Editing Nikolaus Harnoncourt (section)

== Career ==

Harnoncourt was a [[cello|cellist]] with the [[Vienna Symphony]] from 1952 to 1969. In 1953, he founded the period-instrument ensemble [[Concentus Musicus Wien]] with his wife, [[Alice Harnoncourt|Alice Hoffelner]], whom he married during the year.<ref name="Millington">{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/mar/06/nikolaus-harnoncourt-obituary | title=Nikolaus Harnoncourt obituary | work=The Guardian | author=Barry Millington | date=6 March 2016 | access-date=6 March 2016}}</ref> The Concentus Musicus Wien was dedicated to performances on [[authentic performance|period instruments]]. He played the [[viola da gamba]] at this time, as well as the cello. For the [[Telefunken]] (later [[Teldec]]) label, Harnoncourt recorded Baroque repertoire, beginning with the viol music of [[Henry Purcell]],<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2003/apr/18/classicalmusicandopera.artsfeatures2 | title=Concentus Musicus Wien: A Celebration | work=The Guardian | author=Andrew Clements | date=18 April 2003 | access-date=12 August 2007}}</ref> and extending to include works like Bach's ''[[The Musical Offering]]'',<ref>{{cite journal | url=http://mq.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/LVIII/3/496 |last=Wolff |first=Christoph | title=Reviews of Records, Johann Sebastian Bach: ''Musikalisches Opfer'' | journal=The Musical Quarterly | volume=58 | issue=3 | pages=496–501 |date=July 1972 | access-date=12 August 2007 | doi = 10.1093/mq/LVIII.3.496 }}</ref> Monteverdi's ''[[L'incoronazione di Poppea]]'',<ref>{{cite journal | last=Glover | first=Jane | year=1975 | title=Review of Monteverdi's ''L'incoronazione di Poppea'' | journal=The Musical Times | volume=116  | issue=1590 | pages=715 | doi=10.2307/960052 | jstor=960052 | hdl=11250/283741 | hdl-access=free }}</ref> and Rameau's ''[[Castor et Pollux]]''.<ref>{{cite journal | url=http://mq.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/LIX/2/328 |last=Cyr |first=Mary | title=Reviews of Records, Rameau: ''Castor et Pollux'' | journal=The Musical Quarterly | volume=59 | issue=2 | pages=328–333 |date=April 1973 | access-date=12 August 2007 | doi = 10.1093/mq/LIX.2.328 }}</ref> One of his final recordings with the Concentus Musicus Wien was of Beethoven's [[Symphony No. 4 (Beethoven)|Symphonies Nos. 4]] and [[Symphony No. 5 (Beethoven)|5]].<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/feb/21/beethoven-symphonies-4-and-5-review-concentus-musicus-wien-harnoncourt | title=Beethoven: Symphonies 4 & 5 CD review – Harnoncourt bows out with blazing intensity | work=The Observer | author=Nicholas Kenyon | date=21 February 2016 | access-date=6 March 2016}}</ref>

One reason that Harnoncourt left the Vienna Symphony was to become a conductor. 
He made a conducting debut at [[La Scala]], [[Milan]], in 1972/ 73 season, leading a production of Monteverdi's ''[[Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria]]'' at La Piccola Scala.<ref name="x493">{{cite web | title=Dettaglio Spettacolo | website=Teatro alla Scala | url=https://www.teatroallascala.org/it/archivio/spettacolo.html?guid_=be7031ad-13d0-40be-9dec-bb4366750a11&id_allest_=6756&id_evento_=6594&mode=EVENTI | language=it | access-date=21 November 2024}}</ref>

In 1971, Harnoncourt established a joint project with conductor [[Gustav Leonhardt]] to record all of [[List of Bach cantatas|J.S. Bach's cantatas]]. The [[Bach cantatas (Teldec)|Teldec Bach cantata project]] was eventually completed in 1990 and was the only cantata cycle to use an all-male choir and soloist roster, with the exception of cantatas nos. [[Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen, BWV 51|51]] and [[Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut, BWV 199|199]], which were intended for a female soprano voice. He also made the first recordings in historically informed performance of Bach's [[Mass in B minor discography#Harnoncourt|Mass in B minor]] (1968) and ''[[St Matthew Passion discography#Harnoncourt|St Matthew Passion]]'' (1970). In 2001, an acclaimed and [[Grammy Award]] winning [[St Matthew Passion discography#Harnoncourt 2000|recording of the ''St Matthew Passion'']] with the [[Arnold Schoenberg Choir]] was released, which included the entire score of the piece in Bach's own hand on a [[CD-ROM]]. This was his third recording of the work.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Vocal/BWV244-Harnoncourt.htm|title=Matthaus-Passion BWV 244 – conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt|access-date=6 March 2016}}</ref>

Harnoncourt later performed with many orchestras performing on modern instruments, but retaining considerations for historical authenticity in terms of [[tempo|tempi]] and [[dynamics (music)|dynamics]], among other issues. He also expanded his repertoire, continuing to play the [[baroque music|baroque]] works, but also championing the [[Vienna|Viennese]] [[operetta]] repertoire. He made a benchmark recording of [[Symphonies (Beethoven)|Beethoven's symphonies]] with the [[Chamber Orchestra of Europe]] (COE),<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/11/17/arts/recordings-view-harnoncourt-gives-beethoven-a-mild-jolt.html | title=Harnoncourt Gives Beethoven a Mild Jolt | work=New York Times | author=John Rockwell | date=17 November 1993 | access-date=12 August 2007}}</ref> and recorded Beethoven's [[piano concerto]]s with [[Pierre-Laurent Aimard]] and the COE.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2003/feb/28/classicalmusicandopera.artsfeatures1 | title=Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos 1 -5: Aimard/Chamber Orchestra of Europe/Harnoncourt | work=The Guardian | author=Andrew Clements | date=28 February 2003 | access-date=12 August 2007}}</ref>

