Ernő Rapée (1891 in Budapest-1945 in New York) was a virtuoso pianist, conductor, and composer for silent films. He supervised film scores for sound pictures as composer, arranger or musical director. In Budapest, Rapée studied as a pianist and later conductor at the Budapest Conservatory. Later, he was assistant conductor to Ernst von Schuch in Dresden. As a composer, his first piano concerto was played by the Philharmonic Orchestra of Vienna. Following positions at the Rialto and Rivoli theaters, he was hired as the musical director of the Capitol Theatre's Orchestra in New York. Subsequently, he performed in Berlin with the UFA Theater orchestra. In 1926, he returned to America after notable European successes. He began an engagement at the Roxy Theatre in New York, opening the theater in March 1927. Finally, in 1932, Rapée conducted the symphony orchestra at Roxy Rothafel's new Radio City Music Hall, a position he held until his death in 1945. This great record was made in 1926.
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