ORFEO International

News

June 2014

† Berislav Klobučar

Berislav Klobučar,
Berislav Klobučar
Foto: Fayerwho died in Vienna on 13 June 2014, was never treated as a star among the conductors of his generation. Nevertheless, he performed at just about every big opera house, from the Bayreuth Festspielhaus to the Metropolitan Opera in New York. And he
C 767 092 I
C 785 092 I was regarded highly by the great names who sang there, such as Birgit Nilsson, who was particularly proud of her late performances in Strauss’s Frau ohne Schatten under Klobučar’s baton. Born on 28 August 1924 in Zagreb, Klobučar’s artistic home was undoubtedly the Vienna State Opera, where between 1953 and 1993 he conducted no less than 1133 (!) performances of 53 different works. The Orfeo catalogue features his complete Bartered Bride with Irmgard Seefried and his Madama Butterfly with Sena Jurinac in the title role (Klobučar also features in individual numbers on CD portraits of Jurinac and other popular artists from Vienna). These are the standard works of the repertoire that many big-name conductors aren’t desperate to conduct. But Klobučar always had a sure touch with them, and could guarantee a lively performance, even at very short notice.