Harnoncourt was a guest conductor of the [[Vienna Philharmonic]] and made several recordings with the orchestra.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2002/aug/02/classicalmusicandopera.artsfeatures5 | title=Smetana: Ma Vlast | work=The Guardian | author=Andrew Clements | date=2 October 2002 | access-date=12 August 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://arts.guardian.co.uk/critic/review/0,,1069664,00.html | title=Bruckner Symphony No 9: Vienna Philharmonic / Harnoncourt | work=The Guardian | author=Andrew Clements | date=24 October 2003 | access-date=12 August 2007}}</ref> Between 1987 and 1991, he conducted four new productions of Mozart operas at the [[Vienna State Opera]] (1987–91: ''[[Idomeneo]]''; 1988–90: ''[[The Magic Flute|Die Zauberflöte]]''; 1989: ''[[Die Entführung aus dem Serail]]''; 1989–91: ''[[Così fan tutte]]''). He directed the Vienna Philharmonic's New Year's Day concerts in 2001 and 2003.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/02/arts/music-review-a-new-year-comes-to-old-vienna.html | title=A New Year Comes to Old Vienna | work=New York Times | author=James R. Oestreich | date=2 January 2003 | access-date=12 August 2007}}</ref>

In 1992, Harnoncourt debuted at the [[Salzburg Festival]] conducting a concert with the [[Chamber Orchestra of Europe]]. In the following years, he led several concerts with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, the Vienna Philharmonic and the Concentus Musicus. Harnoncourt also served as the conductor for major opera productions of the Festival: ''L'incoronazione di Poppea'' (1993), Mozart's ''[[Le nozze di Figaro]]'' (1995 and 2006), ''[[Don Giovanni]]'' (2002, marking also [[Anna Netrebko]]'s international breakthrough as Donna Anna, and 2003) and ''[[La clemenza di Tito]]'' (2003 and 2006), and Purcell's ''[[King Arthur (opera)|King Arthur]]'' (2004).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archive.salzburgerfestspiele.at/institution/archiv/archiv-suchergebnisse?k=harnoncourt&dv=1.1.1900&db=31.12.2018&typ=0|title=Salzburger Festspiele / Geschichte Archiv Sucherergebnisse|website=archive.salzburgerfestspiele.at}}</ref> In 2012, Harnoncourt conducted a new production of ''Die Zauberflöte'' staged by [[Jens-Daniel Herzog]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Gotoh|first1=Nahoko|title=A visually brilliant but serious Zauberflöte at the Salzburg Festival|url=https://bachtrack.com/review-salzburg-festival-2012-zauberflote-herzog|access-date=6 March 2016|publisher=Bachtrack Ltd.|date=10 August 2012}}</ref>

Harnoncourt made his guest-conducting debut with the [[Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra|Concertgebouw Orchestra, Amsterdam]] in 1975. He continued as a guest conductor with the orchestra, including in several opera productions and recordings.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2003/may/23/classicalmusicandopera.artsfeatures5| title=Dvorak: The Golden Spinning Wheel; The Noon Witch; The Water Goblin; The Wild Dove: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra/ Harnoncourt | work=The Guardian | author=Andrew Clements | date=23 May 2003 | access-date=12 August 2007}}</ref> In October 2000, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (KCO) named him their ''Honorair gastdirigent'' (Honorary Guest Conductor). His final appearance with the KCO was in October 2013, leading Bruckner's [[Symphony No. 5 (Bruckner)|Symphony No. 5]].

Other recordings outside of the baroque and classical era repertoire included his 2002 recording of Bruckner's [[Symphony No. 9 (Bruckner)|Symphony No. 9]] with the Vienna Philharmonic. An accompanying second CD contained a lecture by Harnoncourt about the symphony with musical examples, including the rarely heard fragments from the unfinished finale. In 2009, Harnoncourt recorded Gershwin's ''[[Porgy and Bess]]'', taken from live performances at Graz. He was a conductor for the [[Rudolf Buchbinder]]'s recording of [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]]'s Piano concertos No. 23 & 25.

On 5 December 2015, one day before his 86th birthday, Harnoncourt announced his retirement via his website. "My bodily strength requires me to cancel my future plans," he wrote in a hand-written letter inserted into the program on his 86th birthday of a concert by the Concentus Musicus Wien.<ref name=bbcobit>{{cite news | date = 6 March 2016 | access-date = 6 March 2016 | publisher = BBC | title = Austrian conductor Nikolaus Harnoncourt dies at 86 | url = https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-35739456 }}</ref>

=== Styriarte ===

Harnoncourt was the focus of the annual festival of classical music [[Styriarte]], founded in 1985 to tie him closer to his hometown, [[Graz]]. He programmed the festival for 31 years. Events have been held at different venues in Graz and in the surrounding region.<ref name="Styriarte">{{cite news | year = 2016 | access-date = 21 September 2017 | publisher = [[Styriarte]] | title = 31 Jahre styriarte mit Nikolaus Harnoncourt  | url = https://styriarte.com/styriarte/31-jahre-styriarte-mit-nikolaus-harnoncourt/ | language = de}}</ref>