December 12 2006
Currently, Yannick Nézet-Séguin is Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Orchestre Metropolitan in Montreal, a position which he has held since 2000. During the 2007–08 season, before taking up his Rotterdam position, Yannick Nézet-Séguin will lead the Rotterdam Philharmonic on several occasions, including a major tour to the Far East with concerts in China, Japan and South Korea, as well as special concerts celebrating the 90th anniversary of the Orchestra's founding. Two years ago, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra announced that Valery Gergiev's position of Music Director would end in August 2008. During the years of Gergiev's leadership, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra developed into an orchestra of worldwide reputation. By the time of his farewell concert in 2008, Gergiev's collaboration with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra will have spanned twenty years. Again, a young conductor to lead Yannick-Nézet-Séguin's Rotterdam debut consisted of two different programmes, containing music by Sibelius, Sandström, Hendrik Andriessen, Beethoven and Mendelssohn. According to NRC Handelsblad, “Subtlety, scintillation and vitality” characterized his interpretations. At his return in October 2006 (with works by Ravel and Debussy transcriptions by Brewaeys), the versatile Nézet-Séguin again made the great impact that led to his appointment just over two months later. Prior to taking up his new position in September 2008, Nézet-Séguin will conduct the orchestra on several occasions during the 2007–2008 season. Appearances will include performances of Bach's St Matthew Passion; works by Mahler and Strauss; and a tour to China, Japan and SouthKorea as well as special programmes commemorating the 90 th anniversary of the orchestra's foundation. From promising talent to young maestro Very highly regarded in his native Canada, he has worked with virtually all of the principal orchestras there and is a regular with the Toronto Symphony. He will make his debut for the Canadian Opera Company in February 2007 with Gounod's FAUST. In 2004/2005, his first season in Europe, the impact of his debuts with Orchestre National du Capitole du Toulouse, Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo, the Flemish Radio Orchestra and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra was remarkable. The astonishing success of these debuts lead the following season to immediate re-invitations, as well as to extremely successful debuts with the Staatskapelle Dresden, the Orchestre National de France, the Sydney Symphony, the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, City of Birmingham Symphony and Orchestre de la Suisse Romande in Geneva. Forthcoming debuts include the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Tonhalle Zurich, Swedish Radio Symphony, Finnish Radio Symphony, Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin and Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin. Yannick Nézet-Séguin has conducted many opera productions, ranging from Mozart's La Clemenza di Tito to Berg's Wozzeck. Later this season he will make his debut at the Barcelona Opera with a double-bill of Massenet's Portrait de Manon and Poulenc's La voix humaine. Note to editors
Montreal, December 12, 2006 — The Orchestre Métropolitain du Grand Montréal is proud to announce that its Artistic Director and principal Conductor, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, will also become Music Director of the prestigious Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra in September 2008. This major appointment, attesting to the young Montreal conductor's international reputation, will have no effect on his role or presence with the Orchestre Métropolitain du Grand Montréal. “I am especially attached to the Orchestre Métropolitain du Grand Montréal and its musicians, with whom I have developed such a rich relationship of rare intensity over these past six years,” stated Yannick Nézet-Séguin from Europe . “I started something special with this orchestra, and truly intend to continue being very closely involved in its development,” added the Maestro. Yannick Nézet-Séguin has been Artistic Director of the Métropolitain since 2000. Through this orchestra, he has been able to showcase and develop his immense talent, and plans to continue playing a key role well beyond August 31, 2010, when his current contract ends. A unanimous choice An impressive career to date Appointed Artistic Director and Maestro of the Orchestre Métropolitain du Grand Montréal in 2000, to date Yannick Nézet-Séguin has conducted over 300 concerts with the Métropolitain and recorded with it four CDs on the ATMA Classic label, which have prompted critical acclaim world-wide: his recording of Nina Rota's La Strada and concertos won two Opus prizes for Best Recording of the Year; his Mahler Symphony No. 4 earned top marks from Diapason magazine; his Kurt Weill recording with singer Diane Dufresne was awarded ADISQ's CD of the Year; his recording of the Saint-Saëns Organ Symphony with the organist Philippe Bélanger garnered rave reviews from such industry notables as Fanfare magazine, which declared, “ This goes straight to the front rank, alongside Munch and Barenboim. ” ATMA's next release with Nézet-Séguin and Orchestre Métropolitain is Bruckner's monumental Symphony No. 7, slated for release early in 2007. This release is the first of three ATMA recordings of Bruckner's final symphonies with Nézet-Séguin and the Orchestre Métropolitain. As a pianist, Nézet-Séguin has recorded three duo recital albums for ATMA: Mozart Lieder with soprano Suzie LeBlanc (on which he plays fortepiano); Arianna a Naxos with countertenor David DQ Lee ; and Conversations with trombonist Alain Trudel. In Canada, Nézet-Séguin has been invited to conduct the Montréal Symphony Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Vancouver Symphony, Les Violons du Roy, the CBC Radio Orchestra, the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, the Winnipeg Symphony, the Edmonton Symphony, Orchestra London, and the Victoria Symphony, where he was Principal Guest Conductor from 2003 to 2006. Nézet-Séguin is also a gifted opera conductor and has led many productions ranging from Mozart's La Clemenza di Tito to Berg's Wozzeck, with invitations from l'Opéra de Québec, Vancouver Opera and Opera Ontario. He made his U.S. opera conducting debut at the Sarasota Opera with Così fan Tutte in 2001/02. This season sees his debuts with the Canadian Opera Company conducting Gounod's Faust, and the Barcelona Opera with a double-bill of Massenet's Portrait de Manon and Poulenc's La voix humaine . Nézet-Séguin's European debuts during the 2004/2005 season had tremendous impact, leading to immediate re-invitations with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo, the Flemish Radio Orchestra, and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, as well as to his extremely successful debuts with the Staatskapelle Dresden, the Orchestre National de France, the Sydney Symphony, the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. Upcoming debuts include the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Tonhalle Zurich, Swedish Radio Symphony, Finnish Radio Symphony, Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin and Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin. L'Orchestre Métropolitain du Grand Montréal Averaging 70 concerts a year, the Métropolitain actively contributes to expanding Montréal's cultural life. During its regular season, the Orchestre presents concerts at the Place des Arts as well as in several of the boroughs and cities on the Island of Montréal , not to mention primary schools. Since 1990, the Métropolitain has given free concerts in various parks throughout the summer. André Dupras Note : The French TV network of CBC/Radio-Canada has recent footage of Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducting the Orchestre Métropolitain in concert on November 15, 2006. Information:
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