Henry Mazer
Encyclopedia
Henry Mazer is an American
conductor
, who was also the former conductor and music director of Taipei Philharmonic Orchestra
from 1985 until he died in February, 2001. He contributed greatly to the refinement of the performances of classical
music in Taiwan
, leading local musicians to gain recognition overseas.
Born in Pittsburgh, Mazer chose conducting for his career early-on in his life, and became the protege of renowned conductor Fritz Reiner
. At Reiner's recommendation, Mazer conducted the
Wheeling Symphony Orchestra
in West Virginia
from 1948–1958 and the Florida Symphony Orchestra in Orlando
from 1958-1965. In 1966, Mazer was named Associate Conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
. Four year later, he received a last-minute invitation to stand-in with the Symphony when its conductor, William Steinberg
, was taken ill. Held at New York
's Carnegie Hall
, the concert brought Mazer to the attention of Sir George Solti, who later asked him to be his Associate Conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
, a position he held for the next 15 years. During that time, he performed with internally acclaimed musicians such as Arthur Rubinstein
, Isaac Stern
, Andres Segovia
, Rudolf Serkin
, Robert Casadesus
, and Marian Anderson
.
Mazer was first approached about coming to Taiwan
as a guest conductor during his term with the Chicago Symphony and agreed to visit the island for four concerts in the summer of 1985. After the success of the concerts, Mazer took on the challenge of developing a new orchestra in Taiwan - Taipei Sinfonietta (the former Taipei Philharmonic Orchestra
). "I could not help develop the Chicago Symphony Orchestra any further, whereas in Taiwan I could see plenty of development potential", he said.
In 1990, Mazer brought the orchestra to perform in cities of the United States
and Canada
. Music critic
William Russo
wrote: "The Sinfonietta is one of the finest groups of musicians I have ever heard". Gradually, such impressive reviews overseas would succeed in opening eyes back in Taiwan. During its image-building campaign abroad, the orchestra also toured Europe
over the next couple of years, playing in Lyons
, Brussels
, and Antwerp. But the highlights of the various European concerts was their performance in Musikvereinssaal, home to Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
. Following the performances, music critics in Austria
dubbed the orchestra a "wonder of Taiwan." After the Vienna trip, Mazer's orchestra enjoyed a surge in popularity back home in Taiwan. In addition, several CDs released by the orchestra met with brisk sales.
The most recent overseas tour was in 1995 to New York and Boston
. After the performance at the Boston Symphony Hall, Mazer received the greatest review of his career when Boston Globe music critic
Richard Dyer
compared him to America's beloved Leonard Bernstein
. "The way the Taipei Sinfonietta plays is a real tribute to Mazer's musicianship. They play with a glowing sound, a precision of intonation, an absolute unanimity of impulse, and a rare commitment," he added.
Despite the international recognition, Mazer lead a very simple life while he was in Taiwan. He got along well with his Chinese
musicians, some of whom he worked with for a decade and were regarded as his own children. Mazer said he found Chinese musicians to be more disciplined than those in the West, and thus more satisfying to work with. "This wonderful island has given me the best musical experience of my life."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
, who was also the former conductor and music director of Taipei Philharmonic Orchestra
Taipei Philharmonic Orchestra
-History:Taipei Philharmonic Orchestra was founded in 1985 by a group of enthusiastic musicians. It has come a long way under the direction of late American conductor Henry Mazer, who came from Chicago Symphony Orchestra and stayed with TPO for over 18 years....
from 1985 until he died in February, 2001. He contributed greatly to the refinement of the performances of classical
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
music in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, leading local musicians to gain recognition overseas.
Born in Pittsburgh, Mazer chose conducting for his career early-on in his life, and became the protege of renowned conductor Fritz Reiner
Fritz Reiner
Frederick Martin “Fritz” Reiner was a prominent conductor of opera and symphonic music in the twentieth century.-Biography:...
. At Reiner's recommendation, Mazer conducted the
Wheeling Symphony Orchestra
Wheeling Symphony Orchestra
The Wheeling Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Wheeling, West Virginia. Since its founding in 1929, the orchestra has mostly performed at the Capitol Music Hall. But in May 2007, the "Capitol" closed its doors unexpectedly, forcing the Symphony to look for a new home. Temporary...
in West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
from 1948–1958 and the Florida Symphony Orchestra in Orlando
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
from 1958-1965. In 1966, Mazer was named Associate Conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The orchestra's home is Heinz Hall, located in Pittsburgh's Cultural District.-History:...
. Four year later, he received a last-minute invitation to stand-in with the Symphony when its conductor, William Steinberg
William Steinberg
William Steinberg was a German-American conductor.- Biography :Steinberg was born Hans Wilhelm Steinberg in Cologne, Germany. He displayed early talent as a violinist, pianist, and composer, conducting his own choral/ orchestral composition at age 13...
, was taken ill. Held at New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
's Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
, the concert brought Mazer to the attention of Sir George Solti, who later asked him to be his Associate Conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1891, the Symphony makes its home at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and plays a summer season at the Ravinia Festival...
, a position he held for the next 15 years. During that time, he performed with internally acclaimed musicians such as Arthur Rubinstein
Arthur Rubinstein
Arthur Rubinstein KBE was a Polish-American pianist. He received international acclaim for his performances of the music of a variety of composers...
, Isaac Stern
Isaac Stern
Isaac Stern was a Ukrainian-born violinist. He was renowned for his recordings and for discovering new musical talent.-Biography:Isaac Stern was born into a Jewish family in Kremenets, Ukraine. He was fourteen months old when his family moved to San Francisco...
, Andres Segovia
Andrés Segovia
Andrés Torres Segovia, 1st Marquis of Salobreña , known as Andrés Segovia, was a virtuoso Spanish classical guitarist from Linares, Jaén, Andalucia, Spain...
, Rudolf Serkin
Rudolf Serkin
Rudolf Serkin , was a Bohemian-born pianist.-Life and early career:Serkin was born in Eger, Bohemia, Austro-Hungarian Empire to a Russian-Jewish family....
, Robert Casadesus
Robert Casadesus
Robert Casadesus was a renowned 20th-century French pianist and composer. He was the most prominent member of a famous musical family, being the nephew of Henri Casadesus and Marius Casadesus, husband of Gaby Casadesus, and father of Jean Casadesus.-Biography:Robert Casadesus was born in Paris...
, and Marian Anderson
Marian Anderson
Marian Anderson was an African-American contralto and one of the most celebrated singers of the twentieth century...
.
Mazer was first approached about coming to Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
as a guest conductor during his term with the Chicago Symphony and agreed to visit the island for four concerts in the summer of 1985. After the success of the concerts, Mazer took on the challenge of developing a new orchestra in Taiwan - Taipei Sinfonietta (the former Taipei Philharmonic Orchestra
Taipei Philharmonic Orchestra
-History:Taipei Philharmonic Orchestra was founded in 1985 by a group of enthusiastic musicians. It has come a long way under the direction of late American conductor Henry Mazer, who came from Chicago Symphony Orchestra and stayed with TPO for over 18 years....
). "I could not help develop the Chicago Symphony Orchestra any further, whereas in Taiwan I could see plenty of development potential", he said.
In 1990, Mazer brought the orchestra to perform in cities of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Music critic
Music criticism
See also Music journalism for reporting on classical and popular music in the media.The Oxford Companion to Music defines music criticism as 'the intellectual activity of formulating judgments on the value and degree of excellence of individual works of music, or whole groups or genres'. In this...
William Russo
William Russo
William Russo may refer to:*William Daddano, Sr., aka William Russo*William Russo...
wrote: "The Sinfonietta is one of the finest groups of musicians I have ever heard". Gradually, such impressive reviews overseas would succeed in opening eyes back in Taiwan. During its image-building campaign abroad, the orchestra also toured Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
over the next couple of years, playing in Lyons
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
, Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, and Antwerp. But the highlights of the various European concerts was their performance in Musikvereinssaal, home to Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
The Vienna Philharmonic is an orchestra in Austria, regularly considered one of the finest in the world....
. Following the performances, music critics in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
dubbed the orchestra a "wonder of Taiwan." After the Vienna trip, Mazer's orchestra enjoyed a surge in popularity back home in Taiwan. In addition, several CDs released by the orchestra met with brisk sales.
The most recent overseas tour was in 1995 to New York and Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. After the performance at the Boston Symphony Hall, Mazer received the greatest review of his career when Boston Globe music critic
Music criticism
See also Music journalism for reporting on classical and popular music in the media.The Oxford Companion to Music defines music criticism as 'the intellectual activity of formulating judgments on the value and degree of excellence of individual works of music, or whole groups or genres'. In this...
Richard Dyer
Richard Dyer
Richard W. Dyer is an English academic specialising in cinema. As of 2006 he is Professor of Film Studies at King's College London. Previously he was at the University of Warwick...
compared him to America's beloved Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, author, music lecturer and pianist. He was among the first conductors born and educated in the United States of America to receive worldwide acclaim...
. "The way the Taipei Sinfonietta plays is a real tribute to Mazer's musicianship. They play with a glowing sound, a precision of intonation, an absolute unanimity of impulse, and a rare commitment," he added.
Despite the international recognition, Mazer lead a very simple life while he was in Taiwan. He got along well with his Chinese
Zhonghua minzu
Zhonghua minzu , usually translated as Chinese ethnic groups or Chinese nationality, refers to the modern notion of a Chinese nationality transcending ethnic divisions, with a central identity for China as a whole...
musicians, some of whom he worked with for a decade and were regarded as his own children. Mazer said he found Chinese musicians to be more disciplined than those in the West, and thus more satisfying to work with. "This wonderful island has given me the best musical experience of my life."