Prague, 1913 – 1980, Berkeley<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Born as Jan Walter Susskind in Prague to a Viennese father and Czech mother. His father was a music critic and his mother a piano teacher. He studied composition with Josef Suk, and Alois Hab\u00e1 as well as piano with Karel Hoffmeister at Prague\u00b4s Czech Conservatory. After completing his studies, he joined the German Opera House in Prague where he became assistant to George Szell, while at the same time performing as pianist in the Czech Trio. <\/em>He fled the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1938 and in 1946 became a British citizen. From 1943-1945, he led the Carl Rosa Opera Company and from 1946 to 1953, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra in Glasgow. He would go on to become music director of orchestras in Australia, Canada and the United State where in Saint Louis he raised the standard of its orchestra to one of the most noted in America. He would make countless recordings many of which are now regarded as historic with artists such as Arthur Rubenstein, Glenn Gould, Yehudi Menuhin, Artur Schnabel, Ginette Neveu in addition to recordings with the singers, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Kristen Flagstad, Tito Gobbi and Victoria de los Angeles. Susskind originally intended to become a composer until fate intervened leading him to become one of the most recognised conductors of his generation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"