Horst Stein
Stein was born in 1928, by coincidence in the same city as Hans Knappertsbusch and Günter Wand, Elberfeld (now part of Wuppertal in Germany's Ruhr region); in his 20s, he had also been assistant to Joseph Keilberth. So it must have seemed natural that, during a successful and busy career in leading German cities and opera houses (not to mention the Suisse Romande Orchestra), Stein also guested in Bamberg from 1966 onwards.
And it was almost like a homecoming when, in 1985, he agreed to become the Orchestra's Principal Conductor, an opportunity he seized with gusto and used to steer the Orchestra firmly back to its heartland, the great Austro-German classics.
But there have been adventures too: the ambitious tours, including one to Southeast Asia in 1986, with Chinese musicians joining the string desks in Shanghai; the massive recorded cycle of Max Reger's symphonic works; the historic 1991 'return' to Prague from which, as an 'émigré' orchestra, Bamberg had been excluded by the Iron Curtain. Now the Orchestra regularly brings its unique but universal sound to Europe's new eastern members.
Horst Stein passed away in July 2008 at the age of 80 in Vandoeuvres (Switzerland). Since he had retired Stein enjoyed the title of Honorary Conductor for Life.