Othmar Mága (30 June 1929 – 28 January 2020) was a German conductor, who was chief conductor internationally, including the Odense Symphony Orchestra in Denmark and the KBS Symphony Orchestra in Korea. Among his many recordings are several rarely played concertos for instruments such as horn and double bass, including works of the 20th century.

Life

Mága was born in 1929 in

Brno Brno ( , ; ) is a Statutory city (Czech Republic), city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava (river), Svitava and Svratka (river), Svratka rivers, Brno has about 403,000 inhabitants, making ...

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

, to German-Hungarian parents. He studied violin, conducting and composing in Stuttgart (1948–52), and musicology and German literature at the

University of Tübingen The University of Tübingen, officially the Eberhard Karl University of Tübingen (; ), is a public research university located in the city of Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The University of Tübingen is one of eleven German Excellenc ...

(1952–58). He studied conducting further, with Paul van Kempen (1954–55), Ferdinand Leitner (opera) and

Sergiu Celibidache Sergiu Celibidache (; ; 13 August 1996) was a Romanian people, Romanian Conducting, conductor, composer, musical theorist, and teacher. Educated in his native Romania, and later in Paris and Berlin, Celibidache's career in music spanned over fi ...

(1960–62).''International Who's Who in Music and Musicians' Directory'', Vol.1, 15th Edition, 1996/97, page 595 Mága was chief conductor of the Göttinger Symphonie Orchester (1963–67) and of the Nürnberger Symphoniker (1968–70). He then became

Generalmusikdirektor A music director, musical director or director of music is a 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 ...

(GMD) of the Bochumer Symphoniker and professor at the Folkwang-Hochschule in Essen, where he taught to 1982. From 1983 until 1987, Mága was chief conductor of the Orchestra I Pomeriggi Musicali in Milan,Orchestra I Pomeriggi Musicali
/ref> then of the Odense Symphony Orchestra, and from 1992 until end of 1996 chief conductor of the KBS Symphony Orchestra, the orchestra of the

Korean Broadcasting System The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS; ) is the public broadcasting, national broadcaster of South Korea. Founded in 1927, it is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters under the government of South Korea. The KBS ope ...

. From 2002 until 2003 he was GMD of the Niederrheinische Sinfoniker at the Theater Krefeld und Mönchengladbach. Mága died in Kiel on 28 January 2020.

Repertoire

After sixty years of conducting Mága's repertoire contained over 2000 works, music from the Renaissance to works by contemporary composers, including several operas.

Discography

* Bach: Harpsichord Concerto in D minor – Nürnberger Symphoniker (Polyband) * Bach: Overture No. 2 – Nürnberger Symphoniker (Polyband) * Beethoven: '' Die Ruinen von Athen'' – KBS Symphony Orchestra Seoul (Cheil-Orange) * Beethoven: Triple Concerto – Nürnberger Symphoniker (Polyband) * Beethoven:

Violin Concerto A violin concerto is a concerto for solo violin (occasionally, two or more violins) and instrumental ensemble (customarily orchestra). Such works have been written since the Baroque period, when the solo concerto form was first developed, up thro ...

– Nürnberger Symphoniker (Polyband) * Berg: Symphonic Pieces from ''

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'' – Nürnberger Symphoniker (Colosseum) * Bizet: '' Jeux d'enfants'' – Nürnberger Symphoniker (Polyband) * Bizet: Symphony in C – Nürnberger Symphoniker (Polyband) * Borodin: Symphony No. 2 – Philharmonia Hungarica (VOX) * Borodin: '' Steppenskizze aus Mittelasien'' – Philharmonia Hungarica (VOX) * Chabrier: '' España'' – KBS (Cheil-Orange) * Debussy: ''

Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune ''Prélude à l'Après-midi d'un faune'' ( L. 86), known in English as ''Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun'', is a symphonic poem for orchestra by Claude Debussy, approximately 10 minutes in duration. It was composed in 1894 and first performed ...

'' – Bochumer Symphoniker (Stadt Bochum) * Dvořák:

Cello Concerto A cello concerto (sometimes called a violoncello concerto) is a concerto for solo cello with orchestra or, very occasionally, smaller groups of instruments. These pieces have been written since the Baroque era if not earlier. However, unlike instru ...

