Ferdinand Löwe (19 February 1865 – 6 January 1925) was an
Austria
Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
n
conductor.
Biography
Löwe was born in
Vienna
Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
,
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...
where along with
Munich
Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
,
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
his career was primarily centered. From 1896 Löwe conducted the Kaim Orchestra, today's
Munich Philharmonic
The Munich Philharmonic () is a German symphony orchestra located in the city of Munich. It is one of Munich's four principal orchestras, along with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Munich Radio Orchestra and the Bavarian State Orche ...
, where he returned from 1908 to 1914. In 1900 Löwe founded and conducted the Wiener Concertvereinsorchester, today the
Vienna Symphony
The Vienna Symphony (Vienna Symphony Orchestra, ) is an Austrian orchestra based in Vienna. Its primary concert venue is the Vienna Konzerthaus. In Vienna, the orchestra also performs at the Musikverein and at the Theater an der Wien.
History ...
. He taught at the
Vienna Conservatoire from 1884. He was elected director in 1919 and served until 1922.
Bruckner
A pupil of
Anton Bruckner
Joseph Anton Bruckner (; ; 4 September 182411 October 1896) was an Austrian composer and organist best known for his Symphonies by Anton Bruckner, symphonies and sacred music, which includes List of masses by Anton Bruckner, Masses, Te Deum (Br ...
, Löwe was one of the main popularizers of Bruckner's symphonies. He would sometimes persuade the composer to rearrange his music in order to make it more palatable to the public. In the case of Bruckner's ''
Symphony No. 9'', Löwe himself made significant changes to the harmony, orchestration, phrasing and dynamics before the posthumous premiere. Bruckner's original conception of the symphony was not heard until 1932 when it was revived by
Siegmund von Hausegger, Löwe's successor at Munich. The symphony is today performed without Löwe's changes.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Loewe, Ferdinand
Austrian male conductors (music)
1865 births
1925 deaths
Musicians from Vienna
19th-century Austrian male musicians
19th-century Austrian conductors (music)
20th-century Austrian conductors (music)
20th-century Austrian male musicians
Expatriates from Austria-Hungary in Germany
Musicians from Austria-Hungary
Chief conductors of the Munich Philharmonic
Chief conductors of the Vienna Symphony