Michel Plasson

Michel Plasson (born 2 October 1933, Paris, France) is a French conductor.

Plasson was a student of Lazare Lévy at the Conservatoire de Paris. In 1962, he was a prize-winner at the International Besançon Competition for Young Conductors. He studied briefly in the United States, including time with Charles Münch. He became the music director of the city of Metz for 3 years.

In 1968, Plasson became principal conductor of the Orchestre et Chœurs du Capitole de Toulouse. His recordings with the orchestra include both orchestral works, operettas of Jacques Offenbach, including Orphée aux enfers, La vie parisienne, La Périchole and La belle Hélene, and Bizet's Carmen.^[1] Plasson resigned as principal conductor in 2003 and now has the title of "Honorary Conductor", or conductor emeritus. From 1994 to 2001, he was principal conductor of the Dresden Philharmonic.

Plasson's son Emmanuel Plasson is also a conductor.

Selected discography

Plasson's recordings were mainly made for EMI/Virgin, and mostly focused upon works by French composers. Here is a selection of his notable recordings currently (06/09') still featured in EMI/Virgin's catalogue. Among these recordings, his interpretations for the operatic works by Offenbach, Gounod and Massenet were generally considered as excellent by critics.

Hector Berlioz

• Chansons, with Rolando Villazon, Lauren Naouri, and Nicolas Rivenq.

George Bizet

• L'Arlésienne - complete incidental music, with Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse.
• Carmen, with Angela Gheorghiu, Roberto Alagna, Thomas Hampson and Inva Mula.
• Les Pêcheurs de perles, with Barbara Hendricks, John Aler and Gino Quilico.

Chabrier

• Orchestral Works, with Barbara Hendricks, Susan Mentzer and Pierre Del Vescovo.

Claude Debussy

• Orchestral Works, with Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse.

Léo Delibes

• Lakmé, with Natalie Dessay, Gregory Kunde, and José van Dam.

Durufle

• Requiem, and other Religious Works, with Anne Sofie von Otter, Thomas Hampson and Marie-Claire Alain.

Fauré

• Orchestral Works, with Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse.

Gardel

• 15 Tangos, with Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse.

Charles Gounod

• Faust, with Richard Leech, Cheryl Studer, José van Dam and Thomas Hampson.
• Mireille, with Mirella Freni, Alain Vanzo and José van Dam.
• Roméo et Juliette, with Angela Gheorghiu, Roberto Alagna, José van Dam and Simon Keenlyside.

Lalo

• Symphonie espagnole and Violin Concerto, with Augustin Dumay.

Marcel Landowski

• Montségur, with Karan Armstrong and Gino Quilico, 1987.

Massenet

• Don Quichotte, with Teresa Berganza, José van Dam and Alain Fondary.
• Hérodiade, with Cheryl Studer, José van Dam, Thomas Hampson and Ben Heppner.
• Manon, with Ileana Cotrubas, Alfredo Kraus, Gino Quilico
• Werther, with Alfredo Kraus, Tatiana Troyanos, and Matteo Manuguerra.

Offenbach

• La belle Hélène, with Jessye Norman, John Aler and Gabriel Bacquier.
• Orphée aux enfers, with Mady Mesple, Jane Rhodes, Jane Berbie, Charles Burles and Michel Senechal.
• La Périchole, with Teresa Berganza, José Carreras and Gabriel Bacquier.
• La Vie parisienne, with Mady Mesple and Regine Crespin.

Carl Orff

• Carmina Burana, with Natalie Dessay, Thomas Hampson and Gerard Lesne.

Maurice Ravel

• Mélodies, with Jessye Norman, Teresa Berganza, Felicity Lott, Mady Mesple, José van Dam, and Gabriel Bacquier.

References

1. ^ Edward Greenfield (2003-02-14). "Bizet: Carmen". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2003/feb/14/classicalmusicandopera.artsfeatures3. Retrieved 2009-05-14. 

External links

• Michel Plasson biography at EMI Classics

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Name	Plasson, Michel
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Date of birth	1933-10-02
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