Death of eminent Polish conductor

Death of eminent Polish conductor

RIP

norman lebrecht

April 30, 2021

The veteran international conductor Kazimierz Kord has died at the age of 90, Polish radio reports.

Longstanding music director of the National Philharmonic Orchestra in Warsaw, he also headed the Southwest German radio orchestra.

In the US he conducted 62 times at the Met from 1972 and was principal guest at the Pacific Symphony.

Russian trained, he was a highly skilled maestro with limited flexibility in human relations.

Comments

  • John Kelly says:

    “Limited flexibility in human relations”. Sounds like my ex…………..

  • Paul Dawson says:

    De mortuis, nil nisi bonum

  • Jan Kaznowski says:

    I saw him in Warsaw years ago conducting Szymanowski 1st violin concerto. What a sound he coaxed out of the orchestra !
    RIP

  • Rob says:

    One of the greats

  • Anonymous Bosch says:

    Kord led the Metropolitan Opera’s very first performance sung in the Russian language: Tchaikovsky’s “Pikovayya Dama”. His career there was brief, but memorable, particularly with “Così fun Tutte”, “Boris Godunov”, and “Aida.”

  • Phil says:

    “Limited flexibility in human relations”? Your unsupported, unnecessary assessment of the late Mr. Kord’s personality is way off base. I was concertmaster of a top 10 US orchestra for many years and worked with Kord at least 6 times. I find no truth whatsoever in your appraisal. Why would you make such a negative comment with no backup or explanation? I think you may need some serious work on your “human relations”.

  • Greg Bottini says:

    “….limited flexibility in human relations.”
    Says you, Norman. What is your source for this uncalled-for statement?
    I heard Maestro Kord conduct Verdi and Mussorgsky (brilliantly!) at the San Francisco Opera, and he would not have been re-engaged there so often had he not had excellent “flexibility in human relations.”
    I’m happy that Maestro Kord lived such a long life and was so good at what he did.

  • MOST READ TODAY: