Lance's Program 21 Jan. 2017: Georges Prêtre, conductor

[Lance]

Georges Prêtre, conductor
Memorial Tribute

Among the best-known French conductors in the world of opera in most recent times is Georges Prêtre, who passed away on January 4th, 2017 at the age of 92. Born on August 14th, 1924, his studies took place in harmony with organist/composer Maurice Duruflé and André Cluytens. His other-than-classical interests caught his heart with playing jazz and learning to play the trumpet. His official debut took place at the Marseille Opera in 1946, his Opéra-Comique debut was in Richard Strauss's opera Capriccio ... and he led the Opéra-Comique between 1959 and 1971. At the Paris Opera, Prêtre was music director in 19700 and 1971. He was principal conductor of the Vienna Symphony from 1986 to 1991. In 1965, he debuted at London's Covent Garden Royal Opera House, and during the next decade gave his initial appearances at New York's Metropolitan Opera and at La Scala in Italy. Among the great sopranos with whom he conducted on- and off the recordings was soprano Maria Callas. While his symphonic repertoire is shadowed by his number of opera recordings, tonight's program focuses on his orchestral recordings, with one exception.

Here is the program lineup:

• Saint-Saens: Danse Macabre in G Minor, Op. 40 w/French National Orchestra (r.1987)
• Poulenc: Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra in D Minor w/Francis Poulenc and Jacques Février, pianists w/Orchestra-Society of Conservatory Concerts (r.1963)
• Berlioz: Damnation of Faust: Part 4 "The Bright Flame of Love" (sung in French) w/Maria Callas, soprano, Orchestra-Society of Conservatory Concerts (r.1963
• Ravel: Pavane for a Dead Princess w/National Orchestra of France (r.1988)
• Jongen: Symphonie Concertante for Organ and Orchestra (1926): Toccata (only) w/Virgil Fox, organist; National Opera Theater Orchestra (r.1967)

Here is the link:
www.http://wpel.streamon.fm/

The program can be heard anywhere in the world as long as you have a computer with speakers and adjust your time schedule to equate to 7:00 p.m. Eastern time. My usual descriptive dialogue about the artist and subject matter precedes the musical content.

I hope you will enjoy this broadcast paying tribute to Georges Prêtre, which is heard all over the world via the Internet at the above-listed URL. •