Hertz, Alfred

1872-

Conductor of German opera for the Conried Metropolitan Opera Company of New York; was born in Frankfort - on - the - Main, Germany. After finishing at the Gymnasium he entered the Raff Conservatory in Frankfort, where his principal teachers were Anton Wespruch and Max Schwartz. His first engagement as musical director was at the Ducal Court Theatre at Altenburg, Saxony, from 1892 to 1895, where the order for art and science of Saxony was conferred upon him. He conducted Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel at one of the first theatres there. From 1895 until the spring of 1899 he was in Barmen, Elberfeld; later conducted concerts at St. James Hall, London. From 1899 to 1902 he was first musical director at Breslau, where, besides many other important works, he produced Charpentier's Louise, the first time it was given in Germany. In the autumn of 1902 he was engaged to conduct German Opera for the Metropolitan Opera Company of New York City, in which position he conducted the first performance of Parsifal ever given outside Bayreuth, in 1903, and during 1907 conducted the first American performance of Richard Strauss' Salome. He is in charge of all German Opera produced by the Metropolitan Opera Company.

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