Monteux, Pierre (EN)

Monteux Pierre, *4 April 1875 Paris, †1 July 1964 Hancock, Maine, American conductor of French origin. From 1884, he studied at the Paris Conservatory under J.-P. Maurin (violin) and B. Godard (chamber music). He graduated in 1896, winning the First Prize together with J. Thibaud. At the age of 12, he made his first appearance in Paris as a conductor (the soloist was A. Cortot). In 1890 he was employed as a violinist at the Opéra-Comique in Paris, then as a viola player in the Concerts Colonne orchestra, where he served as assistant conductor, then as second conductor, from 1894 to 1910. He was also active as a chamber musician in the Quatuor Geloso (1892–1911) and the Quatuor Tracol. Monteux organised and conducted the Concerts Berlioz in the 1911/1912 season. In the years 1911–1914, as first conductor of the Ballets Russes orchestra, he led the premieres of Stravinsky’s Petrouchka, The Rite of Spring and The Nightingale, Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé, Ravel’s Valses nobles et sentimentales, and Debussy’s Jeux. He toured the United States in 1916, and from 1917 to 1919 conducted at the Metropolitan Opera House. From 1920–1924, he directed the Boston Symphony Orchestra, introducing many contemporary works to its repertoire, e.g., Debussy, E. Chausson, D. Milhaud, M. de Falla, F. Bridge, G.F. Malipiero, F. Schreker, K. Szymanowski. In the years 1924–1934 worked with the Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam. He created the Orchestre Symphonique de Paris in 1929, which he directed until 1938; with this ensemble, he premiered numerous works by French composers. From 1932 to 1937 he taught conducting at his own school in Paris (Ecole Monteux). Then he continued this activity at Hancock. His students were among others N. Marriner and A. Prévin. From 1935 to 1952, Monteux conducted the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra; under his baton, the orchestra became one of the best in the United States. He co-founded the NBC Symphony Orchestra (1937) and conducted its first concerts. In the 1950s and 1960s he made many recordings for RCA Victor, including with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra and San Francisco Symphony Orchestra (works by Beethoven, Berlioz, Liszt, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, R. Strauss, Debussy, Stravinsky, and others). At the age of 86, he took over the leadership of London Symphony Orchestra, with which he recorded numerous albums for the Decca label (Beethoven, Brahms, Elgar, Ravel), which he conducted until 1964. Moreover, he premiered works by, among others, Prokofiev (Symphony No. 3, 1929), Poulenc (Concert champêtre, with W. Landowska, 1929), G. Antheil, J. Françaix, G. Auric, P. Creston, R. Sessions, H. Villa-Lobos. Monteux performed K, Szymanowski’s works in Boston and New York (Symphony No. 2 with Boston Symphony Orchestra, 1922), and in Paris (Violin Concerto No.1, 1930 and 1931; Symphony No. 4 “Symphonie Concertante” with participation of the composer in the solo part, 1934); Monteux and Szymanowski performed Symphony No. 4 also in The Hague and Amsterdam with Concertgebouw Orchestra. The recording of Szymanowski’s Violin Concerto No. 1 from 1955, performed by R. Totenberg and conducted by Monteux (West Hill Radio Archive 2008), was released on the album Pierre Monteux in Boston. A Treasury of Concert Performances 1951–1958. Monteux was a Commandeur of the Légion d’honneur and a Knight of the Order of Oranje-Nassau.

Literature: D.G. Monteux It’s All in the Music, New York 1965 (with a discography); J.-Ph. Mousnier Pierre Monteux, Paris 1999; J. Canarina Pierre Monteux Maître, Pompton Plains 2003.