Kurt Masur, 1927-2015

[Helene]

Kurt Masur, Music Director Emeritus of the New York Philharmonic, has died at 88. Here is the obituary in the "New York Times":

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/20/arts/music/kurt-masur-new-york-philharmonic-conductor-dies.html?_r=1

Rest in peace, Mr. Masur.

[Quiggin]

I remember hearing a great, finely detailed Bruckner Fourth from Mr. Mazur in the late 80's. He was the great rescuer of the Philharmonic from the big Zuhbin Mehta movie sound. (Mehta had been in turn been replaced at the Los Angeles Philharmanic with refined conducting of Carlo Maria Giulini.).

From the Times' obituary:

“No one can really conquer the Philharmonic — this is New York’s orchestra, after all — but Masur did his share of taming,” American Record Guide said in 2002. “Whatever else one thinks of Kurt Masur, there is no question he has restored the New York Philharmonic as one of the world’s great orchestras. After the mud of the Mehta era, the Masur sound was like a mountain stream."

...

Drawing on the rigorous study of scores and tight control of rehearsals that were his stock in trade, he gave the orchestra a lush, string-saturated, dark brown sound that was ideally suited to the Romantic repertory he favored.