The Oper Koln Opera has confirmed that longtime principal conductor György Fischer has passed away on Oct. 24, 2020, at the age of 85.

Born in Budapest on August 12, 1935, Fischer studied at the Franz Liszt Academy and became the assistant to Herbert von Karajan at the Wiener Staatsoper, going on to conduct operas in Koln, Munich, South America, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Canada.

He would become the principal conductor of the Oper Koln where he would conduct an acclaimed Mozart cycle, beginning with “La Clemenza di Tito” in 1969, being one of his many accomplishments with the company. He departed from the company in 1990 and continued to perform internationally.

Throughout his career, he went on to make a number of recordings with Edita Gruberova, Gosta Winbergh, Kiri Te Kanawa, Teresa Berganza, and Cecilia Bartoli, among others.

After his retirement, Fischer lived away from public life and spent his remaining time with his family.

Here he is performing alongside Bartoli.