As the fierce, intimidating conductor of the Chicago Symphony in the 1950s,
Fritz Reiner established himself as a great maestro of his era, renowned for his
relentless pursuit of perfection and modernist approach to classical music.
Born in Hungary, he started playing the piano at the age of six and by ten was
studying at the Franz Liszt Academy in his home town of Budapest under the
guidance of a young Bela Bartok. He grew from playing accompaniment at ballets
to conducting at the Opera House in Slovenia, but really made his reputation
back in Budapest at the Nepopera, where ...