Kurt Masur: A musical journey through childhood and hope!

Kurt Masur: A musical journey through childhood and hope!

Wolfgang-Heinze-Str. 12a, 04277 Leipzig, Deutschland - On June 4 and 5, 2025, a performance of the Kurt Masur Music Theater will take place in UT Connewitz, which deals with the life of the famous conductor Kurt Masur (1927–2015). The events start at 5 p.m. and find in Wolfgang-Heinze-Str. 12a instead. The music theater emphasizes the childhood and youth of Masur, including topics such as war, captivity, flight, hope and new beginning. It is expected that the audience can experience the growing importance of music in the life of the young Masur when he sings folk songs while he forgets to help his father in the electrical business, according to the Leipziger Internet Zeitung .

The staging, which shows the young Masur as a piano student and addresses his first concert visit to Beethoven's 9th Symphony, is particularly memorable. The crucial moment when he decides to become a conductor is made tangible. The performance is supported musically and multimedia by original recordings and is the result of a cooperation between the Kurt Masur Institute and the University of Music and Theater Leipzig. The libretto was edited by Anja-Christin Winkler, while texts and music from Ekkehard Meister and Friederike Zeiner come. The project is supported by the Kurt-Masur School and the International Kurt Masur Institute. Ticket prices are set to 8 euros for adults and 8 euros for children.

a life's work in music

Kurt Masur is one of the last "old -fashioned Maestros" and has led numerous important orchestras, including the Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. From 1991 to 2002 he was chief conductor of the Wooltitzer Orchestra, where he created significant events such as gala concerts and public concerts in Central Park. A benefit concert for the firefighters was also particularly mentioned after the attacks of September 11, 2001, in which he conducted Brahms' "a German requiem". This concert is still anchored in the collective memory of New York City, so the Mendelssohn Foundation .

Masur was born in Brieg (now Brzeg, Poland) in 1927, where he started his musical training. He studied in Leipzig and also gained important experiences as a conductor at the Gewandhaus Orchestra, whose director was from 1970 to 1996. During this time, he also conducted the concert to celebrate German reunification in 1990, in which great emotional response was achieved. The music, against the political currents of his time, played a central role in Masur's life, such as Wikipedia describes.

legacy and honors

Kurt Masur's life's work was recognized by many honors. Among other things, he received the 1995 Federal Cross of Merit and the Golden Medal of Honor for Music from the National Arts Club. His commitment was also estimated internationally; In 1997 he was awarded the title of a commander de la Légion d’Honneur by the French government. He died in Greenwich, Connecticut in 2015, and was buried in the Thomas Church in Leipzig. His inheritance and influence on the music are carried on by numerous students, including known conductors such as Kahchun Wong and Cornelius Meister.

The upcoming music theater in UT Connewitz will not only illuminate the biographical facets of Kurt Masur, but also the lively legacy that he left in the world of classical music.