Leading 20th-century Conductor. He was influenced by Gustav Mahler. He fled to America in 1933 after the Nazis came to power.
He studied at the Hoch Conservatory in Frankfurt and the Stern Conservatory in Berlin. He became Conductor of the German Opera in Prague upon Mahler's recommendation.
He advocated for new works and new composers, introducing the public to 'From the House of the Dead' by Leoš Janáček, 'Erwartung' by Arnold Schoenberg, 'Oedipus Rex' by Igor Stravinsky, and 'Cardillac' by Paul Hindemith.
He married Jennie Gaissler in 1919, and they had two children together.
He gained fame for his recording of "Eroica," Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 3.
