Michel Tabachnik

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Michel Tabachnik (November 10, 1942 - ) is a Swiss conductor and composer.

Michel Tabachnik was born in Geneva, where he studied piano, composition and conducting. As a young conductor he was a protégé of Igor Markevitch, Herbert von Karajan and Pierre Boulez, acting as the latter's assistant for four years, mainly with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, London. This led him to become closely involved with the music of our time and to perform many world premieres, particularly those of Iannis Xenakis who considered him a favorite interpreter.

He has held the position of Chief Conductor of the Gulbenkian Foundation Orchestra in Lisbon, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Lorraine and the Ensemble InterContemporain in Paris. His impressive roster of orchestras includes the Berlin Philharmonic, Concertgebouw Orchestra, Amsterdam, Tokyo NHK, Orchestre de Paris, and festivals such as Lucerne, Salzburg and Aix en Provence.

In the operatic field Michel Tabachnik has conducted in the opera houses of Paris, Geneva, Zürich, Copenhagen, Lisbon, Rome and Montreal. He has been a regular guest with the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto, where he led, among other works, Lohengrin, Madama Butterfly, Carmen and The Rake's Progress.
Since September 2005, Michel Tabachnik is chief-conductor of the Noord Nederlands Orkest (NNO).

Michel Tabachnik has a close affinity with young musicians and works with several important youth orchestras. He was Artistic Director of l'Orchestre des Jeunes du Québec (1985-1989) and, over a twelve year period, l'Orchestre des Jeunes de la Méditerranée, which he founded in 1984.

He is also a respected pedagogue. In addition to leading Master Classes in Amsterdam (NOS), Lisbon (the Gulbenkian Foundation), Paris Conservatoire, Stockholm Conservatory, etc, he has also held the position of Professor of Conducting at both the Faculty of Music, University of Toronto (1984-1991), and the Royal Academy of Music in Copenhagen (1993-2001).

In addition to his work as a conductor, Michel Tabachnik is highly regarded as a composer. He has been honored with many important commissions including "La Légende de Haïsha" for the anniversary of the Bicentenaire de la Révoltion Française, "Le Cri de Mohim" for the 700th Year of Switzerland, or "Le Pacte des Onze" for I.R.C.A.M. Paris.

Michel Tabachnik records for Erato and Lyrinx, with whom he has been associated since 1991. His discography demonstrates the breadth of his repertoire, which ranges from Beethoven through Wagner to Honegger and Xenakis, amongst others. His recording of the Schumann Piano Concerto (with Catherine Collard as soloist) was voted Best Performance of the work by the international jury at the Radio Suisse Romande.

In 1995, Michel Tabachnik was named Artist of the Year by the Italian "Centro Internazionale di Arte e Cultura" in Rome.

[edit] The Order of the Solar Temple

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Since 1996, the Swiss judiciary had cleared Michel Tabachnik of all suspicion. Then, in 2001, the correctional Tribunal of Grenoble (France) did the same. Nevertheless, following the recourse of a prosecutor of Grenoble, Michel Tabachnik had to wait five more years before the Appeal Court of Grenoble definitively proved his innocence and confirmed in particular, that he didn't even belong to the Order.

[edit] Compositions

  • Supernovae 1967
  • Frise 1968
  • Fresque 1969
  • Invention à 16 voix 1972
  • Mondes 1972
  • Sillages 1972
  • D'autres Sillages 1972
  • Movimenti 1973
  • Éclipses 1974
  • Argile 1974
  • Trois Impressions 1975
  • Les Perséïdes 1981
  • Cosmogonie 1981
  • l'Arch 1982
  • 7 Rituels Atlantes 1984
  • Pacte des onze (Evangile selon Thomas) 1985
  • Élévation 1990
  • Prélude à la Légende 1989
  • Le Cri de Mohim 1991
  • Évocation 1994
  • La Légende de Haïsha 1989
  • Concerto pour piano et orchestre de chambre 2003
  • Nord pour orchestre 2006

[edit] External links

He is invited by the most prestigious orchestras such as: