Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

Nikolaus Harnoncourt

Austrian conductor

Date of Birth: 06-Dec-1929

Place of Birth: Berlin

Date of Death: 05-Mar-2016

Profession: writer, composer, conductor, musician, choir director, cellist, viol player

Nationality: Austria

Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius

Nikolaus Harnoncourt (Johann Nikolaus Graf [Count] de la Fontaine und d'Harnoncourt-Unverzagt; 6 December 1929 – 5 March 2016) was an Austrian conductor, particularly known for his historically informed performances of music from the Classical era and earlier.
Starting out as a classical cellist, he founded his own period instrument ensemble, Concentus Musicus Wien, in the 1950s, and became a pioneer of the Early Music movement.
Around 1970, Harnoncourt started to conduct opera and concert performances, soon leading renowned international symphony orchestras, and appearing at leading concert halls, operatic venues and festivals.
His repertoire then widened to include composers of the 19th and 20th centuries.
In 2001 and 2003, he conducted the Vienna New Year's Concert.
Harnoncourt was also the author of several books, mostly on subjects of performance history and musical aesthetics.