Thierry Fischer (born 28 September 1957) is a Swiss orchestra conductor and
flutist.
Early life and education
Fischer was born in the
Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland
The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, also known as the Central African Federation (CAF), was a colonial federation that consisted of three southern African territories: the Self-governing colony, self-governing British colony of Southern ...
(Zambia) to Swiss parents. He studied flute with
Aurèle Nicolet and began his musical career as Principal Flute in
Hamburg
Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
and at the
Zurich Opera, where he studied scores with
Nikolaus Harnoncourt.
Career
Fischer's conducting career began in his 30s, conducting his first concerts with the
Chamber Orchestra of Europe, where he was principal flute under
Claudio Abbado.
From 1997 to 2001, Fischer was chief conductor of the Netherlands Ballet Orchestra (''Nederlands Balletorkest''). In 2001, Fischer became principal conductor of the
Ulster Orchestra in
Belfast
Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...
, a role he held until 2006. In September 2006, he became principal conductor of the
BBC National Orchestra of Wales (BBC NOW), and concluded his BBC NOW tenure after the 2011-2012 season. During this period, he performed at the BBC Proms every year, and also toured internationally.
Outside of Europe, Fischer was chief conductor of the
Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra from April 2008 through February 2011.
He now has the title of Honorary Guest Conductor with the
Nagoya Philharmonic. In September 2016, the
Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra announced the appointment of Fischer as its principal guest conductor, effective January 2017, with an initial contract of 3 years.
In the USA, Fischer became music director of the
Utah Symphony in September 2009, initially with a contract term of 4 years.
In February 2012, the Utah Symphony announced the extension of Fischer's initial contract through the 2015-2016 season. In May 2014, the orchestra further extended his contract through the 2018-2019 season.
In May 2017, the orchestra announced his most recent Utah contract extension through the 2021-2022 season. In May 2019, the Utah Symphony announced that Fischer is to conclude his tenure as its music director at the end of his current contract, at the close of the 2021-2022 season. However, in October 2020, the Utah Symphony announced a revision to the scheduled conclusion of Fischer's contract as its music director, with a new one-year extension through August 2023, to supersede the May 2019 announcement.
In October 2016, Fischer first guest-conducted the
Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo (OSESP). In June 2019, OSESP announced the appointment of Fischer as its next music director, effective in 2020, with an initial contract through 2024, which was extended in 2022 until December 2027. In June 2022 he was announced Music Director of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León in Spain, for an initial period of three seasons.
Fischer has made several recordings, most notably of Swiss composer
Frank Martin's orchestral music for
Deutsche Grammophon
Deutsche Grammophon (; DGG) is a German classical music record label that was the precursor of the corporation PolyGram. Headquartered in Berlin Friedrichshain, it is now part of Universal Music Group (UMG) since its merger with the UMG family of ...
, which was nominated for a
Gramophone Award. He has also recorded several CDs for the Hyperion label, including Complete symphonies of
Camille Saint Saëns, music of
Florent Schmitt and
Jean Françaix; he recorded
Stravinsky for
Signum and
Orfeo; and has recorded a disc of music by
Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...
for Aparte. His 2012 recording of
Frank Martin’s opera ''
Der Sturm'', with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus, received the
International Classical Music Award. He has also recorded
Mahler's Symphony No. 1 and
Symphony No. 8 with the
Utah Symphony and the
Mormon Tabernacle Choir on Reference Records.
Personal life
Fischer and his wife have three children, and live in Switzerland.
Selected recordings
* Rare French Works for Violin and Orchestra,
Gabriel Fauré, Violin Concerto in D minor op.14, Camille Saint-Saëns, Morceau de Concert Op.62,
Édouard Lalo, Fantaisie Norvégienne, Guitare Op.28,
Joseph Canteloube, Poème,
Ernest Guiraud
Ernest Guiraud (; 23 June 18376 May 1892) was an American-born French composer and music teacher. He is best known for writing the traditional orchestral recitatives used for Bizet's opera '' Carmen'' and for Offenbach's opera '' Les contes d ...
, Caprice, Philippe Graffin, violon, The Ulster Orchestra conducted by Thierry Fisher. CD Hyperion 2001
*
Camille Saint-Saëns
Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (, , 9October 183516 December 1921) was a French composer, organist, conductor and pianist of the Romantic music, Romantic era. His best-known works include Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (1863), the Piano ...
, Symphony n°1 in E flat major Op.2, Symphony in A major, Le Carnaval des Animaux, Utah Symphony, conducted by Thierry Fisher. CD Hyperion 2019
*Camille Saint-Saëns, Symphony in F major “Urbs Roma”, Symphony n°2 op.55, La Danse macabre Op.40, Utah Symphony, conducted by Thierry Fisher. CD Hyperion 2019
* Camille Saint-Saëns, La Foi, 3 Tableaux symphoniques Op.130, Symphony n°3 in C minor Op.78,
Paul Jacobs, organ, Utah Symphony, conducted by Thierry Fisher. CD Hyperion 2018
References
External links
Thierry Fischer – Official WebsiteIntermusica biography of Thierry Fischer
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Fischer, Thierry
1957 births
Living people
Swiss male conductors (music)
Swiss classical flautists
21st-century Swiss conductors (music)
21st-century Swiss male musicians
21st-century flautists
Principal conductors of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales