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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Jongen: Symphonie concertante pour orgue et orchestre (Stereo Version)
Virgil Fox, Orchestre du Theatre National De L'Opera De Paris, Georges Prêtre
Divers - Released by BNF Collection on 1 jan. 1962
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Poulenc: La voix humaine (Collection trésors, First Recording, Remastered)
Denise Duval, Georges Prêtre, Orchestre Du Theatre National De L'opera-comique
Divers - Released by BNF Collection on 1 jan. 1959
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Bizet: Carmen (1964 - Prêtre) - Callas Remastered
Maria Callas, Orchestre du Theatre National De L'Opera De Paris, Georges Prêtre
Opera - Released by Warner Classics on 1 jan. 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
Klassiek - Released by Warner Classics on 22 dec. 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bizet: Les Pêcheurs des Perles
Klassiek - Released by Warner Classics on 6 jan. 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 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
Klassiek - Released by Warner Classics on 8 dec. 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Faust
Plácido Domingo, Mirella Freni, Nicolaï Ghiaurov, Georges Prêtre, Orchestre du Theatre National De L'Opera De Paris
Opera - Released by Warner Classics on 19 nov. 1986
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue & Concerto en fa
Klassiek - Released by Warner Classics on 3 dec. 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Debussy: La chute de la maison Usher - Caplet: Le masque de la mort rouge - Schmitt: Le palais hanté
Klassiek - Released by Warner Classics on 1 jan. 1984
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Claude Debussy: La Mer, Nocturnes - Maurice Ravel: Boléro
Georges Prêtre, Orchestre du Mai Musical Florentin
Klassiek - Released by Materiali Sonori on 8 dec. 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Francis Poulenc : La Voix humaine
Wereldlijke oratoria - Released by Warner Classics on 16 okt. 1959
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Last Concert at La Scala (Live, Feb. 22, 2016)
Georges Prêtre, Filarmonica della Scala
Klassiek - Released by Universal Music Division Decca Records France on 21 feb. 2020
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
New Year's Concert 2008
Georges Prêtre, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra
Klassiek - Released by Sony Classical on 1 jan. 2008
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Delibes: Lakmé, extraits (Stereo Version)
Gianna d' Angelo, Nicolai Gedda, Georges Prêtre, Orchestre Du Theatre National De L'opera-comique
Divers - Released by BNF Collection on 1 jan. 1962
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Verdi : La Traviata (Caballé, Bergonzi, Milnes / Georges Prêtre)
Volledige opera's - Released by RCA Red Seal on 1 feb. 1988
The Qobuz Essential Discography16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Gounod: Messe solonelle de Sainte Cécile
Klassiek - Released by Warner Classics on 3 nov. 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Donizetti : Lucia di Lammermoor (Remastered) ((Remastered))
Klassiek - Released by RCA Red Seal on 1 jan. 1966
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique, H 48, Op. 14
Klassiek - Released by Sony Classical on 22 dec. 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
Klassiek - Released by Warner Classics on 1 jan. 1963
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Massenet: Werther
Victoria de los Angeles, Nicolai Gedda, Orchestre de Paris, Georges Prêtre
Opera - Released by Warner Classics on 1 jan. 1969
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Una notte sul Monte Calvo
Georges Prêtre, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Symfonische muziek - Released by La Bambolina sas on 28 feb. 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo