An inordinately gifted conductor,
István Kertész died at age 43 in a tragic drowning off the Israeli coast. He had already reached full maturity as a musician, proving his worth in opera, oratorio, and the symphonic repertory. His interests were wide-ranging, including works from the Classical and Romantic periods and large portions of twentieth century music.
Beginning with private lessons in childhood,
Kertész studied piano and violin. He continued with violin training at the Ferenc Liszt Academy in Budapest, adding composition under the supervision of such teachers as Weiner and
Kodály. He pursued his conducting studies with
László Somogyi, at the same time benefiting from studying the performances of
Otto Klemperer, who was then working at the
Hungarian State Opera. In 1953,
Kertész was appointed resident conductor at Györ, two years later transferring his activities to Budapest, where he was hired as coach and conductor. Following the political uprising and Soviet response in 1956,
Kertész moved with his family to Germany, subsequently acquiring German citizenship.
From 1958 to 1963,
Kertész was general music director at Augsburg. His British debut took place with the
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra in 1960, followed by appearances with the
London Symphony Orchestra in 1961. His American debut came with a tour with the NDR Symphony Orchestra in 1961, during which he made a positive impression on American audiences and critics alike. An appointment as general music director in Cologne came in 1964 and 1966 brought both a Covent Garden debut, directing Un ballo in maschera. A global tour with the
London Symphony Orchestra led to his succeeding
Pierre Monteux as LSO principal conductor in 1966. In 1971, he became music director of Cologne's
Gürzenich-Orchester, a position he held until his death two years later.
Kertész was decidedly non-interventionist as a conductor. With scrupulous attention to the composer's directions, his interpretations were more remarkable for sound musicianship than for striking individualism. Still, his performances often held high drama, and he was intentional about advocacy of works he believed in, which, in light of his broad interests, were numerous. At Cologne, he presented the German premiere of
Verdi's Stiffelio as well as
Mozart's La clemenza di Tito (a work he recorded in its first complete edition on disc).
For Decca,
Kertész recorded a superb Bluebeard's Castle with
Christa Ludwig and
Walter Berry, still unsurpassed after several decades. His complete recordings of the
Dvorák,
Brahms, and
Schubert symphonies still enjoy honorable places among the best versions committed to disc. The first Western recording of
Kodály's Háry János (the complete opera) was made with the
London Symphony under
Kertész's direction. The Decca label coupling of
Dvorák's Requiem and
Kodály's Psalmus Hungaricus is another fitting tribute to a superb artist too soon departed.
In addition to
Bartók,
Kertész was an indefatigable champion of works by
Stravinsky,
Henze, and
Britten.
Britten's Billy Budd was first presented to German audiences under
Kertész's baton and he directed the first performance of the War Requiem heard in Vienna. For Ravinia Festival audiences,
Kertész directed the War Requiem with the
Chicago Symphony Orchestra & Chorus shortly before his death. With soloists
Phyllis Curtin,
Robert Tear, and
John Shirley-Quirk, the conductor's shattering interpretation left audience members limp.