Conductor Lorin Maazel died of complications from pneumonia at the age of 84. This has been announced on his website in a statement by the Casleton Festival. He has resigned from Munich Philharmonic as a music director last month. He died shortly thereafter. 

He was asked to continue conducting after his resignation. He was hoping to return to the scene but only with occasional appearances along the way. For more than 70 years of being in the business, Maazel was able to conduct at least two concerts per week. He has performed with over 200 orchestras.

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He was a young violinist at the age of 7 which made him a child prodigy.  At that time, he also studied conducting under the Russian Maestro Vladimir Bakaleinikoff. After 2 years, he conducted several major U.S. orchestras such as Arturo Toscanini's famous NBC Symphony Orchestra. This continued until he was 12 years old.

He was born on March 6, 1930 in Paris but eventually his family moved to Los Angeles. In one of his interviews while at Disney Hall, he said that he spent his first years of conducting in L. A. and that he always had an affinity with this city. He held his first public performance at the Hollywood Bowl.

However, the Maazels had to move to Pittsburgh since Bakaleinikoff moved there. He returned to L.A. as a music director from 1988 to 1996.

Amongst his many achievements, Maazel was the first American to be the principle conductor of the Vienna State Opera. He also served as an artistic director of the Deutsche Oper Berlin. Aside from conducting, he also hosted concerts in Virginia estate and began a music festival geared towards mentoring young musicians.

He described working with these young musicians as "more than a labor of love - a labor of joy".

Maazel and his wife Dietlinde Turban Maazel have been blessed with 4 daughters, 3 sons and 4 grandchildren.

TagsLegendary Conductor, Lorin Maazel