Peter Paul Fuchs

Peter Paul Fuchs (October 30, 1916 – March 26, 2007) was an Austrian born conductor and composer.

Fuchs is best known for his conducting appointments with American orchestras and for his teaching. He was also a prolific composer although little of his music survives in performance. His writings include two influential music text books.

Early life

Peter Paul Fuchs was born on October 30, 1916 in Vienna, Austria, son of Dr. Adolf Fuchs, a well known heart specialist, and Marianne Rusicka, a piano teacher. His grandfather was Alois Rusicka, a prominent Viennese lawyer, originally from the same hometown as Gustav Mahler, and who had encouraged Mahler’s father to further young Gustav’s musical studies. After his academic studies in the “gymnasium”, he graduated in 1935 from the Vienna Academy of Music where his mentors were Felix Weingartner and [http://www.vaimusic.com/VIDEO/DVD_4256_69423_krips.htm Joseph Krips] in conducting, and [http://www.overgrownpath.com/2007/01/mahlers-forgotten-assistant.html Karl Weigl] in composition. In 1936 Fuchs was engaged as conductor and "repetiteur" for the German Theater in [http://www.brno.cz/index.php?lan=en Brno] , Czechoslovakia. The volatile politics of the period and the imminent Nazi invasion meant he was forced to leave Brno. Without a valid passport or job he spent two years living in exile in Switzerland and Italy until he received a US visa.

Exile in America

and [http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ettore_Panizza Ettore Panizza] and others. He also conducted at the [http://sfopera.com/ San Francisco Opera] , the [http://www.cincinnatiopera.com/ Cincinnati Summer Opera] , the [http://www.centralcityopera.org/index.cgi?CONTENT_ID=3 Central City Opera] , and the [http://www.bso.org/bso/mods/c_09_gen_images.jsp?id=23300145 Berkshire Summer Music Festival] where he was assistant conductor to [http://www.overgrownpath.com/search/label/leonard%20bernstein Leonard Bernstein] .

Post-Met years

He left the Met in 1950 to become professor of music and opera at [http://www.lsu.edu/ Louisiana State University] , first as conductor and teacher, then as head of the opera department in 1952. His responsibilities later in the decade when he became the conductor of the [http://batonrougesymphony.org/ Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra] , an appointment he held for the next 16 years, and also conductor of the [http://bhammusiccoop.org/ob.htm Birmingham Opera] in Alabama and of the [http://www.fun365days.com/PerformingArts.php#CivicOp Beaumont Opera] in Beaumont Texas, In Beaumont he was conductor and stage director for 13 years. He also developed an international career and guest conducted in Holland, Greece, Germany, Romania, Portugal, and in his native Austria, appearing with such orchestras the [http://www.imgartists.com/?page=artist&id=562&c=2 Vienna Tonkuenstler Orchestra] , the [http://www.aachen.de/EN/kf/theater_en/theat_ac_en/index.html Aachen Municipal Theatre] , the North German Radio Symphony Orchestra and the [http://my.operanb.ro/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/lang,en/ Bucharest Opera] .

Louisiana State University awarded Peter Paul Fuchs an honorary Doctorate when he retired in 1976, and he then became Music Director and Conductor of the [http://www.greensborosymphony.org/ Greensboro Symphony Orchestra] where he remained until 1988 and was also Artistic Director and Conductor of the [http://www.greensboroopera.org/index.asp Greensboro Opera Company] from 1981 to 1992.

He died in Greensboro on March 26, 2007.

Writings

Fuchs translated several operas from several languages into English for American editors, notably Verdi’s “ [http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0010XEPO8 Masked Ball] ” for the Metropolitan Opera. His writing included two notable books, [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0027-4380(197612)2%3A33%3A2%3C275%3ATMTOWF%3E2.0.CO%3B2-V The Musical Theater of Walter Felsenstein] (W. W. Norton) and [http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006CF5ZM The Psychology of Conducting] (MCA), which has become required reading in many universities.

Compositions

He had been composing chamber music, symphonies and opera since he was a teenager in Vienna. In Baton Rouge in the 1960’s he conducted his opera “Darkness at Noon” at Louisiana State University. Then, in the late 80’s and early 90’s, excerpts from his opera “White Agony” were produced at the [http://www.konzerthaus.de/start/index.php Komische Opera] in Berlin (where Felsenstein had directed). In 1992, the Greensboro Opera produced a staged version of “White Agony” staged by his wife, Elissa Minet Fuchs, former ballerina of Ballet Russe and the Metropolitan Opera. As well as his three operas (Darkness at Noon, The White Agony, and The Heretic), his other compositions include a symphony, a Concertino for Piano and Orchestra, Inventions for Wind Instruments, string quartets, a violin sonata, works for piano, and many songs. (See [http://www.overgrownpath.com/2007/04/peter-paul-fuchs-compelling-voice.html this note] by John McLaughlin Williams on Fuchs' music). He directed many opera workshops notably at the [http://www.msmnyc.edu/ Manhattan School of Music] where, in 1962, he conducted the premier of [http://www.milkenarchive.org/artists/artists.taf?artistid=186 Jan Meyerowitz’s] “Godfather Death”. Both his daughter Debora Porazzi and son in law [http://www.playbill.com/celebritybuzz/whoswho/biography/16062 Arturo Porazzi] work production roles on Broadway.

Students

His conducting students included:
* [http://www.pittsburghsymphony.org/pghsymph.nsf/bios/Bill+Conti Bill Conti] , composer and conductor mostly active in Hollywood and television.
* [http://www.warren-wilson.edu/~music/mcrotts.php Milton Crotts] , former conductor of the [http://www.guamsymphony.org/ Guam Symphony Orchestra] and currently Professor at [http://www3.davidson.edu/cms/x12.xml?debug=2 Davidson College] .
* [http://faculty.ithaca.edu/galvanj/ Janet Galván] , professor of music and conductor at [http://www.ithaca.edu/about/ Ithaca College] , New York.
* [http://www.wintergreenperformingarts.org/index.php?pageId=1123 Adrian McDonnell] , conductor of the [http://www.ciup.fr/orchestre.htm Orchestre de la Cité Internationale] in Paris and professor of conducting at the [http://conservatoirechopin.free.fr/ Conservatoire Frederic Chopin] .

Recordings

* [http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=269102376 Podcast] of a private recording of Peter Paul Fuchs' "Five Miniatures for chamber ensemble".

Sources

#Unpublished biographical notes by Elissa Minet Fuchs
# [http://www.overgrownpath.com/search/label/peter%20paul%20fuchs On An Overgrown Path]