Pierre Monteux

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Pierre Monteux (April 4, 1875 – July 1, 1964) was an orchestra conductor. Born in Paris, France, Monteux later became an American citizen.

Monteux studied violin from an early age, entering the Paris Conservatoire at the age of nine. He became a proficient violinist, good enough to share the Conservatoire's violin prize in 1896 with Jacques Thibaud. He later took up the viola and played at the Opéra-Comique, leading the viola section in the premiere of Claude Debussy's opera, Pelléas et Mélisande in 1902.

In 1911, with a little conducting experience in Dieppe behind him, Monteux became conductor of Sergei Diaghilev's ballet company, the Ballets Russes. In this capacity he conducted the premieres of Igor Stravinsky's Petrushka (1911) and The Rite of Spring (1913) as well as Maurice Ravel's Daphnis et Chloé. This established the course of his career, and for the rest of his life he was noted particularly for his interpretations of Russian and French music.

With the outbreak of World War I, Monteux was called up for military service, but was discharged in 1916, and travelled to the United States. There he took charge of the French repertoire at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City from 1917 to 1919. He also conducted the American premiere of Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov's opera The Golden Cockerel at the Metropolitan Opera.

He then moved to the Boston Symphony Orchestra (1919-24). He had a major effect on the Boston ensemble's sound, and was able to fashion the orchestra as he pleased after a strike led to thirty of its members leaving. He also introduced a number of new works in Boston, notably works by French composers.

In 1924, Monteux began an association with the Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam, working alongside Willem Mengelberg. In 1929, he founded the Orchestre Symphonique de Paris, which he conducted until 1935. In the year the orchestra was founded, he led it in the world premiere of Sergei Prokofiev's third symphony.

Monteux then returned to the United States, and worked with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra from 1935 to 1952. In 1943, he founded a conducting school in Hancock, Maine, the childhood home of his wife, Doris Hodgkins Monteux, where Monteux was now living. There he taught such future luminaries as André Previn, Neville Marriner, and David Zinman. In 1946, he became a United States citizen.

Monteux made a number of records in his life, most of which are widely admired. He himself claimed to dislike them, however, saying they lacked the spontaneity of live performances.

From 1961 to 1964 he was principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra. He died in Hancock, Maine in 1964.

Pierre Monteux was the father of the flautist and conductor Claude Monteux.

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