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Nikolaus Harnoncourt

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

Nikolaus Harnoncourt was an Austrian conductor who became known above all for his historically informed performances. He was born in Berlin on 6 December 1929, grew up in Graz and studied cello and viola da gamba at the music academy in Vienna. He died on 5 March 2016. At first he worked as a cellist in the orchestra. In 1953 he founded his own ensemble on period instruments, Concentus Musicus Wien, and with it he became a pioneer of the early music movement.

Music and breakthrough

His speciality was the Baroque, but later he extended his repertoire to Classical and early Romantic music. Around 1970 he began conducting opera and concerts, soon also with large symphony orchestras, in leading concert halls and at festivals. In 2001 and 2003 he conducted the New Year's Concert in Vienna. His recordings include Brandenburgische Konzerte in 1967, Matthäus-Passion in 1971, Le quattro stagioni in 1977 and Messiah in 1983. With Gustav Leonhardt he recorded all 193 of Bach's cantatas. He also wrote several books, mostly on performance practice and musical aesthetics.

Influence

Harnoncourt showed that early music, played on period instruments and with a sharp eye for performance, can sound different from the Romantic tradition. That made him important for anyone who wants to know how music from the past may originally have sounded, and it changed the way Baroque music was played.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to a Brandenburg Concerto in his 1967 recording and notice the sound of the old instruments and the lively, incisive rhythm. Compare that with a performance on modern instruments.

Discography

Studio albums

Categories: Artists