Michael Halász

MICHAEL HALÁSZ (b. 1938) began his professional musical career as principal bassoonist with the Philharmonia Hungarica in Vienna. Eight years later, he turned to conducting and studied at the Folkwang School of Music in Essen, Germany. His first professional engagement as a conductor was at the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz in Munich, where he conducted operetta productions from 1972 to 1975.

In 1975, he moved to Frankfurt, where he worked as principal Kapellmeister under Christoph von Dohnányi and conducted major works from the operatic repertoire. In 1977, he followed Dohnányi to Hamburg, continuing as principal Kapellmeister at the Hamburg State Opera, and in 1978 he was appointed General Music Director (Generalmusikdirektor) of the Hagen Philharmonic Orchestra. From 1991 to 2011, he served as Resident Conductor at the Vienna State Opera.

Halász has an extensive discography and has made dozens of recordings for the Naxos and Marco Polo labels. Each year, he records for Naxos in Pardubice with the Czech Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra. His repertoire spans a wide range of music – from the complete symphonies of Ludwig van Beethoven and the symphonic poems of Franz Liszt to works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Don Giovanni, The Magic Flute, The Marriage of Figaro), Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, Antonín Dvořák, Gustav Mahler, Franz Schubert and many other composers.

His career has taken him to leading musical institutions in Germany and Austria, while his extensive international recording activity has brought his interpretations to a wide audience.