Karl Richter (Organ) playing Toccata and Fugue in D minor by Bach. Karl Richter (15th October 1926 - 15th February 1981) was a German conductor, organist, and harpsichordist. He was born in Plauen and studied first in Dresden, where he was a member of the Dresdner Kreuzchor and later in Leipzig, where he received his degree in 1949. In the same year, he became organist at St. Thomas Church, Leipzig, where Johann Sebastian Bach once held the position as Musical Director. In 1951, he moved to Munich, where he taught at the conservatory and was cantor and organist at St. Mark's Church. He also conducted the Münchener Bach-Chor starting in 1954 and the Münchener Bach-Orchester. In the 1960s and 1970s, he did a great deal of recording and undertook tours to Japan, the United States, Canada, Latin-America, Eastern Europe including the Soviet Union. While staying in a hotel in Munich in 1981, Karl Richter died from a heart attack, aged 54. He was buried in Enzenbühl 8 days later.
