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Kurt Masur: A musical journey through childhood and hope!
On June 4th and 5th, 2025, the Kurt Masur Music Theater, which focuses on his inspiring childhood, will be performed at UT Connewitz.
Kurt Masur: A musical journey through childhood and hope!
On June 4th and 5th, 2025, a performance by the Kurt Masur Music Theater will take place at the UT Connewitz, which deals with the life of the famous conductor Kurt Masur (1927–2015). The events start at 5 p.m. and take place on Wolfgang-Heinze-Str. 12a instead. The musical theater highlights Masur's childhood and youth, including themes such as war, imprisonment, escape, hope and new beginnings. Viewers are expected to witness the growing importance of music in young Masur's life as he sings folk songs while forgetting to help his father in the electronics store, they said Leipzig Internet newspaper.
The production, which shows the young Masur as a piano student and focuses on his first concert visit to Beethoven's 9th Symphony, is particularly memorable. The decisive moment in which he decides to become a conductor is brought to life. The performance is supported musically and multimedia by original recordings and is the result of a cooperation between the Kurt Masur Institute and the Leipzig University of Music and Theater. The libretto was edited by Anja-Christin Winkler, while texts and music come from Ekkehard Meister and Friederike Zeiner. The project is supported by the Kurt Masur School Support Association and the International Kurt Masur Institute. Ticket prices are set at 8 euros for adults and 8 euros for children.
A life's work in music
Kurt Masur is considered one of the last “old-fashioned maestros” and has led numerous important orchestras, including the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. From 1991 to 2002 he was principal conductor of the Woolfitzer Orchestra, where he created major events such as gala concerts and public concerts in Central Park. A benefit concert for firefighters after the attacks of September 11, 2001, where he conducted Brahms' “A German Requiem,” also received special mention. This concert is still anchored in the collective memory of New York City today, they said Mendelssohn Foundation.
Masur was born in 1927 in Brieg (now Brzeg, Poland), where he began his musical training. He studied in Leipzig and also gained important experience as a bandmaster at the Gewandhaus Orchestra, of which he was director from 1970 to 1996. During this time he also conducted the concert celebrating German reunification in 1990, which received a great emotional response. Music, contrary to the political currents of his time, played a central role in Masur's life Wikipedia describes.
Legacy and honors
Kurt Masur's life's work has been recognized with many honors. Among other things, he received the Federal Cross of Merit in 1995 and the Gold Medal of Honor for Music from the National Arts Club. His commitment was also appreciated internationally; In 1997 he was awarded the title of Commander de la Légion d'honneur by the French government. He died in Greenwich, Connecticut, in 2015 and was buried in St. Thomas Church in Leipzig. His legacy and influence on music is carried on by numerous students, including well-known conductors such as Kahchun Wong and Cornelius Meister.
The upcoming music theater at UT Connewitz will not only illuminate the biographical facets of Kurt Masur, but also the living legacy he left behind in the world of classical music.