Franz Welser-Möst

Achieving prominence as a conductor already in his mid-twenties, Franz Welser-Möst secured a prominent appointment at age 29 when he became principal conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra. His career has been marked by considerable debate surrounding personnel decisions and administrative concerns, polarizing reviewers while also earning their approval at times. He stands among his contemporaries as one who has attained the highest levels of accomplishment across both symphonic and operatic domains.

In his role as longtime music director of the Cleveland Orchestra, Welser-Möst directed a 2023 recording of Prokofiev's Symphony No. 5. During the same year, he conducted the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra's traditional New Year's Concert for the third occasion.

Born Franz Möst on August 16, 1960, in Linz, Austria, he grew up in the city of Wels, eventually adopting the combined surname Welser-Möst in tribute to that community. After initial training on violin and piano, he attended the Linz Music School. An automobile accident resulting in nerve damage to his left hand prompted a shift toward conducting instead. His studies proceeded under Balduin Sulzer, followed by enrollment at the Musikhochschule in Munich between 1980 and 1984.

Welser-Möst made his first appearance at the Salzburg Festival in 1985 and assumed the position of principal conductor with the Norrköping Symphony Orchestra in 1986, the year of his initial engagement with the London Philharmonic Orchestra as well. He commenced a turbulent period leading the latter ensemble three years afterward, remaining until 1996; together they received a Gramophone Award for their interpretation of Franz Schmidt's Symphony No. 4.

From 1995 to 2000 he held the music directorship at the Zurich Opera House, returning later as general music director from 2005 to 2008. The Cleveland Orchestra has benefited from his leadership as music director since 2002. Welser-Möst guided the orchestra through its debut joint recording in 2007, presenting Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 for Deutsche Grammophon. Between 2010 and 2014 he additionally served as music director of the Vienna State Opera.

Although his programming encompasses a wide spectrum in both concert and stage settings, Welser-Möst has focused especially on Mozart's operas, sacred music, and instrumental pieces, as well as Bruckner's symphonies and sacred compositions. He has also directed works by composers ranging from Handel, Haydn, Beethoven, and Schumann to Duparc, Lehár, and Orff, extending further to Stravinsky, Schreker, and John Williams.

Maintaining an active pace of recordings and appearances throughout the 2020s, he has produced multiple releases annually, among them the 2020 album A New Century with the Cleveland Orchestra. Returning to Vienna in 2023, Welser-Möst directed the Vienna Philharmonic's New Year's Concert for the third time, with the performance soon released on recording. He likewise conducted the Cleveland Orchestra that year in a new recording of Prokofiev's Symphony No. 5.