Lorin Maazel: the violinist who conducted operas

Lorin Maazel: the violinist who conducted operas

Lorin Maazel never picked between the violin and the podium, and the RCA Records artist, who died in 2014, mastered both. Twelve years on, his precision still startles.

Key points

  • Lorin Maazel, the RCA Records artist who died in 2014, treated opera not as a hierarchy but as a playground for his creativity.
  • Lorin Maazel never chose between playing the violin and conducting — he mastered both, plus composing and arranging.

· Published · 1 min read · Updated

Lorin Maazel
Barbara Haws at English Wikipedia (Uploader claims to be 'Chris Lee'.), CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons

Lorin Maazel never chose between playing and conducting — he mastered both, alongside composing and arranging.

Lorin Maazel never chose between playing and conducting — he mastered both, alongside composing and arranging.

The RCA Records artist, who died in 2014, treated opera not as a hierarchy but as a playground for his restless creativity.

Twelve years later, his recordings still startle with their precision — as if the violin prodigy turned maestro had simply stepped out for a cigarette mid-rehearsal.

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