parterre box

The American conductor (about whom Wikipedia mildly says “There is some mystery surrounding his early life”) was born in London on April 18, 1882… or perhaps 1887. Or was it Pomerania in 1889?

Here’s the mysterious maestro in one of his rare appearances on the operatic podium, Turandot at the Met, on March 4, 1961.

The Riddle Scene