Charles Dutoit

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Charles Dutoit, 1984; Photo Erling Mandelmann

Charles Édouard Dutoit (born October 7, 1936 in Lausanne ) is a Swiss conductor who lives in Canada .

biography

Dutoit received extensive musical training in the subjects of violin, viola, piano, percussion, composition, instrumentation, theory and conducting at the Lausanne and Geneva Conservatories. He then completed his training in Siena with Alceo Galliera and in Tanglewood (Massachusetts) with Charles Münch .

From 1953 he directed various choirs and amateur orchestras. Then Herbert von Karajan invited him to Vienna to conduct the premiere of Manuel de Falla's ballet Der Dreispitz at the Vienna State Opera , which put him in the international limelight. In 1964 he was appointed vice conductor and in 1967 chief conductor of the Bern Symphony Orchestra , which he directed until 1973. From 1967 to 1970 he was next to Rudolf Kempe conductor of the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich . From 1973 to 1975 he directed the National Orchestra of Mexico and from 1975 to 1978 that of Gothenburg .

In 1977 Dutoit was appointed music director of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra , a position he held until 2002. Under his leadership, this orchestra became one of the world's best ensembles in the opinion of specialist critics. With him, Dutoit went on numerous international tours and made recordings, many of which have won international awards. From 1983 to 1986 Dutoit was the first guest conductor of the Minnesota Orchestra . In 1984 he made his debut at the Covent Garden Opera in London and in 1987 at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. In 1990 he was elected chief conductor of the Orchester de Paris , and from 1991 to 2001 he was also musical director of the Orchester National de France . In 1996 he was appointed chief conductor and in 1998 music director of the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra NHK , with which he toured Europe, the United States, China and Southeast Asia. In addition, he conducted a total of over 150 orchestras in America and Europe.

In 2003 Dutoit began conducting a cycle of Wagner operas at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires ( Der Fliegende Holländer , Der Ring des Nibelungen ). In 2005 he returned to the Saratoga Performing Arts Center , where he led the Philadelphia Orchestra , which he also served as chief conductor from 2008 to 2012. In September 2009 he succeeded Daniele Gattis as Principal Conductor and Artistic Director of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London.

Having shown a particular interest in working with orchestras of music students, Dutoit has worked extensively with the Orchestra of Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, the Julliard Orchestra in New York, the Civic Orchestra in Chicago and the UBS Verbier Festival Orchestra in Switzerland. For three years he was the director of the Sapporo Pacific Music Festival in Japan. Dutoit is currently also acting as artistic director and conductor at the Miyazaki International Music Festival in Japan and at the Canton International Summer Music Academy (CISMA) in China.

Dutoit also made ten documentaries for NHK-Television in Japan for a series entitled Cities of Music , which portrays ten music centers around the world.

Dutoit is particularly interested in French music and the classics of the 20th century. He has always tried to bring a broad public back to the concert halls through changed subscriptions and new programs. For example, he had Stravinski's story of the soldier played in parks and squares in Montreal, gave Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in a hockey hall and initiated a festival in Montreal's Notre Dame church that became well known under the name Mozart plus .

In 1987 Dutoit was elected Artist of the Year in Canada and received honorary doctorates from the Universities of Montreal and Laval. Dutoit made about 85 recordings and was awarded over 40 international prizes. In 1991 he became an honorary citizen of Philadelphia.

In the course of the #MeToo debate, Dutoit is accused of having sexually harassed female singers and a classical musician between 1985 and 2010. In December 2017 Dutoit was released from his concert engagements for the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, in January 2018 he resigned as Principal Conductor and Artistic Director. In the USA, orchestras in Boston , San Francisco , Cleveland and New York stopped working with him after the allegations became known.

From 1969 to 1973 he was married to the pianist Martha Argerich .

literature

Web links

Commons : Charles Dutoit  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Conductor Charles Dutoit is said to have molested several women. In: nzz.ch , December 22, 2017.
  2. ↑ Allegations of sexual assault: Charles Dutoit's appearances canceled. In: Spiegel Online , December 22, 2017.
  3. ^ Charles Dutoit Steps Down Early as Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra RPO, January 10, 2018.
  4. ↑ San Francisco Symphony severs ties with conductor Charles Dutoit in response to allegations of sexual misconduct
  5. ^ Dutoit withdraws from The Cleveland Orchestra
  6. ↑ Charles Dutoit Replaced at New York Philharmonic Concerts After Assault Allegations (December 31, 2017)
personal data
SURNAME Dutoit, Charles
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Dutoit, Charles Édouard (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss conductor
DATE OF BIRTH October 7, 1936
PLACE OF BIRTH Lausanne