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Thierry Fischer (Photo: Neil Bennett)
Principal conductor
Swiss conductor Thierry Fischer's tenure as principal conductor started in September 2006.
He began his musical career as principal flute in Hamburg and at the Zurich Opera, where he studied scores with Nikolaus Harnoncourt and was profoundly influenced by him.
His conducting career began in his 30s when he replaced an ailing colleague, subsequently directing his first few concerts with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe where he was principal flute under Claudio Abbado, who encouraged and inspired him in his new-found talent for conducting. Spending his apprentice years in Holland, Thierry Fischer has since appeared with many leading orchestras in the UK and Europe.
During his tenure as principal conductor and artistic advisor with the Ulster Orchestra between 2001 and 2006, Fischer has toured with the orchestra to Prague and New York and appeared several times at the BBC Proms, conducted cycles of Schubert, Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Brahms, Schumann and Honegger, and made a critically acclaimed series of recordings of the works of Jean Francaix for Hyperion Records.
His discography also includes recordings for ASV, Chandos, and a Frank Martin disc on Deutsche Grammophon with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe which was nominated for a Gramophone Award.
Fischer's hallmarks are a lightness of touch and transparency of texture, allowing room for vivid characterisation. He has a keen stylistic sense and brings a fresh approach to repertoire which extends from Bach, the classical repertoire and early Romantics, the 2nd Viennese school to the great French composers of the early 20th century. He has a keen advocacy of his compatriots Frank Martin and Honegger, and a particular feel for the music of Prokofiev, Stravinsky, Shostakovich and Messiaen.
He regularly programmes contemporary composers, including for example Steve Reich's Desert Music at the Belfast Festival, and has conducted the London Sinfonietta.
Fischer's popularity in the UK has also brought him to the Philharmonia, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Halle and BBC Symphony. Guest engagements elsewhere have included the radio orchestras of Paris, Stockholm, Hanover, Lugano and Saarbruecken; the Berlin Symphony, Netherlands Philharmonic, Colorado Symphony, Monte Carlo Philharmonic and Gothenburg Symphony.
In parallel to his symphonic career, Fischer's collaborative approach has fostered strong relationships with several prestigious chamber orchestras, notably the Scottish Chamber, Northern Sinfonia and Dutch Radio Chamber, all of whom invite him at least once every season. He has also conducted the Australian Chamber, Lausanne, Munich, Zurich and Swedish chamber orchestras, and makes his debut with the Ensemble Orchestral de Paris in 2007.
Read an interview between Thierry Fischer and Penny James.
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The Orchestra in 1961
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