David Porcelijn - Conductor
" … an exhilarating performance of Beethoven's Symphony No 5.
Right from the most famous opening bar in all music, Porcelijn swapped the
elegant restraint of the Prokofiev for a bold, energised but always beautifully
controlled account, and the players responded in kind, culminating in a
thrilling, pulsating finale."
The Herald, Glasgow
David Porcelijn is one of the most outstanding Dutch musicians of his generation. During the last three years he has made eleven London appearances conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Sinfonietta and BBC Symphony Orchestra as well as having an immediate re-invitation from the Philharmonia Orchestra after his debut with them two years ago and his return to Sydney at around the same time for performances of Mozart's "Requiem" drew an immediate re-invitation there, too. After several years conducting mainly outside Europe he has now returned to work with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden Baden und Freiburg, Orquesta Filharmónica de Gran Canaria, Radio-Philharmonie Hannover des NDR and Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra amongst many others. Beyond his excellent work in core repertoire he also has an abiding interest in new music which he conducts throughout the world taking, for example, the Nieuw Ensemble of his native Amsterdam to the Edinburgh International Festival for three concerts in 2003. His work now sees him conducting in three continents with major cultural organisations like Opera Australia, the Prague Spring Festival and the Orquesta Filharmónica de la Cuidad de México. A most highly regarded orchestral trainer, he has held positions as Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the RTB Symphony Orchestra in Belgrade, Music Director and Conductor of the Netherlands Dance Theatre and he has also been a regular guest conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.
David Porcelijn studied Flute, Composition and Conducting at the Royal Conservatoire of Music in den Haag. He also studied the Baroque Flute, specialising in authentic performance practice of the baroque and classical periods which has informed his interpretations as a conductor in that repertoire ever since. Winning a scholarship to study conducting and composition in Genève enabled David Porcelijn's name as a conductor of classical, romantic and contemporary music to extend outside the Netherlands and build towards a strong international career.
David Porcelijn has a broad operatic repertoire. In 1992 he was awarded the prize as Best Opera Conductor at the Munich Biennial for a production with Netherlands Opera. In 1994 he made his British operatic debut conducting Verdi's Oberto at Opera North. He made his Australian opera debut in 1991 conducting Rigoletto for the State Opera of South Australia, where he has since conducted Macbeth, La Traviata and John Adams' Nixon in China and, with Opera Queensland, Madama Butterfly. His work for Opera Australia at Sydney Opera House has included Lucia di Lammermoor, Rigoletto, Les contes d'Hoffmann and Il barbiere di Siviglia and, in co-operation with Opera Australia, he also conducted a semi-staged version of Rossini's La Cenerentola in Tasmania.
David Porcelijn is an accomplished recording artist who is currently making most of his CDs for cpo. These include, most recently, the symphonies of Christian Sinding with the Radio-Philharmonie Hannover des NDR and there are now plans for two other major recording cycles for the same company. In previous years David Porcelijn's many recordings were principally made for ABC Classics in Australia. Amongst these is his complete cycle of Beethoven Symphonies with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Messiaen's Éclairs sur l'Au-délà with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra (which won the 1994 Award for ABC Classic FM Australian Recording of the Year) and other records with the Adelaide and Tasmanian symphony orchestras that have included CD's of music by the Australian composers Richard Meale, Peter Sculthorpe (whose Sun Music I - IV won the 1997 ARIA award for Best Australian Classical Recording), Nigel Westlake and Mathew Hindson. Other CD's for ABC Classics include CDs of music by Kurt Schwertsik, Schubert Lieder (orchestrated by Brahms, Reger, Offenbach and Liszt), Overtures by Auber, the first in a series of Showpieces for Piano and Orchestra with Ian Munro as soloist and Harp Concertos played by Alice Giles. For EMERGO he has recorded music by the Dutch composers Tristan Keuris (with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus) and Hans Kox.
July 2006
Discography
| COMPOSER | Work | Label / CD |
|---|---|---|
| Hendrik ANDRIESSEN | Miroir de Peine; Magna res est amor; Fiat Domine; Variations and Fugue on a theme by Kuhnau; Variations on a theme by Couperin; Chromatic Variations Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra ; Roberta Alexander |
NM Cl. 92023 EDISON AWARD |
| Jeff HAMBURG | Zey; Schuylkill; Symphomy in Es; Concertino | DONEMUS CV 67 NPO |
| Harp Concertos Ginastera; Jolivet; Glire Adelaide Symphony Orchestra; Alice Giles |
ABC CLASSICS 454 506-2 |
|
| Matthew HINDSON | Speed + Speed Re-orchestral Mix Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra |
ABC CLASSICS 465 432-2 |
| Italian composers Berio; Maderna; Francesconi; Donatoni |
ASKO ATTACCA Live 2 |
|
| Willem JETHS | Fas/Nefas + Glenz NPO; Tomoko Mukaiyama; Peter Brunt |
DONEMUS CV 88/89 |
| Tristan KEURIS | Violin Concerto No. 2; Symphony in D Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra Yayoi Toda |
EMERGO EC 3940-2 |
| Tristan KEURIS | Laudi; Arcade Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra Jard van Nes, David Pittman-Jennings, John-Edward Kelly, Netherlands Radio Choir |
EMERGO EC 3933-2 |
| Hans KOX | Oratorium Sjoah Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra Netherlands Radio Choir + Soloists |
TBI-1-93 |
| Hans KOX | Four Orchestral Suites: Opera Suite from the Opera das grune Gesicht; Dorian Gray Suite; Ballet Suite Spleen; Six one-act plays for twenty-nine musicians Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra |
EMERGO EC 3924-2 |
| Theo LOEVENDIE | Naima Suite Netherlands Ballet Orchestra |
DONEMUS CV24 |
| Richard MEALE | Scenes from "Mer de Glace"; Viridian; Symphony no 1 Adelaide Symphony Orchestra |
ABC CLASSICS 446 477-2 |
| MESSIAEN | źclairs sur l'Au-Del–... Sydney Symphony Orchestra |
ABC 442 510-2 ABC CLASSICS 8.770011 |
| SAINT-SAčNS | Piano Concertos 2 & 4; Caprice Valse op.76 Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra Wibi Soerjadi |
PHILIPS 446 496-2 |
| SCHUBERT | Lieder Orchestrations Auckland Symphony Orchestra; Michael Lewis |
ABC CLASSICS 456 362-2 |
| Peter SCULTHORPE | Sun Music I-IV; Memento Mori; Sun Song; From Uluru Adelaide Symphony Orchestra |
ABC UNDER CAPRICORN 454 505-2 ARIA AWARD |
| Peter SCULTHORPE | The Fifth Continent; Port Arthur in Memmoriam; Djilile; Lament; Little
Song; Night-Song Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra |
ABC UNDER CAPRICORN 456 363-2 |
| Noam SHERIFF | Mechaye Hametim Israel philharmonic Orchestra Joseph Malovani, Lieuwe Visser, Dutch Men's Choir |
CDI 29003 |
| Noam SHERIFF | Revival of the Dead; Genesis Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Porcelijn/Metha |
SIGNUM SIG x110-00 |
| Larry SITSKY | Concerto for Piano & Orchestra ASO, Roger Woodward |
ABC CLASSICS 456 688-2 |
| Klas TORSTENSSON | Licks & Brains ASKO, Netherlands Saxophone Quartet |
DONEMUS CVCD 13 |
| Theo VERBEY | Duet; Inversie; Contractie; Expulsie; Hommage Berg Sonata op. 1 ASKO, Porcelijn/Chailly |
DONEMUS CV 31 |
| Nigel WESTLAKE | Invocations; Antarctica; Out of the blue... Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra
Nigel Westlake, Timothy Kain |
ABC CLASSICS 462 017-2 |
| XENAKIS | Waarg; Eonta; Palimpsest; Enchange ASKO, Sparnaay, Takahashi |
ATTACCA |
| Kurt SCHWERTSIK | Irdische Klänge; Five Nature Pieces; Mit den riesen Stiefeln; Baumgesänge; Uluru Adelaide Symphony Orchestra |
EC 3913-2 |
| Opera | ||
| THEO LOEVENDIE | Gassir, the Hero ASKO Ensemble McFadden,Poulton,Smeets,Gillett, Wilson,Visser |
DONEMUS CV 35 |
| WILLEM PIJPER | Merlijn Radio Philharmonic Orchestra Singers: Smid,Smeding,van der Putten,Sischoff,Fritschy,Hund,Smits,Bröcheler, Micu,Sturkeboom, Jorgensen, Peterson,Alders, Boswinkel Netherlands Radio Choir |
NM CLASSICS 92055 |