Weller Walter

distinguished Austrian conductor; b. Vienna, Nov. 30, 1939. He received training in violin from Moravec and Samohyl at the Vienna Academy of Music. He also studied conducting with Böhm and Stein, and later received guidance from Krips and Szell. In 1956 he became a violinist in the Vienna Phil. subsequently serving as one of its concertmasters (1964-69). He also was 2^nd violin in the Wiener Kozerthaus Quartet until founding his own Weiler Quartet in 1958, with which he toured with notable success throughout Europe, North America, and Asia. In 1966 he began conducting but it was not until 1968 that he made his professional debut as a conductor of the Vienna Phil. From 1969 he conducted at the Volksoper and State Opera in Vienna. After serving as Generalmusikdirektor in Duisburg (1971-72), he was music director of the Niederösterreichesche Tonkünsterorchester in Vienna (1975-78). He also began to appear as a guest conductor with major European orchs. and opera houses. From 1977 to 1980 he was principal conductor and musical adviser of the Royal Liverpool Phil. and then was principal conductor of the Royal Phil. in London from 1980 to 1985. From 1991 to 1997 he was music director of the Royal Scottish National Orch. in Glasgow, and he concurrently served as music director of the Theater and Sym. Orch. in Basel from 1994. While Weiler is esteemed for his unmannered interpretations of the great Austro-German masterworks, he has also demonstrated a capacity to project modern scores with fine results.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire