born May 14, 1885, Breslau, Ger.
died July 6, 1973, Zürich, Switz.
German conductor.
After studying composition with Hans Pfitzner (1869–1949), in 1905 he met Gustav Mahler , who recommended him for several positions, including chief conductor at the Hamburg Opera (1910). At the short-lived Kroll Opera (1927–31) he conducted the Berlin premieres of many important works by contemporary composers. In 1933 he fled Germany for the U.S., conducting in Los Angeles (1933–39) and studying with Arnold Schoenberg . A brain tumour in 1939 left him partly paralyzed. From the 1950s, though seated on the podium, he created a much-admired recorded legacy with London's Philharmonia Orchestra.