Priest of Music: The Life of Dimitri Mitropoulos

At the time of his death, Dimitri Mitropoulos (1896-1960) was considered one of the most brilliant conductors of the twentieth century. Yet within a decade, his achievements were largely forgotten. An ascetic and mystic throughout his life, Mitropoulos was attracted in his youth to the monastic life, and he brought the same fervent passion to music. He studied in Rome, Brussels, and Berlin, but his career flowered in his native Greece, where he developed his trademark style of conducting without a baton - or score. Success did not change his essential simplicity and boundless generosity, and he never aspired to the glamorous trappings of celebrity. His story unfolds against the rich backdrop of the Golden Age of conductors and reveals secret wars among musicians, patrons, promoters, and critics. Based upon extensive research by the late musicologist Oliver Daniel, this radiant account of a tragically noble and neglected giant promises to be the most important musical biography of the decade.

Mitropoulos' story unfolds against the rich backdrop of the Golden Age of conductors and reveals secret wars among musicians, patrons, promoters, and critics. Based upon extensive research, this radiant account of a tragically noble and neglected giant promises to be the most important musical biography of the decade. Photos.

By William R. Trotter