Herbert von Karajan

Herbert von Karajan (1908-1989), Austrian conductor, born in Salzburg; he studied music there and in Vienna. Although he began his career as a pianist, by the age of 21 he was musical director of the opera house in Ulm, Germany. He later moved to Aachen and then to Berlin where he conducted the Berlin state opera from 1938 to 1944. During this time he was also a member of the Nazi party, a fact which delayed the resumption of his career after the war until the British record producer Walter Legge engaged him to conduct in Switzerland and, from 1948, in London with Legge's newly-formed Philharmonia Orchestra.

Following his appointment as artistic director for life of the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde of Vienna in 1951, Karajan achieved international recognition. He was appointed lifetime musical director of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra in 1955, was director of the Vienna State Opera (1955-1964), and artistic director of the Salzburg Music Festival (1957-1959). In 1967 he founded the Salzburg Easter Festival. Karajan also achieved renown as a highly original stage director and designer of operatic productions. In April 1989, citing poor health and misunderstandings, he resigned from the Berlin Philharmonic; he died three months later.