Conductor. A prolific and versatile maestro, he shall probably be best remembered for interpreting the music of Beethoven. Trained by several notable grand masters including Tulio Serafin, Erich Kleiber, and Bruno Walter, he got his first podium job as an associate with the Leningrad Philharmonic, then after gaining experience with the Bolshoi was appointed Principal Conductor of the Warsaw National Opera in 1959. Though possessed of an eccentric baton technique and a somewhat off-puting aristocratic manner, he quickly established himself as a respected leader as he presented the staple repertoire of Mozart, Beethoven, Brahma, Tchaikovsky, Mahler, Chopin, and Bruckner; Semkow was maestro of the Royal Danish Philharmonic and Opera from 1966 thru 1976, in 1971 began a 40 year run as a guest with the Detroit Symphony, held the podium of the St. Louis Symphony from 1975 until 1979, returned to Europe to lead Rome's RAI Symphony Orchestra in 1979, and from 1985 to 1989 served as Music Director of the Rochester Philharmonic. A naturalized French citizen with a home in Paris, he traveled widely presenting master classes and teaching at the University of Colorado, Yale, and at the Manhattan School of Music. Maestro Semkow received multiple honors including the French Order of Arts and Letters (2000) and kept conducting as long as his health permitted. At his demise most of his recorded legacy remained available on CD.
Conductor. A prolific and versatile maestro, he shall probably be best remembered for interpreting the music of Beethoven. Trained by several notable grand masters including Tulio Serafin, Erich Kleiber, and Bruno Walter, he got his first podium job as an associate with the Leningrad Philharmonic, then after gaining experience with the Bolshoi was appointed Principal Conductor of the Warsaw National Opera in 1959. Though possessed of an eccentric baton technique and a somewhat off-puting aristocratic manner, he quickly established himself as a respected leader as he presented the staple repertoire of Mozart, Beethoven, Brahma, Tchaikovsky, Mahler, Chopin, and Bruckner; Semkow was maestro of the Royal Danish Philharmonic and Opera from 1966 thru 1976, in 1971 began a 40 year run as a guest with the Detroit Symphony, held the podium of the St. Louis Symphony from 1975 until 1979, returned to Europe to lead Rome's RAI Symphony Orchestra in 1979, and from 1985 to 1989 served as Music Director of the Rochester Philharmonic. A naturalized French citizen with a home in Paris, he traveled widely presenting master classes and teaching at the University of Colorado, Yale, and at the Manhattan School of Music. Maestro Semkow received multiple honors including the French Order of Arts and Letters (2000) and kept conducting as long as his health permitted. At his demise most of his recorded legacy remained available on CD.
Bio by: Bob Hufford
Advertisement
