László Somogyi (25 June 1907 in

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

– 20 May 1988 in

Geneva, Switzerland Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the capital of the Republic and Ca ...

) was a Hungarian conductor.

Biography

Somogyi received his musical training under

Zoltán Kodály Zoltán Kodály (, ; , ; 16 December 1882 – 6 March 1967) was a Hungarian composer, ethnomusicologist, music pedagogue, linguist, and philosopher. He is well known internationally as the creator of the Kodály method of music education. ...

and Leo Weiner at the

Ferenc Liszt Academy The Franz Liszt Academy of Music (, often abbreviated as ''Zeneakadémia'', "Liszt Academy") is a music university and a concert hall in Budapest, Hungary, founded on November 14, 1875. It is home to the Liszt Collection, which features several ...

at Budapest, where he was later to become leading professor of the Conductor's Class. While in Hungary he founded and led the Symphonia Orchestra, was Chief Conductor of the Hungarian Broadcasting, and guested with the Hungarian State Opera. He conducted in Poland, East Germany, Romania, Yugoslavia and Bulgaria, as well. In 1956 he left Hungary and was active all over the world, including South America. His American debut in March 1961 with the Houston Symphony was a great success. From 1964 to 1968 he served as Chief Conductor of the

Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is an American orchestra based in the city of Rochester, New York. Its primary concert venue is the Eastman Theatre at the Eastman School of Music. History George Eastman, founder of Eastman Kodak Compan ...

. His recordings include

Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( ; ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...

symphonies (including the famous and disputed ''

Toy Symphony The Toy Symphony (original titles: ''Berchtoldsgaden Musick'' or ''Sinphonia Berchtolgadensis'') is a symphony in C major dating from the 1760s with parts for toy instruments, including toy trumpet, Ratchet (instrument), ratchet, bird calls (cucko ...

''), the Dvořák piano concerto with Firkusny on the Westminster label, and Beethoven's Choral Fantasy Op. 80 and the

Piano Concerto A piano concerto, a type of concerto, is a solo composition in the classical music genre which is composed for piano accompanied by an orchestra or other large ensemble. Piano concertos are typically virtuosic showpieces which require an advance ...

Op. 37 with a very young

Daniel Barenboim Daniel Moses Barenboim (; born 15 November 1942) is an Argentines, Argentine-Israeli classical pianist and conductor based in Berlin, who also has Spain, Spanish and State of Palestine, Palestinian citizenship. From 1992 until January 2023, Bare ...

recorded in the Mozart Hall, Vienna, May 1964. (Westminster WST 17078, Wesminster XWN 19078), MCA.

References

External links

*
RPO memories
1907 births 1988 deaths Franz Liszt Academy of Music alumni Academic staff of the Franz Liszt Academy of Music Hungarian male conductors (music) 20th-century Hungarian composers 20th-century Hungarian conductors (music) 20th-century Hungarian male musicians Music directors of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra {{hungary-conductor-stub