– Nürnberger Symphoniker (Intercord "Saphir") * Dvořák: Overture ''Othello'' – KBS (Samsung-Classics) * Oldrich Flosman: Horn Concerto – RSO Frankfurt (Audite) * Harald Genzmer: Organ Concerto – Bochumer Symphoniker (VOX) * Glazunov: ''Ballettszenen'', Op. 52 – Bochumer Symphoniker (Impromptu) * Glazunov: '' Die Jahreszeiten'' – Nürnberger Symphoniker (Colosseum) * Glazunov: ''

Raymonda ''Raymonda'' () is a ballet, grand ballet in three acts, four scenes with an apotheosis, originally choreographed by Marius Petipa to the music of Alexander Glazunov (his Opus number, opus 57) and libretto by Lydia Pashkova. ''Raymonda'' was creat ...

'' – Bochumer Symphoniker (Impromptu) * Glinka: Dances from '' Ein Leben für den Zaren'' – Bochumer Symphoniker (Impromptu) * Handel: '' Feuerwerksmusik'' – Nürnberger Symphoniker (Colosseum und BASF) * Adolf von Henselt: Piano Concerto – Philharmonia Hungarica (VOX) * Henze: First Suite from '' Undine'' – Nürnberger Symphoniker (Polyband) * Hindemith: '' Kammermusik'' Nr. 1 – Philharmonia Hungarica (FFE) * Hindemith: '' Kammermusik'' Nr. 7 – Bochumer Symphoniker (Da Camera Magna) * Hindemith: ''Konzertmusik'', Op. 50 – Philharmonia Hungarica (FFE) * Hindemith: Overture ''Neues vom Tage'' – WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln (FFE) * Franz Anton Hoffmeister: Double Bass Concerto – RSO Frankfurt (FSM) * Leopold Koželuch: Double Bass Concerto – RSO Frankfurt (FSM) * Friedrich Kuhlau: Piano Concerto – Odense Symfoniorkest (Unicorn) * Kuhlau: Concerto for Two Horns – Odense Symfoniorkest (Unicorn) * Kuhlau: Overture ''Elverhöj'' – Odense Symfoniorkest (Unicorn) * Anatoly Lyadov: ''Kikimora'', Op. 63 – Bochumer Symphoniker (Impromptu) * Theo Loevendie: ''De Nachtigal'' – Residentie Orkest den Haag (Colofon) * Mahler: Adagio from Symphony No. 10 – Nürnberger Symphoniker (FFE) * Francesco Malipiero: Piano Concerto No. 6 – Nürnberger Symphoniker (FFE) * Mendelssohn: ''

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'' – RSO Frankfurt (Audite) * Mendelssohn: ''Fingals Höhle'' – KBS (Cheil-Orange) * Mendelssohn: ''Ein Sommernachtstraum'' – KBS (Samsung-Classics) *

Ignaz Moscheles Isaac Ignaz Moscheles (; 23 May 179410 March 1870) was a Bohemian piano virtuoso and composer. He was based initially in London and later at Leipzig, where he joined his friend and sometime pupil Felix Mendelssohn as professor of piano in the Co ...

: Piano Concerto in G minor – Michael Ponti, piano, Philharmonia Hungarica (VOX) Michael Herman: http://www.musicweb-international.com/Ntl_discogs/Balkan_concertos/ECE_Balkan_concertos3.htm East-Central European & Balkan Concertos / From the 19th Century To the Present / A Discography Of CDs And LPs. musicweb-international.com * Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 6 and 8 – Philharmonia Hungarica (VOX) * Mozart: Concerto for Two Pianos – Nürnberger Symphoniker (Colosseum) * Nielsen: Flute Concerto – Philharmonia Hungarica (VOX) * Nielsen:

Clarinet Concerto A clarinet concerto is a concerto for clarinet; that is, a musical composition for solo clarinet together with a large ensemble (such as an orchestra or concert band). Albert Rice has identified a work by Giuseppe Antonio Paganelli as possibly th ...

– Philharmonia Hungarica (VOX) * Jiří Pauer: Horn Concerto (1957) – RSO Frankfurt (Audite) * Poulenc: ''

L'Histoire de Babar, le petit éléphant ''L'Histoire de Babar, le petit éléphant'' (The story of Babar, the little elephant), FP 129, is a composition for narrator and piano by Francis Poulenc, based on '' Histoire de Babar'' and written from 1940. Orchestral versions were later wri ...

'' – Residentie Orkest den Haag (Colofon) * Poulenc: Concerto for Two Pianos – Nürnberger Symphoniker (Colosseum) * Prokofiev: '' Peter en de Wolf'' – Residentie Orkest den Haag (Colofon) * Rimsky-Korsakoff: Overture ''Russische Themen'' – Bochumer Symphoniker (VOX) * Rimsky-Korsakoff: ''

Sadko Sadko () is a principal character in Russian '' byliny'' (oral epic poems). He is an adventurer, merchant, and '' gusli'' musician from Novgorod. The story of Sadko is best known outside Russia in the opera '' Sadko'' by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov ...

'' – Bochumer Symphoniker (Impromptu) * Rimsky-Korsakoff: ''Skazka'' – Bochumer Symphoniker (VOX) * Rimsky-Korsakoff: Suite No. 2 – Bochumer Symphoniker (VOX) *

Anton Rubinstein Anton Grigoryevich Rubinstein (; ) was a Russian pianist, composer and conductor who founded the Saint Petersburg Conservatory. He was the elder brother of Nikolai Rubinstein, who founded the Moscow Conservatory. As a pianist, Rubinstein ran ...

: Piano Concerto No. 4 – Philharmonia Hungarica (VOX) * Saint-Saens: ''Die Muse und der Poet'' – KBS (Cheil-Orange) * Saint-Saens: '' Karneval der Tiere'' – Nürnberger Symphoniker (Intercord) * Schumann: Symphony No. 3 – Bochumer Symphoniker (Stadt Bochum) * Sibelius: ''

Finlandia ''Finlandia'', Op. 26, is a tone poem by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. It was written in 1899 and revised in 1900. The piece was composed for the Press Celebrations of 1899, a covert protest against increasing censorship from the R ...

'' – KBS (Cheil-Orange) * Smetana: '' Die Moldau'' – KBS (Cheil-Orange) * Stravinsky: ''

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'' – Philharmonia Hungarica (FFE) * Tchaikovsky: ''Der Sturm'' – Bochumer Symphoniker (VOX) * Tchaikovsky: ''Der Sturm, Phantasie'', Op. 18 – Bochumer Symphoniker (VOX) * Tchaikovsky: ''Der Woywode'' – Bochumer Symphoniker (VOX) * Tchaikovsky: ''Fatum'' – Bochumer Symphoniker (VOX) * Tchaikovsky: Overture ''Romeo and Juliet'' – KBS (Samsung-Classics) * Tcherepnin A.: Suite ''Der Abgrund'' – Nürnberger Symphoniker (Colosseum) * Tcherepnin N.: Dances from ''Le Pavillon d'Armide'' – Nürnberger Symphoniker (Impromptu) * Válek: Violin Concerto – FOK Prag (Supraphon) *

Giovanni Battista Viotti Giovanni Battista Viotti (12 May 1755 – 3 March 1824) was an Italian violinist whose virtuosity was famed and whose work as a composer featured a prominent violin and an appealing lyrical tunefulness. He was also a director of French and Italia ...

: Violin Concerto – Nürnberger Symphoniker (FEE und Bellaphon) *

Wladimir Vogel Wladimir Rudolfowitsch Vogel (17 February/29 February 1896 – 19 June 1984) was a Swiss (people), Swiss composer of Germans, German and Russians, Russian descent. Life Born in Moscow, Vogel first studied composition in Moscow with Alexander Scri ...

: Passacaglia – Nürnberger Symphoniker (FEE) and * Peter-Jan Wagemans: ''Romance for violin and orchestra'' – Residentie Orkest den Haag (Donemus) * Weber: Symphony No. 1 – Nürnberger Symphoniker (Colosseum) * Weber: Symphony No. 2 – Nürnberger Symphoniker (Colosseum) *

Anton Webern Anton Webern (; 3 December 1883 – 15 September 1945) was an Austrian composer, conductor, and musicologist. His music was among the most radical of its milieu in its lyric poetry, lyrical, poetic concision and use of then novel atonality, aton ...

: ''Fünf Stücke''. Op. 10 – Nürnberger Symphoniker (FFE) * Webern: ''Sechs Stücke'', Op. 6 – Nürnberger Symphoniker (FFE) * Webern: '' Sinfonie'', Op. 21 – Nürnberger Symphoniker (FFE)

References

External links

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Performances with Othmar Mága

Schott Music Schott Music () is one of the oldest German music publishers. It is also one of the largest music publishing houses in Europe, and is the second-oldest music publisher after Breitkopf & Härtel. The company headquarters of Schott Music were foun ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maga, Othmar 1929 births 2020 deaths German male conductors (music) German people of Moravian-German descent German people of Hungarian descent Musicians from Brno 21st-century German conductors (music) 21st-century German male musicians