'''Fritz Stiedry''' (born October 11th 1883 in Vienna, died August 8, 1968 in Zurich) was an Austrian conductor. While studying Law at the University_of_Vienna, Stiedry's musical abilities were noticed by Gustav_Mahler who appointed him his assistant at the Vienna_Court_Opera in 1907. This was followed by other assistant posts, leading to chief conductorships at the operas of Kassel and Berlin. In 1933 Stiedry left Germany in response to the assumption of power by Adolf_Hitler. From 1934 until 1937 Stiedry was principal conductor of the Leningrad_Philharmonic_Orchestra. Stiedry was involved in rehearsals for the premiere of Shostakovich's ''Fourth Symphony''; however the premiere was canceled for reasons that remain controversial. Some claim that Shostakovich felt Stiedry unable to deal with the symphony's complexities: however others say that the real reason was that Communist Party officials pressured the composer to withdraw the work. http://www.sfsymphony.org/templates/pgmnote.asp?nodeid=3668&callid;=792. In 1937 Stiedry left Leningrad for the United_States. He worked with the New_Friends_of_Music_Orchestra in New York, where he performed long-neglected works by Bach, Haydn and Mozart and premiered Schoenberg's ''Second Chamber Symphony''. From 1945 onwards, Stiedry returned to opera, conducting the Lyric_Opera_of_Chicago and the Metropolitan_Opera of New York. ==External links== *Article at allmusic.com {{start box}} {{succession box | title=Musical Directors, St Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra | before=Aleksandr_Gauk | years=1934–1937 | after=Evgeny_Mravinsky }} {{end box}} Stiedry, Fritz Stiedry, Fritz De:Fritz_Stiedry {{conductor-stub}}