Louis Fourestier

Louis (Félix André) Fourestier (31 May 1892 – 30 September 1976) was a French conductor, composer and pedagogue, and was one of the founders of the Orchestre Symphonique de Paris.

Fourestier was born in Montpellier, where he studied the cello at the local conservatory. He entered the Conservatoire de Paris in 1909 and was a pupil of Alexandre Guilmant, Paul Dukas, André Gedalge, Paul Vidal, Xavier Leroux (harmony) and Vincent d'Indy (conducting), winning prizes for harmony and counterpoint. In 1924, he won the Prix Rossini for his cantata Patria. This was followed by the Prix de Rome in 1925 for another cantata, La mort d'Adonis, and in 1927 the First Grand Prix for the symphonic poem Polynice.

Returning from Rome, Fourestier was engaged as a cellist at the Opéra Comique. His conducting career commenced when, in 1927, he took charge of the orchestra for a performance of Pietro Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana, and he was appointed principal conductor later that year, leaving the company in 1932. He subsequently conducted various orchestras in Paris and elsewhere (Angers, Cannes and Vichy). In 1928 he co-founded the Orchestre Symphonique de Paris along with Ernest Ansermet and Alfred Cortot, before giving way to Pierre Monteux. In 1938 he succeeded Philippe Gaubert as principal conductor at the Paris Opera, remaining there until 1965.

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