Sucher, Josef

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Sucher, Josef

Sucher, Josef, Hungarian conductor and composer, husband of Rosa Sucher (née Hasselbeck ); b. Döbör, Nov. 23, 1843; d. Berlin, April 4, 1908. He studied in Vienna with Sechter, and was made a répétiteur (1870) and an asst. conductor (1873) at the Court Opera there, and then was conductor at the city’s Komische Theater (1874-76). He was conductor of the Leipzig City Theater (1876-78), where he married Rosa Hasselbeck in 1877; they were at the Hamburg Stadttheater from 1878 to 1888, at which time Sucher became conductor of the Berlin Royal Opera, his wife being engaged there as prima donna. He left the Berlin post in 1899. Sucher was especially distinguished as an interpreter of the Wagnerian repertoire. He composed several vocal Works: Aus alten Märchen for Women’s Voices with Orch., Waldfräulein for Soprano, Chorus, and Orch., Seeschlacht bei Lepanto for Men’s Chorus and Orch., and songs.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire