Sir George Solti Conducting In Chicago, Illinois Editorial Image

Hungarian and British orchestral and operatic conductor, Sir George Solti, conducts the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in Grant Park, Chicago, in the early 1980s. Solti, who was Jewish, was born in Budapest, and fled with family as Hungary became increasingly anti-Semitic. He fled to London and then earned a living as a pianist in Switzerland during the war. The maestro was particularly renowned for his work in Munich, Frankfurt, London, Paris, and Chicago. He was the music director of the CSO from 1969 until 1991. He won 31 Grammy Awards starting in 1963 as a recording artist. That record was surpassed by Beyonce at the Grammys held on February 5, 2023, breaking the record of 31he owned for over 3 decades. Solti died at 84 on September 5, 1997.