He led Cleveland from 1984 to 2002, preserving its singular character along with a refinement that led to widespread recognition as the paramount American orchestra with the least American sound.
He was previously chief in Cologne, Frankfurt and Hamburg and also took on the conductorship of the Philharmonia Orchestra in London. In all, he made more than 100 recordings, mostly on the Decca label. Shy of mass media, and too thoughtful to deliver headline quotes, he maintained an intense engagement with musicians and nurtured numerous proteges in his profession.
Born into an anti-Nazi family, he lost his father in a last-gasp Hitler execution in 1945. His grandfather, the Hungarian composer Erno von Dohnanyi, fled Hungary to America after the war, on allegations of Nazi collaboration. Christoph formed a close relationship with him.
Unflashy and reflective, he could be strong-willed to the point of stubbornness
Christoph started out as assistant to Georg Solti at Frankfurt Opera, making his name with works by contemporary German composers. Among his own assistants at Frankfurt was Gerard Mortier, a Belgian visionary of innovative opera. When Dohnanyi took over as General Music Director in Hamburg, he created a stronghold of modern, though not always radical, productions. His brother Klaus was mayor of Hamburg, adding to its reputation as Germany’s most progressive city-state.
Christoph had two children with his first wife and three with his second, the German soprano Anja Silja; he married thirdly to Barbara Koller.
Unflashy and reflective, he could be strong-willed to the point of stubbornness, but he was collegial with musicians in his orchestras and seldom haughty. His recordings of Schumann, Schoenberg, Berg and Ives were much prized. He also performed the tough British composer Harrison Birtwistle. But the core of Dohnanyi is in his balanced approach to the great symphonists Beethoven, Brahms and Bruckner — questing, slightly cool, respectful and never less than impressive.
