In the history of music, Kurt Masur is one of the names that keeps returning.
The record lists Kurt Masur as German conductor (1927-2015).
Kurt Masur was born at Brzeg in 1927. His recorded nationality is German Democratic Republic. He trained at University of Music and Theatre Leipzig.
Broadcast radio, the LP and the touring circuit made this the first era in which a musician could reach a mass audience without ever meeting it.
He worked as conductor and university teacher.
His work is classed as classical music.
He performed with Academy of Arts of the GDR and Academy of Arts, Berlin.
Performance is the most perishable art and recording the most durable; a career sits between the two.
Recognition followed: Knight of the Legion of Honour, Leo-Baeck-Medal (2010), National Prize of East Germany (1982) and Great Cross with Star and Sash of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (2007).
That the work came out of German Democratic Republic shaped it: musical traditions, training institutions and the reach of a recording industry all differ by country.
Kurt Masur died in 2015, aged 88. The recordings and scores remain, which is the only durable form a musical life takes.
Achievements
- Knight of the Legion of Honour
- Leo-Baeck-Medal — 2010
- National Prize of East Germany — 1982
- Great Cross with Star and Sash of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany — 2007
- Johannes R. Becher Medal — 1975
- Genres: classical music
