Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos (born Rafael Frühbeck; 15 September 1933 – 11 June 2014) was a Spanish
conductor and composer. Frühbeck was born in
Burgos
Burgos () is a city in Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the province of Burgos.
Burgos is situated in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, on the confluence o ...
, Spain to a family of German ancestry. He first took up conducting while on military service in the Spanish Army before graduating from the
Hochschule für Musik in
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and ...
. Frühbeck was principal conductor of various orchestras around the world, starting with the
Bilbao Symphony Orchestra from 1958 to 1962, then moving on to the
Spanish National Orchestra,
Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra The is a Japanese symphony orchestra administratively based in Tokyo. The orchestra primarily performs concerts in Tokyo at the Suntory Hall, but also gives concerts at the Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall. The orchestra also performs in Yokohama ...
of Tokyo and many others. Throughout his career Frühbeck de Burgos recorded on a number of
labels. He was a member of the Academy of Fine Arts and History ''Institución Fernán González''. His honours include the 2011 Conductor of the Year award from ''Musical America''.
Early life
Born in
Burgos
Burgos () is a city in Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the province of Burgos.
Burgos is situated in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, on the confluence o ...
, Spain, Frühbeck came from a family of German ancestry. His father had been wounded in World War I, and during his employment after the war for the Spanish section of a German company, decided to settle in Spain in order to reduce the need to travel. He then sent for his fiancée in Germany, and the couple reunited in Spain. Frühbeck's mother introduced him to the violin, and he had become concertmaster of the local orchestra by age 14.
As a youth, he continued
violin
The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...
studies, along with
piano
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...
, and
composition, at the
conservatories of
Bilbao
)
, motto =
, image_map =
, mapsize = 275 px
, map_caption = Interactive map outlining Bilbao
, pushpin_map = Spain Basque Country#Spain#Europe
, pushpin_map_caption ...
and
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
. He first took up conducting while on military service in the Spanish Army.
He graduated summa cum laude from the
Hochschule für Musik in
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and ...
in conducting and won the
Richard Strauss
Richard Georg Strauss (; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer, conductor, pianist, and violinist. Considered a leading composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras, he has been described as a successor of Richard Wag ...
Prize.
Career
Frühbeck was principal conductor of the
Bilbao Symphony Orchestra from 1958 to 1962. During this time, the orchestra's manager persuaded Frühbeck to use a name that would more clearly indicate his Spanish identity.
He subsequently took the professional surname ''Frühbeck de Burgos'' as his artist's name, to include the name of his birth city. He served as principal conductor of the
Spanish National Orchestra from 1962 to 1978.
Outside Spain, Frühbeck de Burgos served as ''Generalmusikdirektor'' of the Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra (1966–1971),
music director
A music(al) director or director of music is the person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert band, the di ...
of the
Rundfunkorchester Berlin, the
Deutsche Oper Berlin,
artistic director
An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre or dance company, who handles the organization's artistic direction. They are generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since th ...
of the
Montreal Symphony Orchestra
The Montreal Symphony Orchestra (french: Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, or OSM) is a Canadian symphony orchestra based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The orchestra’s home is the Montreal Symphony House at Place des Arts. It is the only orche ...
and chief conductor of the
Vienna Symphony. He also was principal guest conductor for various
orchestra
An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families.
There are typically four main sections of instruments:
* bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...
s in Europe, Japan, and the United States, including the
National Symphony Orchestra
The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1930, its principal performing venue is the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. It also performs for the annual National M ...
of Washington, DC, from 1980 to 1988.
He made his American debut with the
Philadelphia Orchestra
The Philadelphia Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. One of the " Big Five" American orchestras, the orchestra is based at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, where it performs its subscriptio ...
in February 1969. From 1980 to 1983, he was principal conductor of the
Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra The is a Japanese symphony orchestra administratively based in Tokyo. The orchestra primarily performs concerts in Tokyo at the Suntory Hall, but also gives concerts at the Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall. The orchestra also performs in Yokohama ...
of Tokyo.
