Looking Back

I got a call from a man doing research into a biography of Christoph Von Dohnanyi, the great conductor who led the Cleveland Orchestra to top-rank status. Apparently the SLSO was the first orchestra Dohnanyi conducted in the U.S. I hunted through the bound volumes of programs and found December 1, 1961, an afternoon concert at the Kiel Opera House. He conducted Pictures at an Exhibition, as well as Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 2, with Leon Fleisher at the keyboard.

Dohnanyi conducted two weekends in St. Louis, and was re-engaged the following year for three weekends. I called the man back to tell him what I'd found. He told me, "He [Dohnanyi] didn't remember any of that."