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Pierre Monteux (April 4, 1875 – July 1, 1964) was an orchestra conductor. Born in Paris, France, rue de la Grange Batelière. Monteux later became an American citizen.
Life and CareerMonteux studied violin from an early age, entering the Paris Conservatoire at the age of nine. He became a proficient violinist, good enough to share the Conservatoire's violin prize in 1896 with Jacques Thibaud. In his spare time he also played at the Folies Bergères. He later took up the viola and played in the Geloso Quartet which played one of Brahms's string quartets in a private performance for the composer and in the orchestra of the Opéra-Comique, leading the viola section in the première of Debussy's opera, Pelléas et Mélisande in 1902.[1]
With the outbreak of World War I, Monteux was called up for military service, but was discharged in 1916, and travelled to the United States.[2] There he took charge of the French repertoire at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City from 1917 to 1919. He also conducted the American première of Rimsky-Korsakov's opera The Golden Cockerel at the Metropolitan Opera.[3] He then moved to the Boston Symphony Orchestra (1919-1924). He had a major effect on the Boston ensemble's sound, and was able to fashion the orchestra as he pleased after a strike led to thirty of its members leaving. He also introduced a number of new works in Boston, notably works by French composers.[4] In 1924, Monteux began an association with the Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam, working with Willem Mengelberg. In 1929, he founded the Orchestre Symphonique de Paris, which he conducted until 1935. In the year the orchestra was founded, he conducted it in the world première of Sergei Prokofiev's Symphony No. 3.
From 1961 to 1964 he was principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra. He was 86 when he was invited to take the post, and he famously accepted on condition that he had a twenty-five year contract with a twenty-five year option of renewal.[5] With the LSO Monteux gave the 50th anniversary performance of The Rite of Spring, at the Royal Albert Hall, London, in the presence of the composer.[6] In his last studio sessions Monteux recorded a disc with the LSO and his son, the flautist Claude Monteux, the only gramophone recording Pierre and Claude made together.[7][not specific enough to verify] Pierre Monteux died in Hancock in 1964. Musical styleMonteux observed, 'Our principal work is to keep the orchestra together and carry out the composer’s instructions, not to be sartorial models, cause dowagers to swoon, or distract audiences by our “interpretation”'.[8] He advised the young Previn that when orchestras are playing well the conductor should not interfere with them.[9] 'His approach to all music is that of the master-craftsman,' according to an approving critic in 1957.[10] The record producer John Culshaw described Monteux as 'that rarest of beings — a conductor who was loved by his orchestras' and said that 'to call him a legend would be to understate the case.'[11] Toscanini observed that Monteux had the best baton technique he had ever seen.[12] DiscographyMonteux made a large number of recordings throughout his career. He himself claimed to dislike them, maintaining that they lacked the spontaneity of live performances. Nevertheless many of his recordings have remained in the catalogues for decades, notably RCA recordings with the Boston and Chicago Symphony Orchestras, and Decca recordings with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and the LSO. Some recordings currently (2007) or recently available on CD are:
Ravel
Rimsky-Korsakov
Stravinsky
Notable premières
See alsoReferences
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