Dr. Karl Boehm (Bohm) profile picture

Dr. Karl Boehm (Bohm)

I am here for Friends

About Me


I´m an Austrian conductor, the son of a lawyer, I studied law before I entered the Graz Conservatory and then the Vienna Conservatory, where I studied under Eusebius Mandyczewski, the friend of Johannes Brahms.In 1917 I became a rehearsal assistant in my home town, in 1919 the assistant director of music and in 1920 the senior director of music. In 1921, Bruno Walter called me to Munich. In 1927 I was appointed as chief musical director in Darmstadt. From 1931 to 1934 I fulfilled the same function at the Hamburg Opera and was appointed professor. In 1933, I conducted in Vienna for the first time in Tristan and Isolde by Wagner. I succeeded Fritz Busch, who had gone into exile, as the head of the Dresden Opera from 1934 to 1942. This was an important period for me in which I conducted first performances of works by Richard Strauss Die schweigsame Frau (1938), and Daphne (1938), which is dedicated to me. I also conducted the first performances of Romeo and Juliet (1940) and Die Zauberinsel (1942) by Sutermeister, and the Concert No. 2 for cornet (1943) by R. Strauss. In 1938 I took part in the Salzburg Festival for the first time, conducting Don Giovanni by Mozart, and thereafter I became a permanent guest. From 1943 to 1944 I directed the Vienna Opera. On the occasion of the 80th birthday of Richard Strauss, I conducted the festival performance of Ariadne on Naxos. In 1948 I conducted Don Giovanni at the Scala, in 1949 I gave a guest performance in Paris with the Vienna Opera. From 1950 to 1953, I directed the German season at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, and conducted the first Spanish performance of the opera Wozzeck by Alban Berg, which had been translated into Spanish for this occasion. In 1953 I was responsible for the first performance of Gottfried von Einem's work Der Prozess. From 1954 to 1956 I directed the reconstructed Vienna Opera. In 1957 I conducted Don Giovanni at the Met. In 1962, he gave his debut in Bayreuth with Richard Wagner's opera Tristan and Isolde, which I conducted until 1970. 1964: The Mastersingers of Nüremberg by Wagner in Bayreuth; 1965 Fidelio by Beethoven in Tokyo; 1965-67: The Ring of the Nibelungs by Wagner in Bayreuth - the last production by Wieland Wagner; 1971: visit to Moscow and The Flying Dutchman by Wagner in Bayreuth.
... dedicated to my friend Peter Khan

My Interests

Music:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Richard Strauss, Ludwig van Beethoven, Richard Wagner, Anton Bruckner, Alban Berg,...

Books:

Begegnung mit Richard Strauss (Vienna 1964); Ich erinnere mich ganz genau (Zürich 1968); Endler, K. Karl Böhm. Ein Dirigentenleben (Hamburg 1981); Hoyer, H. Karl Böhm an der Wiener Staatsoper (Vienna 1981

My Blog

A LETTER FROM R.STRAUSS TO ME.......for my dear friend Gary Freedman

  Richard Strauss an Karl Böhm                                      ...
Posted by Dr. Karl Boehm (Bohm) on Fri, 27 Oct 2006 03:49:00 PST

My latest DVD - BOX!

Mozart: Symphonies (DVD Video (9))Orchester: Wiener Philharmoniker, Wiener SymphonikerDirigent: Karl Böhm2006 Deutsche Grammophon | DVD Video (9) 00440 0734130 8[01.] Opening Credits / Mozart: Sympho...
Posted by Dr. Karl Boehm (Bohm) on Sat, 07 Oct 2006 12:20:00 PST

My friend Richard Strauss

                                    &n...
Posted by Dr. Karl Boehm (Bohm) on Fri, 06 Oct 2006 02:00:00 PST