Franz Welser-Möst
Franz Welser-Möst (born Linz, 16 August 1960) is an Austrian conductor. He is the conductor (music director) of the Cleveland Orchestra.
Life[change | change source]
Franz Leopold Maria Möst was born in Linz, Austria. He learned to play the violin, but after being injured in a car accident he changed to conducting.
In 1985 he changed his stage-name to "Welser-Möst" after the town of Wels where he grew up. He soon started to be invited to conduct major orchestras. He appeared at the Salzburg Festival in 1985, then conducted the London Philharmonic Orchestra in 1986 and, from 1989 he appeared a lot in the United States. He conducted the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic and Chicago Symphony Orchestra. In 1990, Welser-Möst became main (principal) conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra. He received a lot of criticism and left the LPO in 1996.
In 1995 he went to the Zurich Opera House where he conducted many operas including complete cycles of Wagner's Ring Cycle. He left the Zurich post in 2008.
Since 2002 Welser-Möst has been conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra.
In 2007, the Austrian government made him musical director (Generalmusikdirektor) of the Vienna State Opera beginning in September 2010.
He has made many recordings.