- Felix Mottl
Felix Josef von Mottl (
24 August 1856 –2 July 1911 ) was anAustria n conductor and composer.Born in Unter Sankt Veit, today
Vienna , Mottl was regarded as one of the most brilliant conductors of his day. He composed some operas, of which "Agnes Bernauer" (Weimar , 1880) was the most successful, and numerous songs and other music. He was also a teacher, counting among his pupilsErnest van Dyck .Mottl had a successful career at the Vienna Conservatoire. He became known as a gifted conductor of Wagner's music, and assisted Hans Richter in the preparations for the first complete
Ring Cycle at Bayreuth; in 1886 he directed the performance of "Tristan und Isolde " at theBayreuth Festival . From 1881 to 1903 he was conductor at theKarlsruhe Opera, and made a wide reputation for his activity there, particularly in producing the works of Wagner andHector Berlioz . In later years, as a conductor of Wagner especially, he visitedLondon and New York, where he was guest conductor for theMetropolitan Opera in 1903. In 1904 he was made a director of theAkademie der Künste atBerlin .In June 1907 he cut some
player piano rolls withWelte-Mignon , including his own piano transcription of the Prelude, the Love Duet and Brangäne's Warning from "Tristan". He died in aMunich hospital on July 2, 1911, after suffering a heart attack on June 21, while conducting his 100th performance of "Tristan" inMunich . [Infamously this feat was repeated byJoseph Keilberth in 1968.]References
* Frithjof Haas: "Der Magier am Dirigentenpult. Felix Mottl". Karlsruhe: Hoepfner-Bibliothek. Info Verlag ,2006, ISBN 3881904247
Recordings
* [http://www.tacet.de/main/seite1.php?layout=katalog&language=en&filename=production.php&bestnr=01350 Felix Mottl today playing his 1907 interpretations. Selected works by Richard Wagner, The Welte-Mignon Mystery Vol. II]
*1911
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