Stefan Soltész

Born István Soltész in Nyíregyháza, Hungary on January 6, 1949, the Austria-based conductor was better known as Stefan Soltész. Over the course of his career, he was known for his association with the Vienna and Berlin Operas before taking over as the artistic director of the Aalto Theater and the Essen Philharmonic Orchestra. Born in Hungary, Stefan Soltész began studying the piano at the age of four before relocating to Vienna, Austria in 1956 to join the Vienna Boys’ Choir. Stefan Soltész studied composition and conducting at the Vienna Academy under Hans Swarowsky before beginning a career as a choirmaster at the Theater an der Wien. He then became a rehearsal director and conductor at the Vienna Opera (1975-1983), at the Graz Opera (1979-1981) and served as an assistant to Karl Böhm, Christoph von Dohnányi, and Herbert von Karajan at the Salzburg Festival (1978-1983). He performed the same functions in Hamburg (1983-1985) and at the Berlin Opera (1985-1997). In 1988, Stefan Soltész assumed the position of musical director for this first time (1988-1993), before being appointed principal conductor of the Flemish Opera (Vlaamse Opera, 1992-1997). Between 1997 and 2013, Stefan Soltész simultaneously held the position of artistic and musical director of the Aalto Theater and the Essen Philharmonic Orchestra. His work in Stuttgart, Munich, and Berlin enabled him to record recitals with Grace Bumbry and Lucia Popp and Puccini's La Bohème (2013). His celebrated back catalog also included The Swan Lake Op. 20 (1981), Slavonic Opera Arias (1988), Mendelssohn’s Oedipus: Incidental Music (1993), Ludwig Van Beethoven (2000), Tchaikovsky: Sinfonie Nr. 5 E-moll Op. 64 (2009), and many others. On July 22, 2022, Stefan Soltész collapsed while conducting a performance of Richard Strauss' opera Die schweigsame Frau in Munich and died a few hours later.

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