Peskó, Zoltán

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Peskó, Zoltán

Peskó, Zoltán,Hungarian-born Italian conductor and composer; b. Budapest, Feb. 15,1937. He studied at the Budapest Academy of Music (graduated, 1962); also took courses in composition with Petrassi and in conducting with Ferrara in Italy, and in conducting with Boulez in Switzerland (1963–66). He was asst. conductor to Maazel and the Deutsche Oper and Berlin Radio Sym. Orch. in the Western sector (1966–69); then conducted at the Berlin State Opera in East Berlin (1969–73); also served on the faculty at the Berlin Hochschule für Musik (1969–72). From 1974 to 1976 he was chief conductor of the Teatro Comunale in Bologna; subsequently was chief conductor of Venice’s Teatro La Fenice (1976–77) and Milan’s Orchestra Sinfonica della RAI (1978–82). From 1996 to 1999 he was chief conductor of the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf. He wrote some orch. music, chamber works, and keyboard pieces.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire