Ľudovít Rajter

The native form of this personal name is Rajter Lajos. This article uses Western name order when mentioning individuals.

Ľudovít Rajter
Ľudovít Rajter, 1975
Born	(1906-07-30)30 July 1906 Pezinok, Austrian Empire
Died	6 July 2000(2000-07-06) (aged 93) Bratislava, Slovakia
Occupation	Composer

Ľudovít Rajter (Hungarian: Rajter Lajos; 30 July 1906 – 6 July 2000) was a Slovak composer and conductor in Pezinok, Austrian Empire.

Origin

Rajter's evangelical family had German-Hungarian and Dutch roots. His father worked as a teacher, cantor, and choral conductor in the service of the Lutheran church. Rajter's family came from southern Germany to Hungary during the reign of Maria Theresa (c.1740). During that time the family's surname was still "Raiter" or "Rayter.” Rajter's family spoke Hungarian, German, and Slovak.

Life

Professional Background and Studies

Rajter began his musical training from his father, Lajos Rajter Sr. (1880–1945). He studied at the Town School for Music in Bratislava with Alexander Albrecht from 1915 to 1920. In 1924, he enrolled at the Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. He studied composition with Franz Schmidt and Joseph Marx (composition), conducting with Clemens Krauss and Alexander Wunderer. During this period, Rajter also worked as an assistant to Clemens Krauss (until 1933).

Pre-War Years: Bratislava, Salzburg, Budapest

In the four years following his studies in Vienna, he taught at the Municipal Music School in Bratislava and at the Mozarteum Summer School in Salzburg. In 1931 he moved to the Franz Liszt Academy of Music, located in Budapest, studying under Ernst von Dohnányi. In January 1932 he appeared for the first time as guest conductor at the Hungarian Radio, since 1934 he became official conductor and in 1935, first conductor of the of the national broadcaster in Budapest, remaining in this position until 1944. During these years he He also served as a professor at the Academy of Music in Budapest. During this period, Rajter was invited to conduct several European orchestras, and he premiered works by numerous Hungarian composers, including the Symphonic Minutes by Ernő Dohnányi.

Post-war years: Bratislava

In 1946, Rajter returned to Czechoslovakia and worked until 1949 as chief of the Czecho-Slovak Radio Orchestra in Bratislava. In 1949, he co-founded (together with Václav Talich) the Slovak Philharmonic and became its first conductor. In the Stalinist period, Rajter was deemed "politically non-reliable" by the communist regime of the time, which led to a prohibition on his conducting. It was not until 1953, after Stalin's death, that he was once again appointed the head of the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra, where he remained until 1961. Ladislav Slovák was given the position of chief dignitary at that time.

In 1966, Rajter lead the Masterclass for Conductors at the Mozarteum in Salzburg during the Summer Academy.

In 1968 he returned as chief conductor to the Czecho-Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, where he remained until his retirement in 1976. In 1970 he conducted the nine symphonies by Ludwig van Beethoven for the first time in Bratislava as a complete cycle, a project for which he received the Ján Levoslav Bella Prize in the following year.

With the founding of the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava, he taught there from 1949 to 1976. After his rehabilitation in 1991, he was awarded with the title of professor.

Rajter continued to preform actively in concerts. In the 1990s, he was recognized as one of the oldest active conductors. Despite his advanced age, he continued to receive invitations to preform with foreign orchestras. The Savaria Symphony Orchestra in Szombathely, Hungary appointed him in 1991 as the honorary member of the orchestra for life.

Death

On July 6, 2000, Rajter died in Bratislava. He is buried in Pezinok.

Albums (selection)

• Alexander Moyzes: Down The River Váh & Dances From The Hron Region, Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra (Supraphon, OPUS)
• Eugen Suchoň: Metamorfózy, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra (Supraphon, OPUS)
• Ján Cikker: Spomienky, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra (Supraphon, OPUS)
• Brahms: Symphonies 1 - 4, Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra (OPUS)
• Franz Schmidt: Symphonies 1 - 4, Czechoslovak Radio Symphony Orchestra (OPUS)
• Zemlinsky: Symphony No. 1 & Das Gläserne Herz, Czechoslovak Radio Symphony Orchestra (Marco Polo)

Honors (selection)

• 1936: Dr.h.c. New York College of Music
• 1989: National Artist of Czechoslovakia
• 1994: Bartók-Pásztory Award (Bartók-Pásztory-Díj)
• 1997: Order of Ľudovít Štúr, 1st Class
• 1997: Honorary Cross for Science and Art of the Republic of Austria, 1st Class
• 2007: Pribina Cross of the first class / in memoriam (Pribinov kríž 1. triedy)
• 2017: Ján Cikker Price in memoriam (cena Jána Cikkera)

References

• Prof. Dr. h. c. Ľudovít Rajter (online, Slovak)
• Biography, list of works, bibliography, etc (archived)
• Új szó, Bratislava, 29. July 2006 (Hungarian)
• Legendárny dirigent očami syna Adriana: Slávu sme neriešili – Aktuality.sk (Slovak), [„A Legendary Conductor Seen Through the Eyes of His Son Adrian“], 1. August 2010 (www.aktuality.sk)
• Mesto Pezinok | Ľudovít Rajter (www.pezinok.sk) (Slovak)
• Ľudovít Rajter: Symphonische Werke (CD) – jpc (in https://www.jpc.de)/