Leitner, Ferdinand (1912–1996)

German conductor. He studied in Berlin with Franz Schreker, Artur Schnabel, and Karl Muck, and conducted in Berlin, Hamburg, and Munich before moving to Stuttgart. He was music director until 1969 and led many productions of Wieland Wagner; he also gave first performances of Carl Orff's Oedipus der Tyrann (1959) and Prometheus (1968). He made his US debut in Chicago in 1969, with Don Giovanni. He was at the Zurich Opera, Switzerland, 1969–84 and was principal conductor of The Hague Philharmonic Orchestra, the Netherlands, 1976–80. He was a well-known conductor of Bruckner and Mozart, and gave operas by Berg and Busoni (the only recording of Doktor Faust). He conducted Mozart's C-minor Mass in Salzburg, Austria, in 1985, Tannhäuser in Chicago in 1988, and Ariadne auf Náxos for Radio Audizioni Italiane (RAI) in Turin, Italy, in 1989.