The International Karl Amadeus Hartmann Society mourns the death of its founding member Maestro Kurt Masur.
As the New York Philharmonic announced, the long-standing principal conductor of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic passed away in Greenwich (USA) on Saturday morning, December 19, 2015, at the age of 88. The outstanding conductor did not only see himself as a performing musician, but also as a “homo politicus”, as Federal President Joachim Gauck emphasized in a statement. “Viele Menschen werden niemals vergessen, wie er sich im Herbst 1989 für grundlegende Veränderungen in der DDR, für die Freiheit der Menschen und die Demokratie eingesetzt hat.” [“Many people will never forget how he stood up for fundamental changes in the GDR, for people’s freedom and democracy in autumn 1989.”] Kurt Masur lived music as a humanistic message.
Enclosed you will find links to some press articles:
BR Klassik, Nachruf Kurt Masur
Frankfurter Allgemeine, Nachruf Kurt Masur