Artur Rother

Who was Artur Rother?

Artur Martin Rother was a German conductor who worked mainly in the opera house.

He was born in Stettin, Pomerania. His father was an organist and music teacher. He studied under Hugo Kaun and other teachers. By the age of 20, in 1906, he was conducting in Wiesbaden, and was assistant conductor for the Bayreuth Festival 1907-14. He was Generalmusikdirektor in Dessau 1927-34.

After the Nazis came to power in Germany, Rother joined the Militant League for German Culture 1933 for 1 year and was not member of the Nazi Party.

From 1934 he conducted at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, succeeding Bruno Walter, and was appointed Generalmusikdirektor there by in 1937. In 1941 he brought out his own edition of Mozart's Idomeneo. He was replaced by Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt. From 1946 to 1949 he was chief conductor of the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, based in East Berlin. Subsequently, he was a guest conductor of the RIAS Symphony Orchestra and the Städtische Oper Berlin. He was guest conductor with the Berlin Philharmonic in 1960-61. Rother was an honorary member of the Deutsche Oper Berlin from 1965. Between 1935 and 1964 Rother conducted 41 concerts with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra ID 696.318