MICHAEL HALASZ

“One of the Top Ten Recordings of 2000…A terrific performance at any price.” Opera News review of Fidelio conducted on Naxos by Michael Halász.

Michael Halász’s first engagement as a conductor was at the Munich Gärtnerplatztheater where, between 1972 and 1975, he directed all operetta productions. In 1975 he moved to Frankfurt to work as principal Kapellmeister with Christoph von Dohnányi and here he conducted the most important works of the operatic repertoire. Many engagements as a guest conductor followed and in 1977 Dohnányi engaged him as principal Kapellmeister at the Staatsoper in Hamburg. From 1978 to 1991 he was General Musical Director of the Hagen Opera House and in 1991 he took up the post of Resident Conductor at the Vienna State Opera.

For Naxos, Michael Halász has recorded works by Tchaikovsky (ballets), Wagner (operatic excerpts), symphonies by Beethoven, Schubert and Mahler, Rossini’s overtures and two volumes of Liszt’s symphonic poems, the latter described by the Penguin Guide as “one of the most successful collections of Liszt’s symphonic poems to have emerged in recent years”.

Beyond the standard and purely orchestral repertoire he has recorded Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater and Orfeo (Naxos 8.550766), Mozart’s Mass in C minor and his Kyrie in D minor (Naxos 8.554421), Richard Strauss’s Bourgeois Gentilhomme (Naxos 8.553379), Beethoven’s Creatures of Prometheus (Naxos 8.553404), cello concertos by Dvořák, Elgar, Dohnányi and Lalo (Naxos 8.550503, 8.554468, 8.554469 respectively), and Rubinstein’s Violin Concerto (Naxos 8.220359).

For Marco Polo Michael Halász has recorded Rubinstein’s ballet music (Naxos 8.220451) and Don Quixote (Naxos 8.220359), Goldmark’s Symphony No. 2 (Naxos 8.220417), Miaskovsky’s Symphonies Nos. 7 and 10 (Naxos 8.223113), Schmidt’s Symphony No. 1 (Naxos 8.223119) and a pioneering recording of Schreker’s opera Der ferne Klang (now available on Naxos 8.660074–75). Building on his growing prowess in the opera house, Halász has directed recordings of Fidelio (8.660070–71), Don Giovanni (8.660080–82) and Die Zauberflöte (8.660030–31), for the last of these winning particular critical praise. He also made a complete opera recording of Le nozze di Figaro (8.660102–04).

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Role: Conductor
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