| Guillaume Tourniaire |
 Guillaume Tourniaire - Conductor Brilliant young French conductor Guillaume Tourniaire is currently enjoying a meteoric rise onto the international conducting stage. Born in Provence, Guillaume Tourniaire studied piano and conducting at the Geneva Conservatory, during which time he was winner of a first prize in the international Gabriel Fauré piano competition. His professional career started as artistic director of the vocal ensemble, Le Motet de Genève from 1993, Chorusmaster at the Grand Théâtre de Genève from 1996, and choir director of the Teatro la Fenice in Venice from 2001–2002. This early apprenticeship has given him a rare depth and experience with the opera and vocal repertoire, and this combined with his talent and passion for rare and previously unperformed music, has made him a highly sought after conductor on the world stage. He made his conducting debut in 1998, at the Grand Théâtre de Genève, in its production of Sergei Prokofiev´s opera Betrothal in a Monastery. He then appeared at the Opéra National de Paris, conducting Igor Stravinsky´s ballet, Le Sacre du Printemps. He subsequently established an intensive collaboration with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande in Geneva with which he has conducted such works as the world premiere of the complete original version of Prokofiev's music for the film by Sergei Eisenstein, Ivan the Terrible—based on his own reconstruction, Mozart´s incidental music for the drama of Tobias Philipp Gebler, Thamos, König in Ägypten; Prokofiev's cantata, Alexander Nevsky; Bohuslav Martinů´s oratorio, Gilgamesh; Jean-Michel Damase´s Madame de.; Janáček´s Amarus and The Eternal Gospel amongst many others. Guillaume works as a guest-conductor with a large and ever expanding number of orchestras, including the Orchestra dell´Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome, the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, the Orchestra del Teatro la Fenice in Venice, the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf, the Orchestre de Genève, the Orchestre National de France in Paris, and the Ensemble Vocal et Instrumental de Lausanne, Deutches Kammerphilharmonie, Camerata Seoul, Orchestre National de Lyon, Teatro Sao Carlos Lisbona, Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, Macerata Opera Festival. Critical acclaim for Tourniaire’s work has been swift and unanimous, with his conducting of the world premiere performances of three compositions by Arthur Honegger (Le Cantique des Cantiques; Jour de Fête en Suisse; and Radio Panoramique), and a new version of Grieg’s Peer Gynt with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande described as: ‘…blazingly conducted by Guillaume Tourniaire; funny, exhilarating, and at times also unbearably sad, it is a remarkable achievement.’ (The Guardian). Guillaume Tourniaire held the position of Musical Director of the State Opera in Prague from 2007 to 2009, and continues his exciting and groundbreaking work throughout the world as champion of world premieres and rare music performances, including the world premiere recordings of Saint-Saëns’ Hélène and Nuit Persane for Melba Recordings. Interviews The Age (Australia) - Maestro's French liberation - Interview with Guillaume Tourniaire (15 January 2010) "It is only by taking risks that music can be kept alive. It will die unless people are brave enough to choose a more difficult route." The Age, 2 February 2010, p.10 'The Arts', Robin Usher More information......Guillaume Tourniaire discusses the history of Hélène for this short Melba video featured on YouTube. It features performance extracts from the recording sessions as well as the gala concert in Prague (February 2008). 2010 Schedule February 24, 26, 28, Opera Dijon, Dijon, France, Donizetti L'elisir d'amore Melba Recordings Performances: MR301114-2: Hélène | Nuit Persane |