Frühbeck came from a family of German ancestry. His father had been wounded in World War I, and during his employment after the war for the Spanish section of a German company, decided to settle in Spain. He then sent for his fiancée in Germany, and the couple reunited in Spain. His mother introduced him to the violin, and he had become concertmaster of the local orchestra by age 14. As a youth, he studied at the conservatories of Bilbao and Madrid. He first took up conducting while on military service in the Spanish Army. He graduated from the Hochschule für Musik in Munich in conducting.
Frühbeck was principal conductor of the Bilbao Symphony Orchestra from 1958 to 1962. During this time, the orchestra's manager persuaded Frühbeck to use a name that would more clearly indicate his Spanish identity. He subsequently took the professional surname Frühbeck de Burgos as his artist name. He served as principal conductor of the Spanish National Orchestra from 1962 to 1978.
Outside of Spain, Frühbeck de Burgos served as Generalmusikdirektor of the (1966-1971), music director of the Rundfunkorchester Berlin, the Deutsche Oper Berlin, artistic director of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and chief conductor of the Vienna Symphony. He also was principal guest conductor for various orchestras in Europe, Japan, and the United States, From 1980 to 1983, he was principal conductor of the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra of Tokyo.
From 2001 to 2007, Frühbeck de Burgos was principal conductor of the RAI National Symphony Orchestra. He was music director of the Dresden Philharmonic from 2004 to 2011. On February 2011, the Danish National Symphony Orchestra announced the appointment of Frühbeck de Burgos as its principal conductor, as of the 2012–2013 season. Frühbeck de Burgos announced his retirement from conducting in 2014 and that he had cancer. His final concert as a conductor had been in Washington, DC on 14 March 2014, with the National Symphony Orchestra.
Frühbeck de Burgos recorded on a number of labels. His honours include the 2011 "Conductor of the Year" award from Musical America.
Frühbeck de Burgos died on Wednesday 11 June 2014 in Pamplona, Spain. His wife, María del Carmen Martínez de Frühbeck, whom he married in 1959, survives him, as do their two children, Rafael Frühbeck Martínez and Gema Frühbeck Martínez. He was buried in his home town of Burgos.
Source: Wikipedia
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