From 2001 to 2007, Frühbeck de Burgos was principal conductor of the
RAI National Symphony Orchestra. He was music director of the
Dresden Philharmonic
The Dresdner Philharmonie (Dresden Philharmonic) is a German symphony orchestra based in Dresden. Its principal concert venue is the ''Kulturpalast''. The orchestra also performs at the Kreuzkirche, the Hochschule für Musik Dresden, and the ...
from 2004 to 2011. In January 2011, the
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra announced the appointment of Frühbeck de Burgos as the Creative Director of its Masterworks Series of concerts, starting with the 2011–12 season. He held the post for two seasons, from 2011 to 2013.
Later life
In February 2011, the
Danish National Symphony Orchestra announced the appointment of Frühbeck de Burgos as its principal conductor, as of the 2012–2013 season, with an initial contract of three years through 2015. However, on 4 June 2014, he resigned as chief conductor of the orchestra, with immediate effect. In parallel, Frühbeck de Burgos announced his retirement from conducting and that he had cancer.
His final concert as a conductor had been in Washington, DC on 14 March 2014, with the National Symphony Orchestra.
Frühbeck de Burgos died on 11 June 2014 in
Pamplona
Pamplona (; eu, Iruña or ), historically also known as Pampeluna in English, is the capital city of the Chartered Community of Navarre, in Spain. It is also the third-largest city in the greater Basque cultural region.
Lying at near above ...
, Spain. He was buried in his home town of Burgos. He was survived by his wife, María del Carmen Martínez de Frühbeck, whom he married in 1959, and his two children, Rafael Frühbeck Martínez and Gema Frühbeck Martínez.
Recognition
Frühbeck de Burgos recorded on a number of
labels, where his recordings include
Felix Mendelssohn
Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), born and widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositions include sym ...
's ''
Elijah'', the
Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...
''
Requiem
A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead ( la, Missa pro defunctis) or Mass of the dead ( la, Missa defunctorum), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, ...
'',
Carl Orff's ''
Carmina Burana'', and
Georges Bizet
Georges Bizet (; 25 October 18383 June 1875) was a French composer of the Romantic music, Romantic era. Best known for his operas in a career cut short by his early death, Bizet achieved few successes before his final work, ''Carmen'', whi ...
's ''
Carmen
''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first performed by the ...
.'' He was known as well for his recording of the complete works of
Manuel de Falla and a series of complete
zarzuela
() is a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes, the latter incorporating operatic and popular songs, as well as dance. The etymology of the name is uncertain, but some propose it may derive from the name of ...
recordings. Frühbeck orchestrated a suite from
Isaac Albéniz's ''
Suite española'' and conducted the
New Philharmonia Orchestra in a commercial recording of this arrangement. His work in contemporary music included conducting the world premiere production of
Gian Carlo Menotti
Gian Carlo Menotti (, ; July 7, 1911 – February 1, 2007) was an Italian composer, librettist, director, and playwright who is primarily known for his output of 25 operas. Although he often referred to himself as an American composer, he kept ...
's opera ''Goya''.
He was a member of the Academy of Fine Arts and History ''Institución Fernán González''. His honours include the 2011 Conductor of the Year award from ''Musical America''.
References
External links
*
Columbia Artists Management biography of Rafael Frühbeck de BurgosEl Asere.com page on Frühbeck de Burgos*
* from ''
La vida breve'' of
Manuel de Falla, performed by dancer
Nuria Pomares and the
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra with Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos conducting, in
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...
, 6 June 2009
Institución Fernán González, "Miembros de la Institución Fernán González" zarzuela.net
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fruhbeck De Burgos, Rafael
1933 births
2014 deaths
20th-century classical composers
21st-century classical composers
20th-century conductors (music)
21st-century conductors (music)
Deaths from cancer in Spain
Musicians from Castile and León
University of Music and Performing Arts Munich alumni
Madrid Royal Conservatory alumni
Music directors (opera)
People from Burgos
Spanish classical composers
Spanish male classical composers
Spanish conductors (music)
Male conductors (music)
Spanish people of German descent
20th-century Spanish musicians
20th-century Spanish male musicians
21st-century male musicians