# Does anyone know which conductor died from a heart attack while conducting Tristan?



## macgeek2005 (Apr 1, 2006)

I just met a guy who was somewhere in Europe (either Munich or Vienna I believe) in the 1960s, watching a performance of Tristan und Isolde, and during the Liebestod right toward the beginning of the piece, the conductor had a heart attack and fell into the violin section and died.

Does anyone know who this was, and when/where exactly it was?


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## AnaMendoza (Jul 29, 2011)

Okay--here's a couple of fishhooks. The easiest way to find out this sort of thing is to go to Google.com, and type in something like: 

conductor "heart attack" Tristan

The answer will leap out at you. Fascinatingly, there have been TWO conductors who had a heart attack conducting Tristan.


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## Kopachris (May 31, 2010)

To narrow it down just a little more for you: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_entertainers_who_died_during_a_performance

1911 and 1968: Felix Mottl and Joseph Keilberth both died at the same spot in the performance, Mottl in Austria and Keilberth in Munich.


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## amfortas (Jun 15, 2011)

And of course, the Curse of _Tristan_ goes back at least as far as the first production--the first Tristan, Ludwig Schnorr von Carolsfeld, died after singing just four performances, at the age of 29.

It's the "Scottish Play" of operas.


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## World Violist (May 31, 2007)

Wagner is a serial killer. Don't mess with him, man.


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## Kopachris (May 31, 2010)

amfortas said:


> And of course, the Curse of _Tristan_ goes back at least as far as the first production--the first Tristan, Ludwig Schnorr von Carolsfeld, died after singing just four performances, at the age of 29.
> 
> It's the "Scottish Play" of operas.


You mean... Macbeth!


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## amfortas (Jun 15, 2011)

Kopachris said:


> You mean... Macbeth!


You said it out loud! 

(Turns around three times, spits over left shoulder, says "Angels and ministers of grace defend us"!)


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

Kopachris said:


> You mean... Macbeth!





amfortas said:


> You said it out loud!
> 
> (Turns around three times, spits over left shoulder, says "Angels and ministers of grace defend us"!)












No hope for me then


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## amfortas (Jun 15, 2011)

sospiro said:


> No hope for me then


Wow, you're toast.









It's been nice knowing you, Annie.


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## superhorn (Mar 23, 2010)

This has happened with several other conductors during a performance of an opera. 
Giuseppe Sinopoli had a fatal heart attack whole conducting Aida at the Deutsche Opera Berlin ten years ago, and Giuseppe Patane also had one while conducting Rossini's 
Barbiere in Munich. 
40 years ago, Fausto Cleva ,not too well-remembered today, but a highly respected mainstay of the Met for many years, died during a performance of Gluck's Orfeo in Athens.
This appears to be an occupational hazard. Mariss Jansons had a near fatal heart attack near the end of a concert performance of la Boheme with the Oslo Philharmonic ,and had to be fitted with a pacemaker .
Sinopoli was also trained as a physician, and once at an orchestral concert, a musician became ill, and he was able to help him. 
There's an interesting article on Cleva in the July Opera News magazine by John Freeman, who used to be the magazine's associate editor.


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## amfortas (Jun 15, 2011)

Yes, several conductors have died in the saddle.

Still, if I were choosing an occupation solely on the basis of having a long, full life, I'd be an orchestral conductor, hands down!


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## macgeek2005 (Apr 1, 2006)

Wow, that's pretty crazy that I actually met this guy then. He described to me how the conductor collapsed, in vivid detail. I was helping him set up an ipod dock/bose sound system setup, and I put on the overture to Götterdämmerung to test the sound, and so he told me that story.


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

I have a cd of music by Brahms under specialist of that composer, Maestro *Eduard van Beinum*. He died of a heart attack in 1959, at the age of 59, while rehearsing his beloved Concertgebouw in the Brahms First Symphony...


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## Chi_townPhilly (Apr 21, 2007)

Kopachris said:


> 1911 and 1968: Felix Mottl and Joseph Keilberth both died at the same spot in the performance, Mottl in Austria and Keilberth in Munich.


And even more eerily, Keilberth earlier said that to share Mottl's fate would be his be his ideal denouement...


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## superhorn (Mar 23, 2010)

Dimitri Mitropoulos died of a heart attack in 1960 while rehearsing the Mahler 3rd symphony with the La Scala orchestra for a concert in Milan.


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## Aksel (Dec 3, 2010)

superhorn said:


> Dimitri Mitropoulos died of a heart attack in 1960 while rehearsing the Mahler 3rd symphony with the La Scala orchestra for a concert in Milan.


How very fitting.


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## myaskovsky2002 (Oct 3, 2010)

World Violist said:


> Wagner is a serial killer. Don't mess with him, man.


lOL

Martin


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