Jean Fournet
Methodical, unflappable (he is said to have seldom raised his voice), and subtle in the ways of the French repertory, Jean Fournet saw his career extend over an extraordinarily long period. After having established himself in his native country, he proved a welcome addition to opera companies in America, where the French style had become something of a lost art. Beyond stage work, he proved, both early and late, a persuasive interpreter of the French symphonic literature. After studies at the Paris Conservatoire, Fournet made his debut in his native city in 1936; two years later, he was engaged by Rouen on a permanent basis. In 1940, he moved to Marseilles and, beginning in 1944, presided over the Paris Opéra-Comique as music director, simultaneously offering instruction in the art of conducting at the École Normale. In the 1950s, he was involved in several recording projects that enhanced his reputation considerably, notably his Fauré Requiem and a lightly turned Les Pêcheurs de perles. Two further appointments awaited him in Europe before he turned to a regimen of guest conducting: in 1961 he became conductor of the Netherlands Radio Symphony, and from 1968 to 1973, he served as artistic director of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. Fournet made his American opera debut with the Chicago Lyric Opera in 1965 directing a double bill consisting of a staged Carmina Burana and Ravel's magical L'heure espagnole, the latter with Teresa Berganza, Alfredo Kraus, and Sesto Bruscantini. The conductor impressed immediately as one who could imprint elegance and respect for French style on his casts. His success led to further assignments, each helping reestablish the French wing in a city that had known great French artists in decades past. Among the productions were Les Pêcheurs de perles in 1966, another double bill (Le Rossignol and Oedipus Rex) in 1968, Werther in 1971, Pelléas et Mélisande in 1972, Manon in 1973, and Don Quichotte in 1974. In 1987, Fournet made his Metropolitan Opera debut conducting a production of Samson et Dalila. In addition to a number of orchestral discs, Fournet recorded the aforementioned Les Pêcheurs de perles for Philips with Léopold Simoneau and Pierrette Alarie, still unsurpassed. Fournet's Fauré and Berlioz Requiems are also impressive, likewise his 1973 Chicago Manon with Kraus and Zylis-Gara.
© TiVo
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The Concertgebouw Recordings
Jean Fournet, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Musique symphonique - Paru chez Decca le 11 mai 2018
5 de Diapason16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bizet: The Pearl Fishers (Les Pêcheurs de perles)
Pierrette Alarie, Léopold Simoneau, Orchestre Lamoureux, Jean Fournet
Classique - Paru chez Decca Music Group Ltd. le 1 janv. 1954
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Grieg: Chanson et berceuse de Solveig, extraits de Peer Gynt (Mono Version)
Janine Micheau, Jean Fournet, Orchestre Lamoureux
Divers - Paru chez BNF Collection le 1 janv. 1959
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Ravel: Concerto pour piano in G Major & Concerto pour la main gauche (Mono Version)
Jean Doyen, Jean Fournet, Orchestre Lamoureux
Divers - Paru chez BNF Collection le 1 janv. 1956
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Peer Gynt (Mono Version)
Hiegel Pierre, Orchestre Lamoureux, Jean Fournet
Divers - Paru chez BNF Collection le 1 janv. 1952
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Honegger: Pacific 231
Jean Fournet, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra
Classique - Paru chez Denon le 9 avr. 1996
Discothèque Idéale Qobuz16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dukas: The Sorcerer's Apprentice
Jean Fournet, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra
Classique - Paru chez Denon le 31 août 1993
Discothèque Idéale Qobuz16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tchaikovsky & Mendelssohn Violin Concertos
Ruggiero Ricci, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Jean Fournet
Classique - Paru chez Decca Music Group Ltd. le 1 janv. 1975
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Fauré: Requiem; Pavane
Elly Ameling, Bernard Kruysen, Daniel Chorzempa, Netherlands Radio Chorus, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Jean Fournet
Classique - Paru chez Decca Music Group Ltd. le 1 janv. 1975
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto; Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto; Swan Lake (Ruggiero Ricci: Complete Decca Recordings, Vol. 8)
Ruggiero Ricci, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Jean Fournet, Anatole Fistoulari
Classique - Paru chez Universal Music Australia Pty. Ltd. le 8 oct. 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Moussorgsky: Une nuit sur le mont Chauve - Borodin: Dans les steppes de l'Asie centrale (Stereo Version)
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Jean Fournet
Divers - Paru chez BNF Collection le 1 janv. 1961
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No.1; Violin Concerto
Victoria Postnikova, Wiener Symphoniker, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Ruggiero Ricci, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Jean Fournet
Classique - Paru chez Decca Music Group Ltd. le 1 janv. 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Debussy: Pelléas et Mélisande by Jean Fournet (Remastered 2022)
Jean Fournet, Camille Maurane, Orchestre Lamoureux
Opéra - Paru chez Alexandre Bak - Classical Music Reference Recording le 12 mars 2022
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tchaikovsky: Concerto pour piano et orchestre No. 1, Op. 23 (Stereo Version)
Wiener Symphoniker, Jean Fournet, Yuri Boukoff
Divers - Paru chez BNF Collection le 1 janv. 1961
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Saint-Saëns: Concerto pour violon No. 3 - Paganini: Concerto pour violon No. 4 (Mono Version)
Arthur Grumiaux, Orchestre Lamoureux, Jean Fournet
Divers - Paru chez BNF Collection le 1 janv. 1957
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Debussy: Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune, Children's Corner, Trois nocturnes pour orchestre & Tarantelle styrienne (Mono Version)
Jean Fournet, Orchestre Lamoureux, Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire
Divers - Paru chez BNF Collection le 1 janv. 1959
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Borodin: Dans les steppes de l'Asie centrale - Mussorgsky: Une nuit sur le mont Chauve (Mono Version)
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Jean Fournet
Divers - Paru chez BNF Collection le 1 janv. 1960
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Concertos pour piano (Concerto Edition - Volume 3)
Idil Biret, Bilkent Symphony Orchestra, Jean Fournet
Classique - Paru chez Idil Biret Archive le 29 sept. 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Chausson: Poème, Op. 25 - Ravel: Tzigane - Lalo: Symphonie espagnole, Op. 21, extraits (Mono Version)
Arthur Grumiaux, Orchestre Lamoureux, Jean Fournet
Classique - Paru chez BNF Collection le 1 janv. 1955
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Bizet: Les pêcheurs de perles (1893 Version, Mono Version)
Pierrette Alarie, Léopold Simoneau, Orchestre Lamoureux, Jean Fournet
Divers - Paru chez BNF Collection le 1 janv. 2013
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Debussy: Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune - Dukas: L'apprenti sorcier (Stereo Version)
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Jean Fournet
Divers - Paru chez BNF Collection le 1 janv. 1961
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo