Georges Prêtre

Georges Prêtre (born August 14, 1924) is a French conductor.

He was born in Waziers (Nord), and studied harmony under Maurice Duruflé and conducting under André Cluytens among others at the Paris Conservatoire. After graduating, he conducted in a number of small French opera houses sometimes under the pseudonym Georges Dherain before making his Paris debut at the Opéra-Comique in Richard Strauss' "Capriccio". His debut at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden came in 1961, with first appearances at the Metropolitan Opera, New York City, and La Scala, Milan, later in the 1960s. He worked with Maria Callas on a number of occasions, and made recordings of "Carmen" and "Tosca" with her. For a time he was music director of the Paris Opera.

Aside from opera, Prêtre is best known for performances of French music. He is especially associated with Francis Poulenc, giving the premiere of his opera "La voix humaine" at the Opéra-Comique in 1959 and his "Sept répons des ténèbres" in 1963. In 1999 he gave a series of concerts in Paris to celebrate the centenary of Poulenc's birth. In 1988 Marcel Landowski dedicated his Fourth Symphony to Prêtre.

He also conducted the La Scala Orchestra in Franco Zeffirelli's 1982 film versions of Mascagni's "Cavalleria Rusticana" and Leoncavallo's "Pagliacci". Both films starred Placido Domingo.

He conducted the 2008 Vienna New Year's Concert. He is, so far, the only French conductor to do so.