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Günter Pichler, conductor

Biography

Günter Pichler began his studies at the Academy of Music in Vienna when he was 15, was appointed Leader of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra when he was 18, and at the age of 21 was engaged by Herbert von Karajan as Leader of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Since 1963 he has been Professor at the University Music Department in Vienna and Guest Professor in Cologne since 1993. In 1969 he was awarded the "Mozart Interpretation Prize". In 1970 Günter Pichler founded the Alban Berg Quartet and has led this famous quartet ever since.

He subsequently embarked upon a career as a conductor to give further expression to his musical ideas, thus complementing his work in the quartet, and made his conducting debut at the Vienna Konzerthaus with the Vienna Chamber Orchestra in January 1989.

Since then Pichler’s conducting career has flourished. Besides returning many times to the Vienna Chamber, he has enjoyed close relationships with orchestras such as the Irish Chamber Orchestra, Niew Sinfonietta Amsterdam, Orchestra della Toscana (Florence), and has guested with orchestras such as the Orchestra da Camera di Padova, Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, Leipziger Kammerorchester, and Netherlands Chamber Orchestra. He also gave the world premieres of works by Berio and del Corno with the Accademia Bizantina at the Lucerne Festival.

Conducting engagements in the UK have included the London Mozart Players, the Northern Sinfonia, and the Hallé Orchestra.

In July 1991 he conducted a concert at the Suntory Hall, Tokyo, as part of a prestigious Mozart series given by the NHK Orchestra, and two years later made his debut with the Tokyo Philharmonic, where he has since become a regular guest conductor. He has also toured Japan twice with the London Mozart Players and once with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie.

In Spring 1995 he toured Europe with the Israel Chamber Orchestra, who subsequently invited him to conduct them in Israel.

Most recently Günter Pichler has conducted the Orchestra della Toscana in Florence, Bologna, Milan and Torino, toured with the Orchestra d’Archi Italiana throughout Italy, has toured with the Irish Chamber Orchestra throughout Ireland and given concerts with the Ensemble Orchestral de Paris (at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées and at the Châtelet), and with the Royal Flanders Philharmonic in Belgium and the Netherlands. His latest appearances in Japan have included the Osaka, Sendai and Tokyo Philharmonics and the Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa, of whom he is currently Principal Guest Conductor.

January 2003 /404 words

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