André Cluytens
André Cluytens (pronounced clue-ton) was a Belgian-born conductor who rose from leading a theater orchestra to become one of the more important orchestra leaders in Europe during the 1950s and 1960s, with equally enduring contributions in both the concert hall and the opera house. Born in Antwerp in 1905, he trained as a pianist at the Royal Flemish Conservatory and in his teens served as assistant to his father, the conductor at the Royal Theater in Antwerp. After becoming first conductor at the theater, he moved to France and served in opera houses in Lyon, Bordeaux, and Vichy, and later settled in Paris and took French citizenship. He was later principal conductor and then music director of the Paris Opera-Comique. He succeeded Charles Munch as chief conductor of the Paris Conservatoire Orchestra in 1949 and also held the post of principal conductor of the Belgian National Orchestra, before becoming the chief conductor of the French National Radio Orchestra. He led the Vienna State Opera in performances and subsequently conducted the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, and was the first French conductor to appear at Bayreuth.
Although Cluytens was best known for his work with French repertoire, he also gave notable performances of works in the German-Austrian tradition. His recording career began during the 78-rpm era, and it was at the tail end of that period that he made the first full recording of Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffmann for Columbia Records, as well as Bizet's Carmen -- that early version of Hoffmann, in particular (which remains in print on CD, through Naxos Records as of 2006), is still very highly regarded in the 21st century as one of the best ever done. Most of Cluytens' recording career was spent at EMI, and there his output covered a vast range of repertoire -- in the mono era, highlights include beautiful accounts of Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande and Massenet's Manon. The outstanding part of his stereo catalog was a complete Beethoven symphonic cycle with the Berlin Philharmonic -- the first ever recorded by the orchestra, and the only one it ever did with a guest conductor -- that stayed in print for decades.
Cluytens remained very busy in concert and recording work into the mid-'60s, at which point he was discovered to be suffering from stomach cancer. He continued working even as his health declined, and among his last recordings was Berlioz's L'Enfance du Christ. He died in June of 1967, leaving behind a major body of recorded music that, in addition to the French masterpieces (including an enviable string of operas), also encompassed the music of Stravinsky, Rachmaninoff, Smetana, Dvorák, Tchaikovsky, Mozart, and Schumann. It is a sign of the worth of Cluytens' recordings that a surprisingly large number of them continue to be reissued on CD in the 21st century under license to speciality premium labels such as Testament, in addition to EMI's own reissue efforts, without regard to whether they are mono or stereo.
© Bruce Eder /TiVo
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Beethoven: Prometheus / Fidelio / The Ruins of Athens Overtures
Berliner Philharmoniker, André Cluytens
Classical - Released by Radio Tower Records on Oct. 24, 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Einem, Roussel & Stravinsky: Orchestral Works (Live at Wiener Musikverein, Vienna, 6/18/1955)
Wiener Symphoniker, André Cluytens
Classical - Released by Archipel on Nov. 27, 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mussorgsky & Ravel: Orchestral Works (Live)
Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra, Coro Di Torino Della Rai, André Cluytens, Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI di Torino
Classical - Released by Archipel on Nov. 27, 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Symphony No. 4 in B-Flat Major, Op. 60
Berliner Philharmoniker, André Cluytens
Symphonic Music - Released by Radio Tower Records on Oct. 24, 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Highlights from Faust
The Orchestra of the Theatre National de L'Opera, The Chorus of the Theatre National de L'Opera, André Cluytens
Opera - Released by Radio Tower Records on Jan. 1, 1962
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Symphony No. 8 in Major, Op. 93
André Cluytens, Berliner Philharmoniker
Symphonic Music - Released by Radio Tower Records on Jul. 12, 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Shostakovich plays Shostakovich
Dimitri Chostakovitch, Ludovic Vaillant, French National Radio Orchestra, André Cluytens
Classical - Released by Naxos Classical Archives on Apr. 1, 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven, Symphonie n°2 (Miroir)
André Cluytens, Joseph Keilberth, Berliner Philharmoniker, Bamberger Symphoniker
Symphonic Music - Released by Miroir on Jul. 31, 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wagner - Bayreuth Live, Vol. 3
Opera - Released by Documents 2 on Dec. 13, 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Georges Bizet : Carmen
André Cluytens, Paris Opera-Comique Orchestra
Classical - Released by ArnebAudio on Jan. 9, 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Weber, Brahms, Berlioz (Live 11. 11. 1954)
Orchestre national de la RTF and André Cluytens
Symphonic Music - Released by Ina, musique(s) on Aug. 3, 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lalo, Ravel, Debussy, Saint-Saëns, Roussel (11.12.1956)
Orchestre National de la RTF - André Cluytens - Lélia Gousseau
Symphonic Music - Released by Ina, musique(s) on Jan. 20, 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Cluytens Box, v. 2. Beethoven : Symphonie n°6
Classical - Released by Documents on Jun. 1, 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
30 Great Conductors - André Cluytens, Vol. 6
Classical - Released by Documents 2 on Dec. 13, 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Hector Berlioz : Le carnaval romain, Op. 9 : Ouverture
André Cluytens, Orchestre National de la RTF
Pop - Released by Jean Camouille Musique on Jan. 5, 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 3 (Gilels) (1955)
Emil Gilels, Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire, André Cluytens
Classical - Released by Naxos Classical Archives on Jun. 18, 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Massenet: Scènes alsaciennes, extraits (Mono Version)
Orchestre du Theatre National De L'Opera De Paris, André Cluytens
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on Jan. 1, 1956
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique (Mono Version)
André Cluytens, Orchestre National de France
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on Jan. 1, 1956
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Musique russe (Mono Version)
Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire, André Cluytens
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on Jan. 1, 1952
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Haydn: Symphonies Nos. 45 "Farewell" & 96 "The Miracle" (Mono Version)
Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire, André Cluytens
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on Jan. 1, 1957
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Wagner - Bayreuth Live, Vol. 9
Opera - Released by Documents 2 on Dec. 13, 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo