Georg Solti Net Worth - Pulptastic

July 22, 2024

What was Sir Georg Solti’s Net Worth?

Georg Solti, the Hungarian conductor, had a net worth of $16 million at the time of his death in 1997 at the age of 84.

Sir Georg Solti worked with major opera companies in Munich, Frankfurt, London, and Chicago, among other cities, and raised the international profiles of the Covent Garden Opera Company in London and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Solti made over 250 recordings during his prolific career, and his recording of Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen has twice been voted the greatest recording ever made.

Georg held the record for most Grammy awards and nominations for many years, winning a staggering 31 Grammy Awards out of an equally-impressive 74 nominations. His record was broken by Beyonce in February 2023, who won her 32nd Grammy.

As of this writing, Quincy Jones is in third place with 28 wins, while Alison Krauss and the late Chick Corea are tied for fourth with 27 wins.

Georg Solti’s Early Life and Education

Georg Solti was born in Buda, Hungary in 1912 to Jewish parents Teréz and Móricz. He began playing piano at a young age and enrolled in the Ernő Fodor School of Music at age ten before transferring to the Franz Liszt Academy two years later. There, he studied under notable musicians such as Béla Bartók, Leó Weiner, and Ernő Dohnányi.

Georg Solti’s Career Disrupted by Nazism

Georg Solti graduated from the Franz Liszt Academy in 1930 and worked as a répétiteur at the Hungarian State Opera. He also worked for Arturo Toscanini at the Salzburg Festival in Austria. However, Solti’s career was disrupted by the rise of Nazism in Europe. On the day of his very first show as a conductor, news arrived that Germany had invaded Austria. Solti went to London, England, instead of going back to Hungary which was instituting increasingly draconian anti-Jewish laws. He made his debut with the Royal Opera and subsequently went to Switzerland, where he remained during World War II. Because he was unable to secure a work permit as a conductor in the country, he made a living teaching piano lessons.

Georg Solti’s Musical Career

After the war, Georg Solti became the musical director of the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, Germany. He led the company to rebuild its repertoire and reputation. He also conducted at the Salzburg Festival, became musical director of the Oper Frankfurt, and presented 33 operas during his tenure there.

During his years with the Oper Frankfurt, Solti appeared with various other opera companies and orchestras around the world. He gave concerts in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and debuted at the Edinburgh Festival, Ravinia Festival, and the Metropolitan Opera. Solti also appeared alongside leading orchestras in Vienna, New York City, and Los Angeles, and became musical director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic in the early 60s.

Georg Solti’s Tenure at Covent Garden

Georg Solti withdrew from the Los Angeles Philharmonic due to breaching of his contract by the group’s president. He became the musical director of the Covent Garden Opera Company in London. He faced criticism from a small portion of the audience who threw rotten vegetables at him and vandalized his car. However, Solti won the public over as he strengthened the chorus and orchestra. He replaced the traditional repertory system with the stagione system of scheduling performances. Under his direction, Covent Garden became one of the world’s greatest opera houses and was bestowed with the title of “Royal Opera” by Queen Elizabeth II in 1968. Solti left the company after a ten-year tenure as one of the world’s most lauded working conductors.

Georg Solti’s Impact on the Chicago Symphony Orchestra

In 1968, Georg Solti became the musical director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, where he substantially expanded the orchestra’s repertoire and lifted its international profile. He introduced new works such as Tippett’s “Fourth Symphony” and “Byzantium” and took the orchestra on its first overseas tour in 1971. Solti conducted 999 concerts with the orchestra before stepping down as musical director in 1991, but remained with the CSO as a conductor until his passing, shortly before his scheduled 1,000th concert.

Georg Solti’s Musical Director Positions

Georg Solti held several prominent positions in the world of classical music. He was the musical director of the Orchestre de Paris from 1972 to 1975 and the principal conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra from 1979 to 1983. In 1995, he founded the World Orchestra for Peace, which consisted of 81 musicians from 40 countries. Throughout his later years, Solti frequently served as a guest conductor at Covent Garden.

Solti’s Success through Recordings

Solti gained international recognition through his numerous recordings, which he started producing after signing with Decca Records in 1946. His career boasts of over 250 recordings, playing with a vast range of orchestras and covering works by Brahms, Beethoven, Haydn, Mahler, Verdi, Strauss, and Wagner. His most celebrated recording is of Wagner’s opera tetralogy “Der Ring des Nibelungen,” which he recorded between 1958 and 1965. The recording was a surprise commercial success, spending weeks on the Billboard charts and voted the greatest recording ever made by professional critics polled for the BBC’s Music Magazine.

Georg Solti’s Personal Life

During World War II, Solti met and married Hedwig Oeschli while exiled in Switzerland. They separated in 1964. Solti later met Valerie Pitts, a British television presenter, and pursued her for three years, eventually convincing her to divorce her husband. They married in 1967 and had two daughters.

Solti passed away at the age of 84 in his sleep while on vacation in the south of France in 1997. His memoirs, co-written with Harvey Sachs, were published the following month.