Georges Prêtre
Georges Prêtre was one of the leading conductors of the last half of the 20th century, especially known for operatic conducting and performances of French music. He studied trumpet as a boy, graduating from the Douai Conservatory. Nazi occupation of Paris did not substantially interfere with the teaching activities of the famous Paris Conservatory, where Prêtre continued his musical studies. He took first prize in trumpet in 1944 and studied harmony with Henri Challan and Maurice Duruflé. He began studying conducting with André Cluytens, Pierre Dervaux, and Richard Blareau. His conducting debut was in operetta, a fact that eluded biographers since he used the assumed name of Georges Dherain.
His official conducting debut was at the Marseilles Opera in 1946, in Lalo's Le Roi d'Ys. He spent a decade primarily in provincial French opera houses: Marseilles (1946-1948), Lille (1948), Casablanca (1949-1951), and Toulouse (1951-1955). He was appointed music director of the Opéra-Comique in Paris in 1956, debuting with Richard Strauss' Capriccio and conducting a wide variety of repertory there. He made his American conducting debut at the Chicago Lyric Opera in 1958. By 1960, he had become well-known and was selected by composer Francis Poulenc, who selected Prêtre to conduct the premiere of Le voix humaine (1959) and was highly esteemed for his performances of Poulenc's full-length opera Dialogues de Carmelites. He also led the premiere of the Sept répons des ténèbres (1963).
In 1959, he joined the staff of the Paris Opéra, becoming music director in 1966. He debuted at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden (1961), the Metropolitan Opera in New York (1965), and La Scala (1965). During this period he became a conductor often requested by opera superstar Maria Callas. He frequently returned to the Met and La Scala, especially known for his French repertory.
His concert conducting career also advanced during this period. Over the years he conducted most of the important orchestras of Europe and America, and in 1962 was appointed deputy director of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1971, the Paris Opéra's periodic political problems erupted into a huge backstage dispute that closed the Opéra for several months, during which Prêtre left the company.
Since that painful experience, Prêtre most frequently worked outside of France. He became principal guest conductor of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra in 1986, holding that post through 1991, when he was named one of its honorary conductors for life. In 1995, he became artistic director and principal conductor of the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra. Among his world premieres were Symphony No. 4 by Marcel Landowski (1988) and Concerto for 15 Soloists and Orchestra by Françaix (1990).
In 1999, he conducted a major series of concerts in Paris in honor of the 100th anniversary of Poulenc's birth.
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Bizet: Carmen (1964 - Prêtre) - Callas Remastered
Maria Callas, Orchestre du Theatre National De L'Opera De Paris, Georges Prêtre
Opera - Lançado por Warner Classics em 1 de jan. de 1964
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Delibes: Lakmé
Gianna d' Angelo, Nicolai Gedda, Jane Berbié, Ernest Blanc, Orchestre Du Theatre National De L'opera-comique, Georges Prêtre
Classical - Lançado por Warner Classics em 22 de dez. de 2023
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rivier - Hummel - Beethoven (10 Mars 1960)
Orchestre National de la RTF - Georges Prètre - Jean Doyen
Classical - Lançado por Ina, musique(s) em 20 de jan. de 2014
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New Year's Concert 2008
Georges Prêtre, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra
Classical - Lançado por Sony Classical em 1 de jan. de 2008
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bizet: Les Pêcheurs des Perles
Classical - Lançado por Warner Classics em 6 de jan. de 2012
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Airs d'opéras. Les noces de Figaro, Les puritains, Samson et Dalila, Tannhäuser, Othello...
Ernest Blanc, Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire, Georges Prêtre
Classical - Lançado por Warner Classics em 8 de dez. de 2023
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Faust
Plácido Domingo, Mirella Freni, Nicolaï Ghiaurov, Georges Prêtre, Orchestre du Theatre National De L'Opera De Paris
Opera - Lançado por Warner Classics em 19 de nov. de 1986
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue & Concerto en fa
Classical - Lançado por Warner Classics em 3 de dez. de 2021
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Debussy: La chute de la maison Usher - Caplet: Le masque de la mort rouge - Schmitt: Le palais hanté
Classical - Lançado por Warner Classics em 1 de jan. de 1984
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Claude Debussy: La Mer, Nocturnes - Maurice Ravel: Boléro
Georges Prêtre, Orchestre du Mai Musical Florentin
Classical - Lançado por Materiali Sonori em 8 de dez. de 2017
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Francis Poulenc : La Voix humaine
Oratorios (secular) - Lançado por Warner Classics em 16 de out. de 1959
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Last Concert at La Scala (Live, Feb. 22, 2016)
Georges Prêtre, Filarmonica della Scala
Classical - Lançado por Universal Music Division Decca Records France em 21 de fev. de 2020
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Donizetti : Lucia di Lammermoor (Remastered) ((Remastered))
Classical - Lançado por RCA Red Seal em 1 de jan. de 1966
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique, H 48, Op. 14
Classical - Lançado por Sony Classical em 22 de dez. de 2017
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Saint-Saëns: Samson et Dalila, Op. 47
Rita Gorr, Jon Vickers, Orchestre du Theatre National De L'Opera De Paris, Georges Prêtre
Classical - Lançado por Warner Classics em 1 de jan. de 1963
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Massenet: Werther
Victoria de los Angeles, Nicolai Gedda, Orchestre de Paris, Georges Prêtre
Opera - Lançado por Warner Classics em 1 de jan. de 1969
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Georges Bizet : La Jolie fille de Perth
June Anderson, Alfredo Kraus, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Georges Prêtre
Classical - Lançado por Warner Classics em 22 de mai. de 2009
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Verrett in Opera
Classical - Lançado por Sony Classical em 22 de dez. de 2017
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana
Plácido Domingo, Elena Obraztsova, Georges Prêtre, Orchestra del Teatro della Scala di Milano
Classical - Lançado por Decca Music Group Ltd. em 27 de set. de 1985
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Saint-Saëns:Symphony No.3/Caranaval des animaux/Les Animaux modèles
Classical - Lançado por Warner Classics em 27 de jul. de 2001
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Poulenc: Les Animaux modèles - Saint-Saëns: Le Carnaval des animaux
Aldo Ciccolini, Alexis Weissenberg, Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire, Georges Prêtre
Classical - Lançado por Warner Classics em 2 de jul. de 2021
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo