What is Hans Knappertsbusch?
[[File:Hans Knappertsbusch.jpg|thumb|right|Hans Knappertsbusch]] '''Hans Knappertsbusch''' (born Elberfeld ([[Wuppertal]]), 12 March 1888; died [[Munich]], 25 October 1965) was a [[Germany|German]] [[Conducting|conductor]]. He conducted some of Europes best orchestras. He was especially known for conducting the music of [[Richard Wagner]], [[Anton Bruckner]] and [[Richard Strauss]]. == Life == Knappertsbusch was born in Elberfeld, today's [[Wuppertal]]. His parents did not want him to be a musician and sent him to study [[philosophy]] at [[Bonn University]]. However, he soon started to go to the [[Cologne]] [[Conservatory]] to study [[conducting]] with Fritz Steinbach. For a few summers, he was assistant to [[Siegfried Wagner]] and [[Hans Richter]] at [[Bayreuth]]. When [[Bruno Walter]] left Munich to go to New York, Knappertsbusch succeeded him as conductor of the [[Bavarian State Orchestra]]. He stayed in Munich until 1936 when the [[Nazi]]s made it impossible for him to continue. He then went to [[Vienna]]. There he conducted the [[Vienna State Opera]] and the [[Vienna Philharmonic]]. When [[World War II]] ended, Knappertsbusch went back to Munich where he settled again. He often visited Vienna to conduct there. He appeared regularly at the [[Bayreuth Festival]]. Knappertsbusch was a large man who was very popular with his [[audience]]s. He did not often travel abroad, and was never very interested in music that was being composed at the time. He did not like long [[rehearsal]]s. He often thought that his orchestras were musical enough to play well without rehearsal. His recordings of ''[[Parsifal]]'' are very good indeed. Knappertsbusch died in Munich in 1965. == References == * New Groves Dictionary of Music & Musicians, ed. Stanley Sadie; 1980; {{ISBN|1-56159-174-2}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Knappertsbusch, Hans}} [[Category:1888 births]] [[Category:1965 deaths]] [[Category:German conductors]] [[Category:People from Wuppertal]]