Biography of Richard Mohr RCA


Return Home	The Recordings	Photos	Photos Page 2	Photos Page 3


	RICHARD MOHR - RCA RECORDING ICON "He had a great eye and ear for talent and for putting important people together for projects that had lasting value to the music lover. He was an enabler with great imagination and great taste. My impression was he got (the artists) to behave like pussy-cats." Martin Bernheimer, Pulitzer Prize winner and former Music Critic for the Los Angeles Times. Richard Mohr, RCA recording producer, legendary Met Opera Quiz panelist and producer of Metropolitan Opera broadcast features, died on November 23, 2002. He had been associated with RCA Victor Red Seal Records from 1943 through 1977, and during these years, many of them with his trusted engineering team of Lewis Layton and Anthony Salvatore by his side, he produced countless vocal and solo instrument recitals, symphonic works, and more than 80 complete opera recordings, featuring many of the glorious voices of the era, including: Renata Tebaldi, Jussi Bjorling, Zinka Milanov, Licia Albanese, Giulietta Simionato, Carlo Bergonzi, Giuseppe DiStefano, Tito Gobbi, Robert Merrill, Eileen Farrell, Patrice Munsel, Jan Peerce, Mario Lanza, Richard Tucker, Rise Stevens, Roberta Peters, Leontyne Price, Placido Domingo, Sherrill Milnes, Jon Vickers, Leonie Rysanek, Renata Scotto, Anna Moffo, Alfredo Kraus, Cornell MacNeil, Giorgio Tozzi, Rosalind Elias, Lucine Amara, Jerome Hines, Cesare Siepi, Rosanna Carteri, Cesare Valletti, Fiorenza Cossotto, Mirella Freni, Ilva Ligabue, Shirley Verrett, Martina Arroyo, Montserrat Caballé, Birgit Nilsson, Gabriel Bacquier and Ruggero Raimondi. These recordings earned him five Grammy Awards for Best Opera Recording of the year and at least twenty-five other Grammy nominations. His orchestral repertory began with the last of the live, historical performances of ARTURO TOSCANINI and the NBC SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA and continued with such conductors as Georg Solti, Erich Leinsdorf, Leopold Stokowski, Tullio Serafin, Pierre Monteux, Charles Munch, Arthur Fiedler, Fritz Reiner, Jean Morel, Zubin Metha, Fausto Cleva and Nello Santi conducting some of the world's most prestigious orchestras, including The Chicago Symphony Orchestra , The Boston Symphony , The Philadelphia Orchestra, The London Philharmonia, New Philharmonia, LSO and LPO . He left behind a brilliant legacy of recordings many of which some critics maintain have never been surpassed. THESE PAGES DOCUMENT THE EXTRAORDINARY CAREER OF RCA RECORDING PRODUCER, RICHARD MOHR AND SERVE AS AN INFORMATION CENTER FOR THOSE SEEKING TO LEARN MORE ABOUT AN IMPORTANT TIME PERIOD IN THE HISTORY OF THE CLASSICAL MUSIC RECORDING INDUSTRY. Click here to download The excerpt you are listening to is from the complete recording of the opera with Garaint Evans as Falstaff, conducted by Georg Solti. BIOGRAPHY Richard Mohr was born on June 13, 1919, in Springfield Ohio. He studied journalism at Ohio's Wittenberg University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree, with majors in English, journalism and history, and minors in French and music. After graduation he joined the Columbus Dispatch as a reporter and associate music critic. During this period he began writing radio scripts for RCA's "The Music You Want When You Want It" series. In 1943, he joined RCA Victor in Camden, New Jersey as editor of the "Victor Record Review." From there he went on to produce original cast recordings of world premiere operas including Samuel Barber's "Vanessa," Gian Carlo Menotti's "Amahl and the Night Visitors" and the first album recordings of numerous artists and works including 80 complete operas. After his historic tenure at RCA Victor ended in 1977, he produced 26 half hour radio programs for PBS, titled "Backstage with Richard Mohr." In 1980 he became Associate Producer with Geraldine Souvaine, and then Producer, of the Texaco Intermission Features for the Saturday afternoon broadcasts of the Metropolitan Opera. He retired from that position in 1991. Mohr resided most of his life in New York City and at his beloved country home in Blairstown, New Jersey until his death in a nursing home on November 23, 2002 CLICK HERE TO SEE RICHARD MOHR ON YOU TUBE Click here to download MOHR ON THE OPERA QUIZ - 1974 - LISTEN TO CLIP 1 MOHR WITH ALBANESE, STEBER, KIRSTEN - 1982 - LISTEN TO CLIP 2 MOHR WITH LEONTYNE PRICE 1983 - LISTEN TO CLIP 3 MOHR WITH ALBERTA MASIELLO - 1985 - LISTEN TO CLIP 4 MOHR WITH TATIANA TROYANOS - 1985 - LISTEN TO CLIP 5 MOHR WITH SHERRILL MILNES AND SAMUEL RAMEY - 1985 - LISTEN TO CLIP 6 MOHR WITH PLACIDO DOMINGO - 1988 - LISTEN TO CLIP 7 Click here to download MOHR RECEIVES A CONGRATULATORY 1960 Best Classical Opera Production Puccini "Turandot" RCA: Erich Leinsdorf, conductor, Rome Opera Orchestra and Chorus, Richard Mohr, producer Cast: Birgit Nilsson, Renata Tebaldi, Jussi Bjoerling, Giogrio Tozzi 1963 Best Opera Recording Puccini "Madama Butterfly" RCA Victor Red Seal 6160 Erich Leinsdorf, conductor, RCA Italiana Orchestra and Chorus, Richard Mohr, producer. Cast: Leontyne Price, Rosalind Elias, Richard Tucker 1968 Best Opera Recording Mozart "Cosi Fan Tutte" RCA: TBA Erich Leinsdorf, conductor, New Philharmonia Orchestra, Richard Mohr, producer. Cast: Leontyne Price, Tatiana Troyanos, Judith Raskin, Sherrill Milnes, Ezio Flagello, George Shirley 1971 Best Opera Recording Verdi "Aida" RCA Victor Red Seal Catalog #: 39498 Erich Leinsdorf, conductor, London Symphony Orchestra, John Aldis, Chorus, Richard Mohr, producer. Cast: Leontyne Price, Grace Bumbry, Placido Domingo, Sherrill Milnes, Ruggero Raimondi.. 1974 Best Opera Recording Puccini "La Boheme" RCA Victor Red Seal Catalog #: 39496 Georg Solti, conductor, London Philharmonic Orchestra, John Aldis, Chorus, Richard Mohr, producer. Cast: Montserrat Caballé, Judith Blegen, Placido Domingo, Sherrill Milnes, Ruggero Raimondi. PLUS OVER 25 NOMINATIONS IN VARIOUS CATAGORIES Click here to download Click here to download CONTACT THE AUTHOR OF THIS WEB SITE: pfbonelli@aol.com Click here to download Click here to download \| Return Home \| The Recordings \| Photos \| Photos Page 2 \| Photos Page 3 \|