Austro-Hungarian conductor and violinist.

Career Summary

After private tuition Nikisch studied violin with Josef Hellmesberger and composition with Dessoff (1866–) at the Vienna Conservatory. In 1874 he joined the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra as a violinist, in 1878 becoming second conductor of the Leipzig opera house. In 1889 he became conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, then in 1893 music director of the Budapest opera house. In 1895 he took on the conductorship of both the Leipzig Gewandhaus and Berlin Philharmonic orchestras. With these he toured internationally. He also became the director of the Leipzig opera house and conservatory in 1905.

He was renowned for his performances of Romantic music, notably Schumann, Brahms, Bruckner, Tchaikovsky, and Wagner. He also supported the more modern music of Mahler, Reger and Richard Strauss.

Nikisch and Schenker

There is no known contact between the two men, and Nikisch is rarely referred to in Schenker’s diary or correspondence, such that it is impossible to assess Schenker’s opinion of the conductor.

There is no correspondence between the two men; the only surviving item is a letter of recommendation for Moriz Violin, written by Adalbert von Goldschmidt to Nikisch c. 1900 (OJ 70/69).

Source

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