Legendary Conductor Dimitri Mitropoulos Died On This Day in 1960

Mitropoulos is remembered as one of the most celebrated conductors of the 20th Century, he died of a heart attack, while rehearsing with the Teatro alla Scala in Milan.

Legendary Greek-American conductor, pianist and composer Dimitri Mitropoulos died on this day in 1960.

Born in Athens, Mitropoulos is a graduate of the Athens Conservatoire, where he received the highest honors.

Mitropoulos made his breakthrough in 1930 with the Berlin Philharmonic, combining the roles of soloist and conductor in Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 3.

Composer Camille Saint-Saëns was so impressed by Mitropolous, that he found a scholarship to allow Mitropoulos to Berlin to study with the brilliant pianist, composer, and teacher Ferruccio Busoni.

Mitropoulos is remembered as one of the most celebrated conductors of the 20th Century - having served prestigious conducting positions with the Berlin State Opera, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Minneapolis Symphony, New York Philharmonic.

He had an eidetic memory, which enabled him to conduct from memory without a score (even during rehearsals), as seen in the rehearsal video below.

He was one of the earliest conductors to perform twelve-tone works of Arnold Schoenberg and Alban Berg. He also widely championed the symphonies of Gustav Mahler at a time where they were thought of as incredulous.

Opera gradually became a more significant part of his conducting career, especially through his association with the Metropolitan Opera in New York. In this realm, Mitropoulos often excelled, collaborating with some of the era's greatest singers, including Borkh, Goltz, Del Monaco, Milanov, Albanese, Tucker, and Warren. He was particularly noted for his dramatic interpretations of Italian repertoire—especially works by Verdi, Puccini, and other Verismo composers—as well as Strauss.

He died of a heart failure, while rehearsing Mahler’s Symphony No. 3 at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan. He was 64. During his lifetime he conducted over 2,000 concerts and composed 40 pieces, including the opera Sister Beatrice, orchestral works, chamber music, and compositions for piano and voice.

DIMITRI MITROPOULOS | LISZT | SYMPHONY NO.3 "FAUST SYMPHONY" | 3RD MVT | NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC