Rudolf Schwarz (conductor)

Schwarz was born in a Jewish family in Vienna and at the age of six began piano lessons followed shortly by the violin.

[1] After opera experience in Düsseldorf, Schwarz moved to Karlsruhe in 1927 as first conductor at the State Theatre alongside Josef Krips and Joseph Keilberth.

When the JKB was dissolved in 1941, he was deported to Auschwitz, but Wilhelm Furtwängler's wife Zitla secured his release.

[7] After the end of World War II, Schwarz went to Sweden to recover from typhoid,[8] and there met his future second wife Greta.

[11] Leonard Isaacs of the BBC Music Division postulated "a concerted and premeditated effort by the gentlemen of the press to belittle [Schwarz] on every possible occasion".

According to Nicholas Kenyon: In 1964, Schwarz was appointed Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Northern Sinfonia, where he served until 1973.

Violinist Martin Hughes said that his "sense of rhythm, structure and tempo was exceptional",[2] and clarinettist George McDonald reflected that "he made the Sinfonia listen to themselves – blend with each other ... he helped form the Orchestra's style and gave them musical discipline.

[5] Simon Rattle acknowledged Schwarz as a "formative influence" who taught him "the paramount importance of imposing his pulse on the music he played".

[17][18] He conducted for many concerto recordings, as well as the Dvořák Slavonic Dances (BBCSO), and Liszt Hungarian Rhapsodies (Philharmonia).