Franz-Paul Decker
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Franz-Paul Decker (born June 22, 1923 in Cologne) is a German-Canadian conductor.
Decker studied at the Hochschule für Musik in Cologne with Philip Jarnach and Eugen Papst. He made his conducting début at the age of 22 at the Cologne Opera, and four years later was appointed to the Staatsoper, Wiesbaden and subsequently to the positions of conductor of the Wiesbaden Symphony Orchestra and Generalmusikdirecktor in Bochum. In 1948, Decker was introduced to the composer Richard Strauss at a card game of whist. Strauss casually mentioned that he had just finished orchestrating four songs he had recently composed (the Four Last Songs).
Although comfortable conducting virtually any work in the orchestral repertoire, Decker is famous for his mastery and approach to the music of Wagner, Richard Strauss, Bruckner, Reger and Mahler. His performances of works by Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven have been praised for their balance and clarity. His approach to Spanish and South American music is bold and charismatic. He has conducted the world premieres of dozens of orchestral works by Canadian composers, and has conducted 85 different operas during his distinguished career.
Decker was Music Director of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra (1962-1968) and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra (1967-1975). His subsequent positions include that of Chief Conductor of the Orquesta sinfónica de Barcelona y Nacional de Cataluña and Chief Conductor of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. He served as Artistic Advisor to the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra (1975-1977) and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (1980-1982). He was Principal Guest Conductor of Ottawa's National Arts Centre Orchestra (1991-1999) and the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra (2003-2004).
He has worked with soloists as diverse as Artur Rubinstein, Emil Gilels, Shura Cherkassky, Clara Haskil, Ida Haendel, Hélène Grimaud, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Jessye Norman, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, and Jon Vickers. His television broadcast of a Christmas concert with Luciano Pavarotti and orchestra, filmed at Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal in the 1980s, is broadcast annually around the world.
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| Preceded by: Eduard Flipse |
Music Directors, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra 1962–1967 |
Succeeded by: Jean Fournet |
| Preceded by: Zubin Mehta |
Music Directors, Montreal Symphony Orchestra 1967–1975 |
Succeeded by: Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos |
