I've been delving into Grove:
Fritz Reiner, born Budapest 19 December 1888. Studied at the Liszt
Academy. George Szell, born Budapest 7 June 1897. Grew up and
educated in Vienna. Eugene Ormandy (originally Jeno Blau), born
Budapest 18 November 1899. Educated at Budapest Royal Academy.
Teachers unspecified. Antal Dorati, born Budapest 9 April 1906.
Studied at the Liszt Academy. Teachers included Bartok, Kodaly,
Weiner. Georg Solti, born Budapest 21 October 1912. Studied at the
Liszt Academy. Teachers included Bartok, Kodaly, Weiner. Ferenc
Fricsay, born Budapest 9 August 1914. Studied at the Liszt Academy.
Teachers included Bartok, Kodaly. Istvan Kertesz, born Budapest 28
August 1929. Studied at the Liszt Academy. Teachers included Kodaly,
Weiner. Christoph von Dohnanyi was born in Berlin and grew up in
Germany, so despite the fact that his grandfather, Erno Dohnanyi,
was certainly Hungarian, is not a Hungarian conductor in the same
sense as the others. In 1925, the Budapest Royal Academy was renamed
the Ferenc Liszt Academy.
Excluding Dohnanyi, we find:
All were born in Budapest and, Szell excepted, were educated at the
same institution. Those born this century were all taught by some
or all of Bartok, Kodaly and Weiner. With the exception of Fricsay
and Kertesz, each of the others spent a significant part of his career
in the US. It is, of course, quite likely that they would also have
done so.
BTW, I'm reminded that Solti's last (I think) recording gig was of music
by Bartok, Kodaly and Weiner in tribute to his teachers. Mary Esterheld
thought there may have been some connection between their birth dates. It
seems not. Perhaps it was simply that they were exposed to exceptionally
good teaching.
Richard Pennycuick
[log in to unmask]
|