Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos

Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, eminent Spanish conductor, was born to a Spanish mother and a German father. He was educated at the Music Academy of Bilbao and the Munich Conservatory, and completed his studies at the University of Madrid. His first post as conductor was with the Municipal Orchestra of Bilbao. In 1962, Frühbeck de Burgos began a lifelong association with the <a href="spotify:artist:2fjrtbDUXoUeZBoAL8ry0P">National Orchestra of Spain</a>, and was its chief conductor from that time until 1978. His international reputation began with the success of his first appearance with the <a href="spotify:artist:6tdexW8bZTG8NgOFUCYQn1">Philadelphia Orchestra</a>. He served as music director for the <a href="spotify:artist:4AcXapei4U7xnWecv9AEBd">Montreal Symphony</a> (1974-1976), the Dusseldorf Symphoniker (1966-1971), and the Deutsche Oper in Berlin (1992-1997). Frühbeck de Burgos was also named chief conductor of the <a href="spotify:artist:6XZxFuZaBnZBngpxbut80O">Vienna Symphony</a> and held guest conductorships with the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington, D.C., and the <a href="spotify:artist:15FC47aoLjTKgv0otgmXLN">Yomiuri Nippon Symphony</a> in Japan.

Frühbeck de Burgos recorded extensively with English <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Decca%22">Decca</a>, <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22EMI%2FAngel%22">EMI/Angel</a>, <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22IMP+Classics%22">IMP Classics</a>, <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Chandos%22">Chandos</a> and <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Collins+Classics%22">Collins Classics</a>. First and foremost, he was regarded for his interpretations of Spanish music, and recorded the major works of <a href="spotify:artist:5BcbyYRgvvhfVGmCJSjHlT">Falla</a> in addition to <a href="spotify:artist:3eqv9LW7ZXlYWXVFjHS4Mr">Rodrigo</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:2r8VWNpr04c5FxydBfryj1">Montsalvatge</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:17hR0sYHpx7VYTMRfFUOmY">Ravel</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:2xmzOWZeQCDksIQcLcnRrT">Granados</a>. His recording of <a href="spotify:artist:5BcbyYRgvvhfVGmCJSjHlT">Falla</a>'s Nights in the Gardens of Spain with pianist <a href="spotify:artist:08yT4NXiwN4HvaayEo72sm">Alicia de Larrocha</a> is judged the best on disc by many critics. Frühbeck de Burgos made several recordings backing vocalist <a href="spotify:artist:2mjYUXIj32wSpgoZqlc2lP">Victoria de Los Angeles</a> in Spanish songs and zarzuela arias for <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22EMI%22">EMI</a>. He made his own arrangement for orchestra of <a href="spotify:artist:4sbcjbyksdT4dJ5Lh0SvZp">Albeniz</a>'s Suite española, and it became a concert staple. Outside of Spanish music, Frühbeck de Burgos also contributed fine recordings of <a href="spotify:artist:2D7RkvtKKb6E5UmbjQM1Jd">Bizet</a>'s Carmen with <a href="spotify:artist:6cn8cbQSuZWmAQSzBPBIsf">Grace Bumbry</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:5tkiaCqRPcvGSoIKXOkGlh">Jon Vickers</a> in the cast, and justly celebrated discs of <a href="spotify:artist:4LXxsm5BF85PWnQ1dUDAze">Orff</a>'s Carmina Burana, <a href="spotify:artist:4NJhFmfw43RLBLjQvxDuRS">Mozart</a>'s Requiem, and <a href="spotify:artist:7ie36YytMoKtPiL7tUvmoE">Stravinsky</a>'s Rite of Spring. He was regarded as a sensitive and sympathetic accompanist in concerto literature, and partnered with such luminaries as violinists <a href="spotify:artist:32i0ni9RO8Q7T7T7ZqkGU2">Yehudi Menhuin</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:5X8DsciT6TRp5IlcdG5eT2">Nathan Milstein</a>, pianists <a href="spotify:artist:0eQTutigtSNq6DmsYU9hPS">Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:2uLLmndNOXyB4XqMH3auYK">Louis Lortie</a>, and clarinetist <a href="spotify:artist:6eQU1XNSsM3i7ZITgXdcLJ">Karl Leister</a>. Frühbeck de Burgos was also a renowned interpreter of the music of <a href="spotify:artist:6MF58APd3YV72Ln2eVg710">Mendelssohn</a> and made recordings of Elijah and the complete incidental music to A Midsummer Night's Dream, which have been critically praised.

Frühbeck de Burgos never recorded in the work of <a href="spotify:artist:2ANtgfhQkKpsW6EYSDqldz">Mahler</a>, but his broadcasts of <a href="spotify:artist:2ANtgfhQkKpsW6EYSDqldz">Mahler</a>'s symphonies were highly respected, and in 1996 he was awarded the Gold Medal of the International Gustav Mahler Society in Vienna. From the late 1990s, he toured the world with the <a href="spotify:artist:2fjrtbDUXoUeZBoAL8ry0P">National Orchestra of Spain</a> as its conductor emeritus, and had also been principal conductor of the <a href="spotify:artist:6kClxEibflIbA231B95OYX">Danish National Symphony Orchestra</a> until he announced his full retirement due to health reasons in June 2014, passing away shortly thereafter.