Hyperion Records

Swiss conductor Thierry Fischer is Principal Conductor of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and also, from 2008, Chief Conductor of the Nagoya Philharmonic. From 2001 to 2006 he was Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor of the Ulster Orchestra.

Fischer studied the flute with Aurèle Nicolet and began his musical career as principal flute in Hamburg and at the Zurich Opera, where he studied scores with Nikolaus Harnoncourt who was a profound influence on him. Fischer’s conducting career began in his thirties when he replaced an ailing colleague, subsequently directing his first few concerts with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, where he was principal flute under Claudio Abbado, who encouraged and inspired him in his newfound talent for conducting. Spending his apprentice years in Holland, Thierry Fischer has since appeared with many leading orchestras in the United Kingdom and Europe.

During his tenure with the Ulster Orchestra in Belfast, Fischer toured with the orchestra to Prague and New York and appeared several times at the BBC Proms, conducted cycles of Schubert, Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Brahms, Schumann and Honegger, and made a critically acclaimed series of recordings of the works of Jean Françaix.

Fischer’s hallmarks are a lightness of touch and transparency of texture, allowing room for vivid characterization. He has a keen stylistic sense and brings a fresh approach to repertoire which extends from Bach, the Classical repertoire and the early Romantics to the second Viennese school and the great French composers of the early twentieth century. He is a keen advocate of his compatriots Frank Martin and Honegger, and displays a particular feel for the music of Prokofiev, Stravinsky and Shostakovich. Furthermore, he has an affinity with the unique textures and radical utopianism of Messiaen.

Fischer’s popularity in the United Kingdom has brought him most recently to the Philharmonia, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Hallé and BBC Symphony. In parallel to his symphonic career, Thierry Fischer’s collaborative approach has fostered strong relationships with several prestigious chamber orchestras, notably the Scottish Chamber, Northern Sinfonia and Dutch Radio Chamber, all of whom invite him at least once every season. He has also conducted the Australian Chamber, Lausanne, Zurich, Munich and Swedish chamber orchestras, as well as the Ensemble Orchestral de Paris.