The German conductor Hans Knappertsbusch (1888-1965) was born in Eberfeld. He first studied philosophy before turning to music at the Cologne Conservatory under Fritz Steinbach and Otto Lohse (1909-12). His career began at Mühlheim in 1911 in the Ruhr, soon followed by a post in Bochum, and from 1913-18 he worked as conductor in his native Eberfeld. He then moved to Leipzig and in 1922 became General Music Director at the Bavarian State Opera, a position he held until 1936 when he was dismissed by the Nazi régime. He first appeared in London at the Royal Opera House in 1937 conducting Salome. He also conducted at the Salzburg and Zürich Festival at this time, before working in Vienna from 1936 until 1938 and intermittently during the war years, 1946-1950. He then based himself in Munich after 1954. His special affinity with Wagner came to a wider public with his regular appearances at the Bayreuth Festival first with Parsifal and the Ring (both of which exist in a number of live recordings). He famously abhorred rehearsals and never really felt at ease in the recording studio. He was first and foremost a man of the theatre, working in the sunken pit at Bayreuth away from public gaze. At his finest he was able to generate dramatic excitement over long spans of musical form.
