hosted concerts by high-ranking artists. As a guest conductor, Wöss was internationally active and worked a. a. with orchestras in Italy, Sweden, the Orchester de la Suisse Romande , the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich and the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg . In the year of his death he went on a tour of the USA with the Johann Strauss Orchestra and completed 27 guest conductors, including a. in Kattowitz, St. Gallen, Midland, Oklahoma, Trondheim, Malmö, Seoul, Dublin, Belfast, Teipei, Budapest, Berlin, Copenhagen, Brussels, Brno, Bari, Kwanchou, Suwan, Napoli, Dresden. His wide-ranging repertoire ranged from Johann Sebastian Bach to Béla Bartók , but his particular love was the works of Anton Bruckner and Johann Strauss (son) . During his time as chief conductor of the NHK Orchestra in Tokyo, the Japanese music audience was so enthusiastic about the Vienna New Year's Concert. In Japan he introduced the popular Viennese evenings with music mainly from Johann Strauss' son and father. In a survey of the most prominent Austrians in 1964, the conductors Herbert von Karajan, Karl Böhm and Kurt Wöss were named in the music category. In 1961 he was given the title of professor by the Federal President.

He was married to Margareta Wöss (* June 8, 1921, † December 25, 1999), head of the music department of the city of Linz and the Brucknerhaus . Children: Wolfgang Wöss (born September 3, 1942 in Vienna), Werner Wöss (born May 6, 1944 in Vienna, † April 1991, Munich), Fleur Sakura Wöss (born April 15, 1953, Tokyo)

He died at the conductor's podium at the beginning of a rehearsal of Bruckner's 2nd symphony with the Dresden Philharmonic .

Awards

Fonts

  • Advice on performing Anton Bruckner's symphonies . Linz event company, Linz 1974.
  • When I forgot to conduct ... and other experiences of a globetrotting conductor . Orac, Vienna 1983, ISBN 3-85368-942-6 .
  • Paul Matusek (ed.): I rode Tenno's horse - Japanese counterpoints - Japan, overheard by a musician. Mymorawa, Vienna 2019, ISBN 978-3-99093-112-7 .

literature

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Wöss, Kurt
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian conductor
DATE OF BIRTH May 2, 1914
PLACE OF BIRTH Linz
DATE OF DEATH 4th December 1987
Place of death Dresden