GEORGES PRÊTRE
The French conductor Georges Prêtre has died aged 92. Prêtre, who cut a dashing figure on the podium with his square jaw and dazzling smile, was especially known for his work in opera and his sensitivity to the human voice. He conducted the world premiere of Poulenc’s onewoman opera La voix humaine, accompanied Maria Callas in several celebrated performances and recordings, and became something of a fixture with the Vienna Philharmonic during a career that spanned 70 years.
Prêtre was born in Waziers in the north of France in 1924, and studied music at the Conservatoire National Supérieur in Paris. He made his debut at the Marseilles Opera in 1946 at the age of 22, which led to engagements at the Opéra Comique and the Paris Opera. His tenure in Paris was short-lived however, and from 1970, he concentrated on an international career. In America, his charisma and exuberance on stage earned him the soubriquet ‘France’s Leonard Bernstein’. He developed a strong rapport with Maria Callas, a collaboration that can be heard in a famous recording of Bizet’s Carmen from 1964.
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February 2017
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