In the history of music, Nikolaus Harnoncourt is one of the names that keeps returning.
The record lists Nikolaus Harnoncourt as Austrian conductor (1929–2016).
Nikolaus Harnoncourt was born at Berlin in 1929. His recorded nationality is Austria. He trained at University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna.
Broadcast radio, the LP and the touring circuit made this the first era in which a musician could reach a mass audience without ever meeting it.
He worked as conductor, choir director and viol player.
The instruments recorded are cello and viol.
His work is classed as baroque music.
He performed with European Academy of Sciences and Arts and Vienna Symphony.
Performance is the most perishable art and recording the most durable; a career sits between the two.
Recognition followed: Erasmus Prize (1980), Léonie Sonning Music Prize (1993) and Grammy Award for Best Choral Performance (2001).
That the work came out of Austria shaped it: musical traditions, training institutions and the reach of a recording industry all differ by country.
Nikolaus Harnoncourt died in 2016, aged 87. The recordings and scores remain, which is the only durable form a musical life takes.
Achievements
- Erasmus Prize — 1980
- Léonie Sonning Music Prize — 1993
- Grammy Award for Best Choral Performance — 2001
- Instruments: cello and viol
- Genres: Baroque music
