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Yan Pascal Tortelier enjoys a distinguished career as a guest with the world’s most prestigious orchestras. He began his musical career as a violinist and at fourteen won first prize for violin at the Paris Conservatoire and also made his debut as a soloist with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Following general musical studies with Nadia Boulanger, Tortelier studied conducting with Franco Ferrara at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena, and from 1974 to 1983 he was Associate Conductor of the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse. Further positions have included Principal Conductor and Artistic Director of the Ulster Orchestra (1989-1992), Principal Guest Conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (2005-2008) and Principal Conductor of the Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra (2009-2012). Following his outstanding work as Chief Conductor of the BBC Philharmonic between 1992 and 2003, including annual appearances at the BBC Proms and a very successful tour of the US to celebrate the orchestra's 60th anniversary season, he has been given the title of Conductor Emeritus and continues to work with the orchestra regularly. He also holds the positions of Principal Guest Conductor at the Royal Academy of Music in London, and Honorary Guest Conductor of the Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra.

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Yan Pascal Tortelier enjoys a distinguished career as a guest with the world’s most prestigious orchestras. He began his musical career as a violinist and at fourteen won first prize for violin at the Paris Conservatoire and also made his debut as a soloist with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Following general musical studies with Nadia Boulanger, Tortelier studied conducting with Franco Ferrara at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena, and from 1974 to 1983 he was Associate Conductor of the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse. Further positions have included Principal Conductor and Artistic Director of the Ulster Orchestra (1989-1992), Principal Guest Conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (2005-2008) and Principal Conductor of the Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra (2009-2012). Following his outstanding work as Chief Conductor of the BBC Philharmonic between 1992 and 2003, including annual appearances at the BBC Proms and a very successful tour of the US to celebrate the orchestra's 60th anniversary season, he has been given the title of Conductor Emeritus and continues to work with the orchestra regularly. He also holds the positions of Principal Guest Conductor at the Royal Academy of Music in London, and Honorary Guest Conductor of the Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra.

Yan Pascal Tortelier has collaborated with major orchestras including the London Symphony and London Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestras, Czech Philharmonic, St Petersburg Philharmonic, Oslo Philharmonic, Filarmonica della Scala Milan, and in North America, the Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Boston, Chicago and Montreal Symphony Orchestras. Further afield he has collaborated with the Melbourne Symphony, the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony and the Hong Kong and Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestras.

Recent highlights have included return visits to the Minnesota Orchestra, Royal Flemish Philharmonic, and San Francisco Symphony Orchestras, and a major European tour with the Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra, visiting a number of prestigious venues including the Vienna Musikverein, Salzburg Festspielhaus, the Frankfurt Alte Oper and the Cologne Philharmonie.

Highlights of the 2011/12 season and beyond include UK concerts and a tour of China with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, a tour of South America with the Sao Paulo Symphony, return visits to the Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra, the Halle Orchestra, the St Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Danish National, St Louis and Baltimore Symphony Orchestras.

Tortelier has enjoyed a long association with Chandos Records, resulting in an extensive catalogue of recordings, notably with the BBC Philharmonic and Ulster Orchestras, and including award-winning cycles of the orchestral music of Debussy, Ravel (featuring his own orchestration of Ravel's Piano Trio), Franck, Roussel and Dutilleux. He has also conducted critically acclaimed discs of repertoire ranging from Hindemith and Kodaly to Lutoslawski and Karlowicz. Recent releases for Chandos include the Ravel piano concertos coupled with Debussy’s Fantaisie, with pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, and a disc of works by Florent Schmitt with the Sao Paulo Symphony.

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Reviews

"Attentive to Franck’s meticulous tempi markings Tortelier conferred an enthralling performance of the Symphony in D minor. First movement tensions were penetratingly conveyed, crescendos impressively rugged and surging brass amply luminous."

Mike Marsh, Bournemouth Daily Echo

"This disc is an absolute stunner. This marvellous recording of three of Florent Schmitt’s most dramatic works is the first fruit of Tortelier’s relationship with this fine orchestra and I hope that it will not be the last. [...] Tortelier, always at his best in French music, captures the sensuality and sultry eroticism of this music to perfection with a gripping performance, notable for the refined orchestral playing of the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra, that could hardly be bettered."

Graham Williams, www.sa-cd.net

"[Yan Pascal Tortelier] gave a vibrant reading of Stravinsky's "The Firebird" of 1910 (in its 1945 revision of the original ballet). He had a vision of a more corporeal description of this Russian tale of love conquering evil. But he knew when to put his hand in and when to leave it out. He crafted the strings with sensitivity and pushed the brass to visceral levels [...] But the end, the glorious end of the work, when love peeks out from behind the struggle in the hushed glow of William Caballero's horn solo, I was enraptured."

Andrew Druckenbrod, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, March 2011

"As to the Ravel concertos, I have no hesitation in saying these are the greatest performances I have ever heard. The G major is as sharp as a razor, achingly lyrical when required and, above all, fun. The 'Left Hand' concerto, helped by Tortelier's incisive conducting, is simply awe-inspiring. Tortelier's masterly handling of Ravel's intricate orchestration make the work sound less malevolent than usual. In all three concertos there is an innate mutual empathy between Bavouzet and Tortelier regarding tempi, phrasing, dynamics and the musical character of each work. One sparks off the other in their palpably enjoyable collaboration. It's exceptional to have a soloist and conductor so in tune with each other in both Ravel concertos. This is a great partnership, a stunning disc and an early contender for those end of year awards."

Jeremy Nicholas, Classic FM Editor's Choice

"Hindemith’s Konzertmusik op.50] is a brilliant, virtuoso work, scored for strings and brass alone and in the right hands, it packs a real punch. Tortelier certainly has the right hands. This was as fine a performance as one could have hoped for with resplendent brass full-voiced and richly sounding, balanced by the large string body, which Hindemith said should be ‘as strong as possible’ sounding dazzling and opulent. And the humour? There’s lots of it to be found in the interplay between the sections, and the fugue of the second movement, whilst a devil of a thing to play, is a hoot from beginning to end. "

Bob Briggs, MusicWeb International

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Discography