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Franz Welser-Möst

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Welser-Möst conducting theNew York Philharmonic(27 February 2020)

Franz Leopold Maria Möst(born 16 August 1960), known professionally asFranz Welser-Möst,is an Austrian conductor. He is currently music director of theCleveland Orchestra.

Biography

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Franz Leopold Maria Möst was born inLinz,Austria, and later studied under the composerBalduin Sulzer.As a youth in Linz, he studied the violin and had developed an interest in conducting. After suffering injuries in a car crash that led to nerve damage, he stopped his violin studies and shifted full-time to conducting studies.[1]

In 1985, Möst assumed the stage nameWelser-Möstat the suggestion of his mentor,BaronAndreas von Bennigsen ofLiechtenstein,in an homage to the city ofWelswhere he grew up.[2][3]In 1986, he was adopted by Bennigsen. In 1992, Welser-Möst married Bennigsen's former wife, Angelika.[4][5][6]His first major debuts were at theSalzburg Festivalin 1985, followed by theLondon Philharmonic Orchestrain 1986 and theOrchester Musikkollegium Winterthurin 1988.

Between 1986 and 1991, Welser-Möst served as the principal conductor of theNorrköping Symphony Orchestra,Sweden, and in 1990 he became principal conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO).[7]His LPO tenure was controversial, with the orchestral players in the London Philharmonic giving him the nickname "Frankly Worse than Most".[4]He concluded his LPO tenure in 1996.

From 1995 to 2000, he was music director with theZürich Opera House.He became general music director of the Zürich Opera in September 2005, with an original commitment to the Opera through 2011. However, he stood down from the Zürich post in July 2008, after having agreed to serve in the same capacity at theVienna State Opera.Welser-Möst first conducted at the Vienna State Opera in 1987, as a substitute forClaudio Abbadoin a production ofGioachino Rossini'sL'italiana in Algeri.On 6 June 2007, the Austrian government announced the appointment of Welser-Möst asGeneralmusikdirektorof the Vienna State Opera, effective September 2010, alongsideDominique Meyeras director (Staatsoperndirektor).[8][9]In September 2014, he announced his resignation from the Vienna State Opera, effective immediately.[10]Welser-Möst is an honorary member of theWiener Singverein.[11]He conducted the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in itsVienna New Year's Concertin 2011, 2013 and 2023.[12]

Welser-Möst made his United States conducting debut with theSt. Louis Symphonyin 1989. He guest-conducted theCleveland Orchestrafor the first time in February 1993.[13]With the 2002–03 season, Welser-Möst became the seventh music director of the Cleveland Orchestra. His most recent contract extension is through the 2026–27 season.[14]During his tenure, Welser-Möst has led the orchestra's ongoing residency at theMusikvereinin Vienna, which began with Welser-Möst's first European tour in 2003. In addition, under Welser-Möst, the orchestra initiated an annual residency at Miami's Carnival Center for the Performing Arts (later renamed the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts) in 2007.[15][16]

Under Welser-Möst, the orchestra began presenting regularly staged operas in 2009, reviving a practice by his predecessorChristoph von Dohnányi.These concert opera presentations have included a three-year cycle of theMozart/Da Ponteoperas,Le nozze di Figaro,Don Giovanni,andCosì fan tutte,[15]Richard Strauss'sSalome(2011–2012),Janáček'sThe Cunning Little Vixen(2013–2014 and 2017–2018), Strauss'Daphne(2014–2015) andAriadne auf Naxos(2018–2019),Bartók'sThe Miraculous MandarinandBluebeard's Castlein the 2015–16 season (a collaboration with theJoffrey Ballet), andDebussy'sPelléas et Mélisande(2016–17).[15]

Welser-Möst published his autobiography,Als ich die Stille fand: Ein Plädoyer gegen den Lärm der Welt,in 2020; it was published in English in May 2021 under the titleFrom Silence: Finding Calm in a Dissonant World.[17][18]In October 2023, Welser-Möst had a cancerous tumor removed and canceled his conducting performances from late October through the end of 2023.[19]In January 2024, The Cleveland Orchestra announced that Welser-Möst is to conclude his tenure as ts music director at the close of the 2026-2027 season.[20][21]

Recordings

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During his tenure with the LPO, Welser-Möst had established an exclusive recording contract withEMI.His 1996 recording ofFranz Schmidt's Symphony No. 4 received theGramophone Awardfor Best Orchestral Recording. The CDs ofAnton Bruckner'sMass No. 3andTe Deumand works ofErich Wolfgang Korngoldboth receivedGrammy Awardnominations for "Best Classical Album." EMI struck a similar deal with Welser-Möst to record performances at the Zürich Opera and has released a number of DVDs of his Zürich opera productions. In 2008, EMI reissued many of Welser-Möst's earlier recordings in an eight CD set. In October 2007,Deutsche Grammophonreleased the first commercial recording featuring Welser-Möst with theCleveland Orchestra,Beethoven'sSymphony No. 9.[22]This recording was soon followed by a disc ofRichard WagnerLiederperformed by the orchestra and soloistMeasha Brueggergosman.Several DVDs have been issued as well, includingBruckner's 7thand8th symphonies,atSeverance Hall,and the5thand4that theSt. Florian Monastery.In 2020, Welser-Möst and The Cleveland Orchestra released a three-disc recording featuring works from the past three centuries,The Cleveland Orchestra: A New Century,the first recording on the orchestra's own in-house label.[23]

