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Edmond AppiaSwiss conductor and musicologist
Date of Birth: 07.05.1894
Country:  Switzerland |
Content:
Early Life and Education
Denis Appia was born in Geneva, Switzerland, and received his early musical education as a violinist. He achieved international recognition as a concert violinist, but ultimately decided to pursue a career in conducting.
Conducting Career
In 1938, Appia joined the Orchestre de la Radio Suisse Romande (Geneva Radio Symphony Orchestra), where he served as a regular conductor. He also made numerous guest appearances and recordings with the RTÉ Symphony Orchestra (Irish Radio Symphony Orchestra) and the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (Orchestra of French-speaking Switzerland).
Musical Interests
Appia was renowned for his expertise in French and Italian music of the 16th and 17th centuries. He made a notable recording of Giovanni Gabrieli's sacred symphonies. Simultaneously, he showed keen interest in contemporary music, conducting world premieres of piano concertos by Frank Martin (1960) and Raffaele D'Alessandro (1950) and a violin concerto by Vladimir Vogel (1948).
Teaching and Scholarship
From 1928 to 1943, Appia held a professorship at the Conservatoire de Lausanne. After his death, a posthumous collection of his musicological writings was published under the title "De Palestrina à Bartók" (1964).
