Principal conductor of the Czech Philharmonic 1991-1996.
At the age of 22, he won first-prize at the International Besançon Competition for Young Conductors.
German conductor.
He helped to bring contemporary classical music to a wider public, particularly the works of Krzysztof Penderecki and György Ligeti.
In 1972 he was appointed principal conductor of the Berlin Deutsche Opera, where he inaugurated special concerts for children. Throughout his career, he presented TV programs to introduce classical music to the young and old.