William Steinberg (1899–1978), a native of Cologne who spent almost all his career in the U.S., was known principally as Music Director of the Pittsburg Symphony (1952–76), which he made into one of the world’s leading orchestras, and also as the distinguished Music Director of the Boston Symphony (1969–72) at the end of his career.

He was celebrated as an orchestra builder, co-founding the Palestine Orchestra which became the Israel Philharmonic as well as helping one of his mentors, Arturo Toscanini, to form the NBC Symphony Orchestra. His other mentor was Otto Klemperer and, like Klemperer, Steinberg conducted and recorded Beethoven, Brahms, Bruckner and Mahler superbly together with a fondness for 20th-century
works. Steinberg’s recording of Beethoven’s Missa solemnis has never been issued before on CD and is in excellent stereo.

Along with the superb Cologne Radio Choir, Steinberg has one of the more assured, sensitive and expressive vocal quartets for this demanding work – Heather Harper (she also sang on EMI’s recording with Giulini), Julia Hamari, Sven Olof Eliasson and Peter Meven. Both Hamari and Meven were regular performers at all the European festivals, notably under Karajan. Steinberg’s interpretation is one of fiery intensity, majesty and utter fidelity to the score, which was one of his main characteristics as a conductor.

Steinberg’s recent recording of Mahler’s ‘Resurrection’ Symphony with Cologne forces on ICA Classics (ICAC 5001) received excellent reviews: ‘Readers who, like me, have an aversion to overly luxuriant, emotionally manipulative Mahler will delight in William Steinberg’s clear-headed 1965 Cologne Radio
Symphony Orchestra broadcast of the Resurrection Symphony, a startlingly direct statement of a score that is too often treated to extremes of mood and tempo. Steinberg’s straightforward route means that the great climactic denouement is both well timed and genuinely uplifting.’ (Gramophone)