Rudel, Julius
Julius Rudel, combines the traditions of Europe with the brilliance of the New World. Like many great conductors before him, his early years were spent conducting in the opera house. Born in Vienna, Mr. Rudel attended the concerts of the Philharmoniker from an early age, where he savored performances by Knappertsbusch, Walter, Monteux, and Furtwängler, among others, during the immediate pre-war period. Before his family left for the U.S. he studied at the Vienna Academy of Music and continued his studies in New York at the Mannes College of Music. He began a long association with the New York City Opera, and as director and principal conductor was instrumental in guiding the company to national prominence from its first seasons at the City Center. It was also during this time that Julius Rudel established himself as one of the foremost conductors on the international scene, working in the opera houses of Vienna, Munich, Chicago, Paris, San Francisco, Rome, London, Hamburg, Berlin, and the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
In 1979, Mr. Rudel left New York City Opera, extending his symphonic activities in the U.S. and Europe. He became music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic and forged a special link with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s. His orchestral schedule includes concerts with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, and other leading orchestras, and annual appearances in the US at the Caramoor Festival with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s as well as appearances with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.
Today Mr. Rudel continues to work with many opera companies that include the Metropolitan in New York, Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Bastille in Paris, Royal Opera in Copenhagen, Berlin’s Deutsche Oper, and the Stadttheater, Berne. In the recording studio Mr. Rudel has won a Grammy Award and seven Grammy Nominations: among his opera recordings are Massenet’s Manon and Cendrillon, Boito’s Mefistofele, Verdi’s Rigoletto, Bellini’s I puritani, Weill’s Silverlake, Ginastera’s Bomarzo, and Handel’s Giulio Cesare which won the Schwann Award for Best Opera Recording. Today this work continues and particular mention should be made of his recent highly regarded recording of Kurt Weill’s Lost in the Stars. In addition, he has made several films with such artists as Kiri te Kanawa, Eva Marton, and Frederica von Stade.
Mr. Rudel was made a Chevalier des Arts et Lettres by France and has been decorated by the governments of Austria, Germany, and Israel. In addition, he has received many honorary doctorates from universities and colleges.
