Knappertsbusch, Hans (1888–1965)

German conductor. He studied at the Cologne Conservatory with Fritz Steinbach and Otto Lohse 1909–12 and then took various positions as an opera conductor. In 1922 he became conductor at the Munich Staatsoper, where he remained until 1938, when he became director of the Vienna Staatsoper, Austria. In 1937 he made his Salzburg opera debut (with Richard Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier) and conducted his only opera in London, England (Richard Strauss's Salome, at Covent Garden). He was guest conductor at the Wiener Philharmoniker 1947–64. He was best known for his performances of Wagner, especially Parsifal, which he conducted at Bayreuth from 1951.