On Feb. 2, 2023, Conductor Caspar Richter died at the age of 78.

Born Sept. 16, 1944, in Lübeck, Germany, he went on to be known for “The Magic Mountain” (1982), “Das Jahrhundert der Operette” (1986), and “Elisabeth” (2005).

He began his career as Lorin Maazel’s repetiteur in 1968 at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and went on to be one of the most reliable ensemble members. In 1983 he became the permanent conductor at the Wiener Staatsoper and head of orchestra at the Volksoper Wien.

He also went on to found an orchestra for three other theaters, including th Theater an der Wien, Raimaundtheater, and Ronacher. Richter was also an honorary conductor of the Czech State Philharmonic Orchestra Brno. Additionally, he worked at the Basel Theater and did numerous musicals including “A Chorus line,” “Les Miserables,” and “Phantom of the Opera,” Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” “Mozart” with Harry Kupfer, and “Jekyll and Hyde,” to name a few.

Richter left 40 recordings including “The Producers,” Schumann’s Symphony No. 2, and Mahler’s Symphony No. 6.