Solti, << SHOHL tee, >> Sir Georg (1912-1997), was a leading symphony orchestra and opera conductor. He won fame for his interpretations of romantic works, especially the symphonies of Anton Bruckner and Gustav Mahler and the operas of Richard Wagner.
Solti was born in Budapest, Hungary. He worked at the Budapest Opera House from 1930 until World War II began in 1939. From that year until the war ended in 1945, he lived in Switzerland. Solti then worked in Germany, serving as music director of the Bavarian State Opera from 1946 to 1952 and as conductor of the Frankfurt Opera from 1952 to 1961. In that year, Solti became music director of Covent Garden in London, retaining this post until 1971. Solti was music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra from 1969 until 1991. Solti was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom in 1971 and became a British subject in 1972. He was artistic director of the London Philharmonic from 1979 to 1983. Solti wrote an autobiography, Memoirs (1997).
