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János Fürst (8 August 1935 – 3 January 2007) was a Hungarian-born conductor and violinist.
János Fürst | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 8 August 1935 Hungary |
| Died | 3 January 2007 (aged 71) Paris, France |
| Occupation(s) | Conductor, violinist |
Biography
editFürst was born in Budapest to a Jewish-Hungarian family. He originally studied the violin at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in his native Budapest. After the 1956 Soviet invasion of Hungary, he continued studies at the conservatory in Brussels. He attended the Conservatoire de Paris and there won a Premier Prix. He took a job in 1958 with the Radio Éireann Symphony Orchestra, and developed his career as an orchestra leader.[1]
In 1963, Fürst founded the Irish Chamber Orchestra, and developed his conducting career from that point. On the formation of the Ulster Orchestra in 1966, Fürst became its concertmaster, and later its assistant conductor in 1971.[2] He held positions as Chief Conductor and Music Director with orchestras in Malmö (1974–77), Aalborg (1980–83), Dublin, Winterthur (1990–94) and was Chief Guest Conductor of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra.[1]
Fürst was music director of the Opéra de Marseille from 1981 to 1990.[1] He was also a frequent guest at English National Opera, Scottish Opera and the Royal Stockholm Opera. In 1978 he conducted the premiere of Salome by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies and subsequently recorded it.[3][4]
He also made numerous recordings for Vox Records with the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, including some rarely heard orchestral music of Tchaikovsky released in the mid-1970s; some of the recordings have been reissued on CD.[citation needed]
Fürst was known as a fine teacher. A number of his students at the Paris Conservatoire won prestigious conducting competitions. He worked with youth orchestras including the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain. Late in life he was invited to become head of orchestral conducting at Royal College of Music in London, but he did not live enough to take up the post.[1]
Death
editFürst died of cancer in Paris in 2007.[5] He was married three times. His first wife, Antoinette (now Antoinette Kirshbaum), his third wife and two sons survive him.[1]
Awards and nominations
editARIA Music Awards
editThe ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. They commenced in 1987.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Powerhouse Three Poems of Byron – Capriccio Nocturnes Unchained Melody (with Adelaide Symphony Orchestra & David Porcelijn) | Best Classical Album | Nominated | [6] |
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Millington, Barry (6 February 2007). "Obituary: Janos Furst". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
- ^ "Obituaries: János Fürst, conductor, dies". Gramophone. 2007. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 17 January 2007.
- ^ "Maxwell Davies, Peter Salome (1978)". Boosey & Hawkes. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
- ^ Swan, Peter (September 1979). "Maxwell Davies: Salome (Complete Ballet) by Danish Radio Concert Orchestra, Janos Fürst, Peter Maxwell Davies". Tempo. 130: 43.
- ^ "Obituaries: Janos Furst, 'Edge of the seat' conductor". The Independent. 10 January 2007.
- ^ ARIA Award previous winners. "ARIA Awards – Winners by Award". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 12 November 2018.