Returning to your roots

[Gary Freedman]

Otto Klemperer (14 May 1885 – 6 July 1973) was a German conductor and composer. He is widely regarded as one of the leading conductors of the 20th century.  In 1933, once the Nazi party had reached power, Klemperer, who was Jewish,  left Germany and moved to the United States. Klemperer had previously  converted to Catholicism, but returned to Judaism at the end of his  life.  One of his last concert tours was to Jerusalem. Klemperer had performed  in Palestine before the state of Israel declared its independence, and  returned to Jerusalem only in 1970 to conduct the Israeli Broadcasting  Authority Symphonic Orchestra in two concerts, performing the six  Brandenburg Concerti and Mozart's symphonies 39, 40 and 41. During this  tour he took Israeli citizenship. He retired from conducting in 1971. Klemperer died in Zurich, Switzerland in 1973, aged 88, and was buried in Zurich's Israelitischer Friedhof-Oberer Friesenberg.