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Hugh Wolff

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Hugh Wolff is an American conductor, born on 21 October 1953 in Neuilly-sur-Seine in France, where his father worked for the American foreign service. He spent his primary-school years in London. He studied at Harvard and at the Peabody Conservatory. Between the two he spent a year in Paris, studying composition with Olivier Messiaen and conducting with Charles Bruck. At the Peabody he took piano lessons from Leon Fleisher.

Music and breakthrough

In 1979 he began as an assistant to Mstislav Rostropovich at the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington. In 1985 he was the first winner of the Seaver/National Endowment for the Arts Conductors Award. He was music director of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra from 1986 to 1993 and led the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, first as principal conductor from 1988 and from 1992 to 2000 as music director. From 1997 to 2006 he was chief conductor of the Frankfurt Radio Symphony, and from 2017 of the Belgian National Orchestra.

Influence

Wolff made many recordings for Teldec and Sony, among others, received three Grammy nominations and twice won the Cannes Classical Award. His discography includes all of Beethoven's symphonies with the Frankfurt orchestra. He accompanied recordings by Rostropovich, Yo-Yo Ma, Joshua Bell, Hilary Hahn, Dawn Upshaw and the jazz guitarist John Scofield. He teaches at the New England Conservatory in Boston. His work shows how a conductor from the classical world can also collaborate in other genres.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Appalachian Spring in Copland's original chamber version, conducted by Wolff. Notice how transparent the small ensemble sounds and how you can follow every instrument.

Discography

Studio albums

Categories: Artists