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Antonio de AlmeidaFrench conductor
Date of Birth: 20.11.1928
Country:  France |
Content:
Early Life and Education
Antonio de Almeida, a French conductor, was born into a unique familial background: a Portuguese father, an American mother, and a French birthplace. Despite the family's frequent relocations, de Almeida maintained his French citizenship throughout his life.
At a young age, he began piano lessons and later taught himself the clarinet. During his adolescence in Buenos Aires, he received tutelage from the renowned Argentinian composer Alberto Ginastera. De Almeida's academic pursuits took him to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he initially studied chemistry. However, his passion for music prevailed, leading him to Yale University. There, he studied music theory under Paul Hindemith and graduated in 1949 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Musicology.
Conductorship
De Almeida honed his conducting skills at the Tanglewood Music Center under the guidance of Serge Koussevitzky and Leonard Bernstein. He also sought mentorship from George Szell. His conducting debut came in 1949 with the Portuguese Radio Orchestra, and he soon became an assistant conductor with the Porto Symphony Orchestra.
His career took him back to Lisbon before he assumed the helm of the Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra from 1962 to 1964. From 1965 to 1967, he worked at the Paris Opera. From 1971 to 1978, de Almeida served as principal conductor of the Nice Philharmonic Orchestra.
Later Career
De Almeida's final position was as artistic director of the Moscow Symphony Orchestra, which he held from 1993 until his passing. His vision for the orchestra was to elevate it to the pinnacle of Russian music, and the organization's sponsors believed in his pursuit of excellence.
Recordings and Legacy
Throughout his career, de Almeida collaborated with various orchestras to record a significant repertoire of French operas and symphonic works, including compositions by Ambroise Thomas, Fromental Halévy, Jules Massenet, Ernest Chausson, Henri Duparc, Charles Tournemire, and Henri Sauguet. Notably, his final recordings with the Moscow Symphony Orchestra consisted of all of Francesco Malipiero's symphonies.
Beyond French music, de Almeida was a fervent advocate for the symphonic works of Joseph Haydn, recording several of them. He also prepared for publication a number of operettas by Jacques Offenbach and the symphonies of Luigi Boccherini.
In the twilight of his life, de Almeida succumbed to lung cancer. His legacy lives on through the countless musicians and audiences he inspired during his illustrious career.
