Leo Blech
Leo Blech (1871-1958) was a German opera composer and conductor. He worked at the Königliches Schauspielhaus (later the Berlin State Opera (Staatsoper Unter den Linden) from 1906 to 1937,Berlin's Städtische Oper from 1949 to 1953 and at the Royal Swedish Opera. Blech was especially known for his performances of works by Wagner, Verdi and Bizet.
Leo Blech never conducted at Bayreuth.
Lauritz Melchior on Leo Blech
Leo Blech was a revelation to the young Melchior. His methods, his skills, his understanding of singers, and his musicianship were all on a level far above anything Lauritz had encountered previously or was ever to find again. "Of all the conductors with whom I have worked all over the world," he wrote in 1967, "no one was greater as an opera conductor as Leo Blech. (…) He was like a father to me and I shall always be thankful to him for what I acheved through my long artistic life."
Shirlee Emmons: Tristanissimo: The Authorized Biography of Heroic Tenor Lauritz Melchior