Clemens Krauss
The suave Austrian conductor who forged an indelible link with Richard Strauss and created Vienna's beloved New Year's Concert.
1893–1954 (age 61)·Austrian conductor and opera impresario (1893 - 1954)·Birthday: March 31·The Lost Generation
Biography
Clemens Krauss wielded the baton with aristocratic precision and a particular genius for orchestral color. His career was a series of prestigious posts—leading the Vienna State Opera, the Berlin State Opera, and the Bavarian State Opera—but his legacy is defined by two profound partnerships. He was the preferred interpreter and close friend of Richard Strauss, conducting the premieres of several of the composer's late operas with definitive authority. More publicly, he invented a global tradition: in 1939, he founded the Vienna Philharmonic's New Year's Concert, shaping its program of Strauss family waltzes and polkas into an event of both musical brilliance and Viennese myth-making. Krauss's life was not without controversy due to his activities during the Nazi era, but his musical fingerprints remain on some of the 20th century's most enduring orchestral rituals.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Clemens was born in 1893, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Clemens Was Born
The biggest hits of 1893
Clemens's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1893Born
World's Columbian Exposition dazzles Chicago
President: Grover Cleveland
1898Started school
Spanish-American War; US emerges as a world power
President: William McKinley
1906Became a teenager
San Francisco earthquake devastates the city
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1909Could drive
Robert Peary claims to reach the North Pole
President: William Howard Taft
1911Could vote
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire kills 146 in New York
President: William Howard Taft
1914Turned 21
World War I begins
President: Woodrow Wilson
1923Turned 30
The Great Kanto earthquake devastates Tokyo
President: Calvin Coolidge"Yes! We Have No Bananas" — Billy Jones
1933Turned 40
FDR's New Deal launches; Prohibition ends
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stormy Weather" — Ethel WatersBest Picture: Cavalcade
1943Turned 50
Allies invade Sicily; Battle of Stalingrad ends
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,290Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I've Heard That Song Before" — Harry JamesBest Picture: Casablanca
1953Turned 60
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1954Died at 61
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
Key Achievements
- Founded and conducted the inaugural Vienna Philharmonic New Year's Concert in 1939, establishing a worldwide tradition.
- Conducted the world premieres of several Richard Strauss operas, including 'Capriccio'.
- Served as director of the Vienna State Opera, cementing his status in the heart of Austrian musical life.
- Was a noted interpreter of the music of Johann Strauss II and Richard Wagner.
Did You Know?
He was married to the Romanian soprano Viorica Ursuleac, for whom Richard Strauss wrote several operatic roles.
He died suddenly of a heart attack while on tour in Mexico City in 1954.
Before creating the New Year's Concert, he conducted a similar 'Johann Strauss Concert' on New Year's Eve 1938.
“The score is not a law, but a landscape the orchestra must bring to life.”
