Michael Gielen
- Type: Classical Performer
- Country: Austria
- Born: July 20, 1927 in Dresden, Germany
- Died: March 08, 2019 in Mondsee, Austria
Biography
Michael Gielen was an Austrian conductor, composer, and pianist, renowned for his intellectually rigorous and unsentimental interpretations, particularly of 20th-century and contemporary music. Born in Germany, he emigrated to Argentina before establishing his career in Europe. A champion of the Second Viennese School, he led premieres of works by composers like *Gy枚rgy Ligeti* and *Bernd Alois Zimmermann*. His extensive career included directorships at the Frankfurt Opera, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and a transformative tenure with the SWR Symphony Orchestra, with whom he recorded a complete Mahler cycle for the #H盲nssler# label. His own compositions follow in the tradition of *Arnold Schoenberg*, reflecting his lifelong engagement with modernism.