Andre Cluytens

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André Cluytens (26 March 1905 –3 June 1967) was born in Antwerp to a musical family. At age nineteen he graduated from the Royal Flemish Conservatory with first prizes in piano, harmony, counterpoint, and fugue. His father Alphonse was conductor of the Antwerp Opera (the Theatre Royal), and he engaged his son as chorusmaster and coach. He succeeded his father at the opera, conducting productions there in 1927 with his debut being Les pêcheurs de perles. In 1932, he became the conductor at the Théâtre du Capitole of Toulouse, conducting primarily the orchestra concerts. In 1935 he was first conductor of the Opéra National de Lyon where he became the musical director in 1942. During World War II he led the Vichy summer concerts, which may have led to his short-term blacklisting by the musicians' union at Bordeaux. In 1947, he became the musical director at the Opéra-Comique where he conducted 40 works between 1947-1953. He became a French citizen in 1940. In 1949, he replaced Charles Munch as principal conductor of the Paris Conservatory Orchestra, which post he held until 1960. His contract required him to conduct half of the orchestra's concerts each season. He conducted a famous performance of Wagner's opera Tannhäuser at the Bayreuth Festival in 1955 and also worked with the Berlin Philharmonic as a guest conductor. Cluytens was well-versed in the German repertoire, and also noted for authoritative interpretations of Ravel and other modern French composers. A prolific recor

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