References

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  1. ^Ivan Hewett(18 August 2005)."Why all those insults made me stronger".The Daily Telegraph.Retrieved13 January2013.
  2. ^""Was glauben Sie?" – Der Dirigent Franz Welser-Möst "(in German). ORF Religion. 25 February 2006. Archived fromthe originalon 8 February 2012.Retrieved4 September2007.
  3. ^"Der Auslandsösterreicher des Jahres 2001–Franz Welser-Möst"(PDF).RotWeissRot(in German). Auslandsösterreicher-Weltbund. January 2003. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 10 November 2005.Retrieved4 September2007.
  4. ^abLebrecht, Norman(12 February 2004)."Franz Welser-Möst — The conductor they loved to hate".La Scena Musicale.Retrieved4 September2007.
  5. ^Lebrecht, Norman(16 August 2000)."He might be smiling now... — Franz Welser-Möst Returns to Conduct the Proms".La Scena Musicale.Retrieved4 September2007.
  6. ^Naredi-Rainer, Ernst (27 June 2006)."Schwierige Annäherung an Wien".Neue Vorarlberger Tageszeitung(in German). Archived fromthe originalon 29 September 2007.Retrieved4 September2007.
  7. ^Nicholas Kenyon(15 March 1992)."A Young Conductor Starts at the Top".The New York Times.Retrieved3 November2007.
  8. ^Pelinka, Nikolaus (6 June 2007)."Kulturministerin Claudia Schmied:" Dominique Meyer wird 2010 Direktor der Wiener Staatsoper ""(in German). Bundesministerium für Unterricht, Kunst und Kultur.Retrieved4 September2007.
  9. ^Westphal, Matthew (6 June 2007)."Vienna State Opera Appoints Dominique Meyer Its Next Director, with Franz Welser-Möst as Music Director".PlaybillArts.Archived fromthe originalon 27 September 2007.Retrieved16 July2007.
  10. ^Zachary Lewis (5 September 2014)."Cleveland Orchestra music director Franz Welser-Most resigns from Vienna State Opera".The Plain Dealer.Cleveland, Ohio.Retrieved3 October2014.
  11. ^Dr. Reiber."Wiener Singverein"(in German).Wiener Singverein.Archived fromthe original(Microsoft Word)on 28 July 2007.Retrieved30 August2008.
  12. ^Ljubiša Tošić (1 January 2023)."Neujahrskonzert mit Franz Welser-Möst: Knapp am Klimaprotest vorbei!".Der Standard.Retrieved2 January2023.
  13. ^"Cleveland Hails New Conductor".Sun-Sentinel.16 September 2012. Archived fromthe originalon 6 October 2014.Retrieved3 October2014.
  14. ^"The Cleveland Orchestra and Music Director Franz Welser-Möst extend acclaimed partnership to 2027"(Press release). Cleveland Orchestra. 21 September 2019.Retrieved29 September2019.
  15. ^abc"A Century of Excellence: An Extraordinary Future".Cleveland Orchestra.
  16. ^Lawrence A. Johnson (24 March 2017)."Cleveland Orchestra slashes 2018 Arsht residency with no explanation to Miami".South Florida Classical Review.Retrieved4 January2021.
  17. ^"Franz Welser-Möst's new book, From Silence: Finding Calm in a Dissonant World, to be published in the U.S. in May"(Press release). Cleveland Orchestra. 2 April 2021.Retrieved8 January2023.
  18. ^Welser-Moest, Franz (29 June 2021).From Silence.Clearview.ISBN978-1-908337-60-3.
  19. ^"Cleveland Orchestra conductor has cancerous tumor removed".AP News.8 September 2023.Retrieved24 December2023.
  20. ^"Franz Welser-Möst announces the conclusion of his tenure as Music Director of The Cleveland Orchestra in 2027 after 25 years of artistic innovation, deep-rooted community engagement, and international acclaim"(PDF)(Press release). The Cleveland Orchestra. 11 January 2024.Retrieved13 January2024.
  21. ^Joshua Barone (11 January 2024)."'Everything Has a Time': Cleveland's Longest-Serving Conductor Plans His Departure ".The New York Times.Retrieved12 January2024.
  22. ^Tsioulcas, Anastasia (6 March 2007)."Cleveland Orchestra partners with DG".Gramophone.Archived fromthe originalon 25 March 2007.Retrieved4 September2007.
  23. ^Zachary Lewis (13 March 2020)."Cleveland Orchestra launches in-house recording label with 'A New Century' album".The Plain Dealer.Cleveland.Retrieved4 January2021.

Further reading

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  • Rosenberg, Donald (2000).The Cleveland Orchestra Story.Cleveland: Gray & Company.ISBN1-886228-24-8.
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Cultural offices
Preceded by Principal Conductor, Norrköping Symphony Orchestra
1986–1991 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Ralf Weikert(chief conductor)
 Chief Conductor andGeneralmusikdirektor,Zürich Opera
1995–2005 (chief conductor),
2005–2008 (Generalmusikdirektor) 		Succeeded by
Daniele Gatti(chief conductor)
Preceded by Generalmusikdirektor,Vienna State Opera
2010–2014 		Succeeded by
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