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Tribute to Dimitri Mitropoulos
Sponsored by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation
Throughout November, the New York Philharmonic is offering a tribute to Dimitri Mitropoulos, one of the towering musical figures of the 20th century, commemorating the 50th anniversary of his death with concerts, lectures, film screenings, an archival exhibit, and a special radio broadcast. The Greek-born conductor (1896–1960), who served as the New York Philharmonic's Music Director at the height of his orchestral career, was a champion of the new and unusual, expanding the Orchestra's repertoire, commissioning new works, and promoting the symphonies of Gustav Mahler.
Upcoming Events
Mendelssohn's Elijah, November 10, 11, and 13. 
Greek Violinist Leonidas Kavakos performs Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto, November 26 and 27.
Screening: "The Anatomy of a Symphony Orchestra," from CBS's See It Now (1954), featuring Edward R. Murrow interviewing Mitropoulos and the Philharmonic in rehearsal, November 27 and 28 at 1:00 p.m. at the Paley Center for Media, 25 West 52 Street. For information, call (212) 621-6800.
Insights Series event, "Considering Dimitri Mitropoulos," November 29, at 6:30 p.m.
National Radio Broadcasts
The New York Philharmonic This Week broadcasts historic performances conducted by Dimitri Mitropoulos the week of November 1, 2010; other episodes that are part of the tribute feature Mendelssohn's Elijah, the week of November 22, and violinist Leonidas Kavakos's performance of Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto, the week of December 6. 
Archival Exhibit
Dimitri Mitropoulos: Conducting the Unfamiliar, 1940–1960. Focuses on Dimitri Mitropoulos's passionate dedication to bringing this music to Philharmonic's audiences and challenges he encountered. Bruno Walter Gallery, Avery Fisher Hall, through November 30.
Explore Dimitri Mitropoulos
Biography of Dimitri Mitropoulos
1949–58
b. Athens, March 1, 1896
d. Milan, November 2, 1960
Dimitri Mitropoulos, who died on November 2, 1960, was Music Director of the Philharmonic from 1949 to 1958. He first conducted the Orchestra in 1940, and over a 20-year period led 764 performances around the world, with itineraries that took the maestro and the Philharmonic musicians to South America and, Europe, as well as 40 American cities. For Mitropoulos, the highlight of his tenure was a 1955 visit to his native Athens, where he had not conducted since 1938. The Athenian reaction was overwhelming, with thousands camped out all night in front of the box office.
A passionate champion of contemporary composers, Mitropoulos conducted almost 50 world premieres with the Philharmonic; he also introduced Mahler's Sixth Symphony to American audiences for the first time, as well as important works by Schoenberg, Shostakovich, and Prokofiev. He also presented vocal works and complete operas in concert, which he believed provided an advantage to the audience, "whose eyes are not distracted and whose ears can therefore focus on what they hear without competition or conflict."
To expand the Orchestra's audience and the players' financial opportunities, Mitropoulos and the Philharmonic appeared at the Roxy Theatre for two two-week stints in 1950-51, playing four short programs of popular favorites before the featured film. Although the films were not extraordinary (The Black Rose, starring Tyrone Power and Orson Welles and I'd Climb the Highest Mountain, with Susan Hayward and Bill Lundigan), public support was. Nearly 205,000 people attended the September showings, roughly the equivalent of 100 concerts at Carnegie Hall!
Listen to Full-Length Mitropoulos Recordings
Mahler: Symphony No. 6, 1955
Mahler: Symphony No. 10, 1958
Shostakovich Violin Concerto No. 1, 1956
Francis Poulenc's Concert champêtre, 1948
Samuel Barber's Medea's Meditation and Dance of Vengeance, 1956
Morton Gould's Dance Variations, 1953
Gunther Schuller's Dramatic Overture, 1957
Mitropoulos conducts Mendelssohn's Elijah, 1952
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