Ernest Bour
One of France's greatest champions of contemporary music, Ernest Bour conducted the world premieres of works by some of the twentieth century's most challenging composers: Xenakis, Ferneyhough, Rihm, Bussotti, and many others. He also oversaw the French premieres of such important operas as Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress and Hindemith's Mathis der Maler. He made some commercial recordings, most notably a highly regarded rendition of Ravel's L'enfant et les sortilèges, but his legacy has largely been preserved through his association with radio orchestras and his discography revolves around French and Dutch composers. The son of an organist and conductor of amateur choirs and orchestras, Bour obtained a broad general education, studying classics at the University of Strasbourg and piano, organ, and theory at the Strasbourg Conservatory. His primary mentor at the latter institution was Fritz Münch and from 1933 to 1934, he also studied conducting with Hermann Scherchen. Bour got his professional start in radio, first conducting choruses in Geneva and Strasbourg and soon being named chief conductor of Strasbourg Radio, a post he held from 1935 to 1939. After a short stint teaching piano at the Strasbourg Conservatory, he moved to the town of Mulhouse (near the German border) for the duration of the war, being appointed conductor of the orchestra there in 1941 and of the conservatory in 1945. Bour left the orchestra in 1947 and guest-conducted throughout Western Europe, settling back in Strasbourg in 1950 as conductor of the city's Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1954 -- 1955, he shifted to the Strasbourg Opera, where he served as co-director with Fritz Adam. During the 1950s, Bour and Adam organized many concerts of contemporary music in Strasbourg. Bour's career reached its high point in 1964 with his appointment as principal conductor of Germany's Southwest Radio Orchestra in Baden-Baden, a post he held until 1979. Here, Bour threw himself into new music with particular energy, drawing precise, honorable, and often compelling performances from his second-string orchestra. He carried these interests and skills over to his term as permanent guest conductor of the Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra from 1976 until his retirement in 1987.
© TiVo
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Ravel: Orchestral Works
SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg, Arleen Auger, SWR Sinfonieorchester des Südwestrundfunks, Pina Carmirelli, Ernest Bour
Classical - Released by SWR Classic on 1 Aug 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
RIHM: Dis-Kontur / Lichtzwang / Sub-Kontur (Rihm Edition, Vol. 2)
SWR Sinfonieorchester des Südwestrundfunks, János Négyesy, Sylvain Cambreling, Ernest Bour
Classical - Released by SWR Classic on 1 Jan 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Symphony No. 2 & Variations On a Theme By Haydn (Mono Version)
SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg, Ernest Bour
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1958
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
The Successful Beginning
Martha Argerich, Ruggiero Ricci, Sudwestfunkorchester Baden-Baden, WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, Ernest Bour, Peter Maag
Classical - Released by Profil on 17 Aug 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Paganini : Violin Concertos Nos. 1 & 2
Salvatore Accardo, SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg, Maria Bergmann, Ernest Bour
Classical - Released by SWR Classic on 9 Sep 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Górecki : Symphony No.3, 'Symphony of Sorrowful Songs'
Classical - Released by Warner Classics International on 1 Jun 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms, Beethoven & R. Schumann: Piano Concertos (Live)
Claudio Arrau, Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SDR, Südwestfunk Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden, Eliahu Inbal, Ernest Bour, Gary Bertini
Classical - Released by SWR Classic on 18 Oct 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart & Beethoven: Piano Concertos
Alicia de Larrocha, Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR, SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg, García Navarro, Ernest Bour
Classical - Released by SWR Classic on 5 Feb 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Argerich & Ricci: 1961 Leningrad Recital
Olga Joukova, Ruggiero Ricci, Martha Argerich, Ernest Bour, Unknown Artist
Classical - Released by DOREMI on 10 Jul 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
János Starker Plays Hindemith, Prokofiev & Rautavaara
Janos Starker, Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR, SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg, Andreas von Lukácsy, Ernest Bour, Herbert Blomstedt
Classical - Released by SWR Classic on 7 Oct 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Œuvres symphoniques
André Jolivet, Ernest Bour, Lucette Descaves, André Navarra
Classical - Released by Solstice on 12 Sep 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven Piano Concertos 3 & 4
Jacob Bogaart, Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra, Ernest Bour
Classical - Released by Donemus Musicians' Voice on 31 Mar 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dirige Béla Bartok
Classical - Released by Ina Archives on 28 Feb 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
CHOPIN, F. / RACHMANINOV, S. / SCHUMANN, R. / BRAHMS, J.: Piano Concertos (Anda, South West German Radio Symphony, Bour, Rosbaud) (1952-1963)
Geza Anda, SWR Sinfonieorchester des Südwestrundfunks, Ernest Bour, Hans Rosbaud
Classical - Released by SWR Classic on 10 Mar 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
TCHAIKOVSKY, P.I.: Swan Lake (excerpts) / The Sleeping Beauty (excerpts) / STRAVINSKY, I.: Chant du rossignol (Les Ballets Russes, Vol. 4)
SWR Sinfonieorchester des Südwestrundfunks, Christian Ostertag, Yuri Ahronovitch, Ernest Bour, Hiroshi Wakasugi
Classical - Released by SWR Classic on 1 Jan 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sinfonia No. 40 Mozart
Ernest Bour, Sinfonieorchester Des Südwestfunks
Classical - Released by Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group on 8 Jun 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Roussel: Suite en fa, Symphonie No. 3, Symphonie No. 4
Ernest Bour, Sinfonieorchester des Südwestfunks
Symphonic Music - Released by naïve classique on 1 Jan 1991
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ravel: L'enfant et les sortilèges (Mono Version)
Ernest Bour, Orchestre National de France, Martha Angelici, Nadine Sautereau
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1953
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Plays Mozart and Ravel (1952, 1963)
Geza Anda, SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg, Hans Rosbaud, Ernest Bour
Classical - Released by SWR Classic on 7 Aug 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
D'Indy: Symphonie pour Orchestre et Piano sur un Chant Montagnard Francais
Daniel Wayenberg, Ernest Bour, Orchestre du Théâtre des Champs-Elysées
Classical - Released by Infinity on 28 Aug 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Boïeldieu - J. Strauss - Bizet - Chabrier, Orchestre municipal de Strasbourg, Concert du 18/06/1954, Ernest Bour (dir),
Orchestre Municipal De Strasbourg, Ernest Bour
Classical - Released by Ina, musique(s) on 1 Feb 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo