Kraus, (Wolfgang Ernst) Richard

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Kraus, (Wolfgang Ernst) Richard

Kraus, (Wolfgang Ernst) Richard, German conductor, son of Ernst Kraus; b. Berlin, Nov. 16, 1902; d. Walchstadt, April 11, 1978. He studied at the Berlin Hochschule für Musik. After working as a répétiteur at the Berlin State Opera (1923–27), he conducted opera in Kassel (1927–28), Hannover (1928–33), and Stuttgart (1933–37). He served as Generalmusikdirektor of the operas in Halle an der Sale (1937–44) and Cologne (1948–53), and then of the Nordwestdeutsche Phil. in Herford (1963–69). He was particularly admired for his performances of Wagner, Mahler, and R. Strauss.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire