Australian Dictionary of Biography

Tibor Paul (1909-1973), conductor, was born on 29 March 1909 in Budapest, son of Antal János Paul, vintner, and his wife Gizella, née Verényi. Tibor studied piano and woodwind instruments at the Liszt Ferenc Zenemüvészeti Föiskola under the composer Zoltán Kodály and the conductors Hermann Scherchen and Felix Weingartner. In 1930 he founded the Budapest Concert Orchestra which, through his leadership and that of guest conductors, 'rapidly achieved a high standard'. On 9 November 1935 he married Maria Penninger in Budapest; they were to have two sons. In 1939 he began conducting his own orchestra. About this time he became an adviser to the recording firm Durium Products Corporation, recording supervisor of the fledgling Hungarian film institute and a conductor at the Budapest National Theatre. By 1945 he was principal conductor for the Hungarian Broadcasting Corporation.

In 1948, when communist rule was established in Hungary, Paul left for Switzerland. He conducted for the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation and at the opera house in Berne before emigrating to Australia with his family in 1950. Within a year he was a conductor with the New South Wales National Opera and a guest conductor with the Australian Broadcasting Commission. Appointed to teach orchestral and choral conducting at the New South Wales State Conservatorium of Music in 1954, he was also principal conductor for the Elizabethan Theatre Trust Opera Company in 1954-55. On 28 November 1955 he was naturalized.

Paul found that the A.B.C. was unable to offer him sufficient engagements. He regularly corresponded with (Sir) Charles Moses, the general manager, asking to be given more concerts. During his nine years with the commission he worked extremely hard, travelled widely throughout Australia and conducted in every capital city. Meanwhile, he made trips to Britain, Italy, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Denmark, France, Portugal and Austria. A vigorous promoter of Australian composers, he toured Europe and North America in 1958 and included the work of Australians in his concerts.

In 1959 Paul left for Europe with his wife and younger son. He eventually settled in Ireland, where he was principal conductor (1961-67) with the Radio Eireann Symphony Orchestra and director of music (1962-67) for Radio and Telefis Eireann, Dublin. Although he visited Australia from time to time, he was based in Ireland for almost seven years. A versatile and accomplished musician, he had a fiery temperament. At the behest of the Elizabethan Theatre Trust, he returned to Sydney in October 1968 to conduct its orchestra. Over the next six years he divided his time between Australia and Europe.

Appointed conductor of the Western Australian Symphony Orchestra in 1971, Paul led three seasons in Perth. He knew by heart 47 symphonies, 11 operas and numerous other works, and seldom conducted from a score. In January 1973 he conducted the combined West Australian and South Australian symphony orchestras in a performance to inaugurate the Concert Hall, Perth. Survived by his wife and sons, he died of a coronary occlusion on 11 November 1973 in his home at Wahroonga, Sydney, and was cremated with Catholic rites.