Bruno Walter (1876–1962) was one of the leading conductors of the first half of the twentieth century. A close friend of Gustav Mahler, Walter gave the world-premiere performances of two cornerstones of the symphonic repertoire: Mahler's Ninth Symphony and Das Lied von der Erde. His long tenures in Vienna, Munich, Berlin, and Leipzig established Walter as one of the most important interpreters of his day, especially in the field of Austro-German repertoire. His Jewish heritage, however, inevitably led to his expulsion from Germany in 1933 and from Austria in 1938. He eventually settled in the United States, where he worked regularly with the Metropolitan Opera, the New York Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the San Francisco Symphony. In the late 1950s he made a number of stereo recordings with the Columbia Symphony Orchestra, for which he is most widely remembered. In his final years, encouraged by his friend Delia Reinhardt, he developed a deep interest in the ideas of Rudolf Steiner.

A well-read and highly cultivated individual, Walter counted Arthur Schnitzler and Thomas Mann among his friends, and as an author he wrote three books that are still read: his biography of Mahler; his autobiography, Theme and Variations; and his book on interpretation, Of Music and Music-Making. Most of his early essays, however, have long been forgotten, and almost none have been translated into English.

In addition to conducting and writing prose, Walter spent many years composing music, some of which has been revived lately. These works reveal a creator with an original voice and, as even his harshest critics admitted, considerable technique.

With the year 2002 marking the fortieth anniversary of Walter's death, andante newly examines Bruno Walter, whose eventful life was for many years poorly chronicled. Recent research by the team of Erik Ryding and Rebecca Pechefsky, as well as by Michele Selvini, has done a great deal to fill the gaps in Walter's life and to point to areas in need of further exploration.

This site presents an overview of Walter's life in a timeline that will be linked to pertinent images and to soundclips of Walter's original music, some specially recorded for andante. A complete list of Walter's musical compositions is included, as well as a bibliography of Walter's numerous writings. andante will also offer translations of neglected prose works by Walter, including a lengthy essay on Beethoven's Missa solemnis (1920) and a late essay on Rudolf Steiner and anthroposophy (1962). In addition, tape-recorded memories of those who worked with Walter will illuminate the working methods of an interpreter often lauded for his humane dealings with his colleagues.

Finally, new essays based on ongoing research into Walter's life and works will shed light on Walter's beliefs and complex personal relationships. This site will be maintained by Erik Ryding, author of In Harmony Framed (Truman State University Press, 1993), coauthor of Bruno Walter: A World Elsewhere (Yale University Press, 2001), and producer of the world-premiere recording of Bruno Walter's Sonata for Piano and Violin, performed by the Orfeo Duo (VAI Audio, 1997).