Death of Dortmund conductor, 94
RIPKapellmeister Heinz Panzer, who conducted thousands of opera nights in Dortmund between 1950 and his retirement in 1992, has died at the age of 94.
His rewards for four decades of service – something of a record for an opera conductor – was the presentation of a silver rose.
According to your source, he didn’t get the silver rose for his four decades of service as a conductor, but for saving a performance of Der Rosenkavalier when the planned conductor became ill. It was the other conductor who had the silver rose presented to Mr. Panzer.
“In Erinnerung bleibt vor allem sein Einspringen in der Oper „Der Rosenkavalier“ von Richard Strauss, so seine Tochter Nicola Panzer. Über Nacht und ohne vorherige Probe übernahm er für den erkrankten Wilhelm Schüchter das Dirigat. Als Dank ließ dieser ihm eine „silberne Rose“ überreichen – ein wichtiges Symbol in Strauss‘ Stück.”