Erich Kleiber
A conductor who fled Nazi Europe and built a new life in Argentina, championing modern music with exacting precision and fiery passion.
1890–1956 (age 66)·Austrian conductor·Birthday: August 5·The Lost Generation
Biography
Erich Kleiber was a man of fierce artistic independence, forged in the cultural ferment of early 20th-century Vienna. He rose to prominence as the music director of the Berlin State Opera in the 1920s, where his meticulous and energetic readings of Mozart, Beethoven, and Wagner drew international attention. With the rise of the Nazis, Kleiber, who was not Jewish but staunchly opposed the regime, made a principled stand by resigning his post and leaving Germany in 1935. He found refuge in Argentina, becoming a central figure in Buenos Aires's Teatro Colón and helping to establish its world-class reputation. Beyond the core Germanic repertoire, he was a vital advocate for contemporary composers like Alban Berg, whose controversial opera 'Wozzeck' he famously premiered in 1925. His later years were marked by guest engagements across Europe and recordings that remain benchmarks for their clarity and dramatic intensity.
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.
Erich was born in 1890, 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 Erich Was Born
The biggest hits of 1890
Erich's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1890Born
Wounded Knee massacre marks the end of the Indian Wars
President: Benjamin Harrison
1895Started school
First public film screening by the Lumiere brothers
President: Grover Cleveland
1903Became a teenager
Wright brothers achieve first powered flight
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1906Could drive
San Francisco earthquake devastates the city
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1908Could vote
Ford Model T goes into production
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1911Turned 21
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire kills 146 in New York
President: William Howard Taft
1920Turned 30
Women gain the right to vote in the US
Home: $3,395President: Woodrow Wilson"Swanee" — Al Jolson
1930Turned 40
Pluto discovered
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,510President: Herbert Hoover"Body and Soul" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: All Quiet on the Western Front
1940Turned 50
The Blitz: Germany bombs London
Gas: $0.18/galHome: $2,938Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I'll Never Smile Again" — Tommy DorseyBest Picture: Rebecca
1950Turned 60
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1956Died at 66
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
Key Achievements
- Premiered Alban Berg's groundbreaking opera 'Wozzeck' in Berlin in 1925, cementing his reputation as a champion of modern music.
- Served as the music director of the Berlin State Opera from 1923 to 1935, building one of the world's leading ensembles.
- Became a defining artistic force at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires after his exile from Nazi Germany.
- Left a legacy of benchmark recordings, including a complete cycle of Beethoven symphonies noted for their structural clarity.
Did You Know?
He was the father of conductor Carlos Kleiber, who became even more famous for his perfectionism.
He became an Argentine citizen in 1938 and held that citizenship for the rest of his life.
He turned down an offer to lead the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in the 1950s.
His 1955 recording of Beethoven's 'Eroica' Symphony is still considered a definitive interpretation.
“The conductor must be prepared to be a lonely man.”
