Charles Dutoit rewarded
One of the most prestigious awards in classical music, the Royal Philharmonic Society (RPS) Gold Medal, was awarded on Thursday August 17 to conductor Charles Dutoit, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the RPO (Royal Philharmonic Orchestra).
The medal was first awarded in 1870 to celebrate the centenary of Beethoven's birth. The Philharmonic Society of London commissioned Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. The medal was presented to Charles Dutoit at the BBC Proms, on Thursday August 17, as part of a Royal Philharmonic Orchestra concert at the Royal Albert Hall, broadcast live on BBC Radio 3.
He thus joins the closed circle of RPS gold medalists, which includes Martha Argerich, Alfred Brendel, György Kurtag, Arturo Toscanini, Herbert von Karajan and Pierre Boulez, among others.
Present at Septembre Musical, Charles Dutoit will offer a first concert at the Auditorium Stravinsky on August 26 with the RPO, whose program is dedicated entirely to Maurice Ravel, followed by a second, on August 27, devoted to Ravel & Gershwin, two composers who died 80 years ago (in 1937) and who shared a mutual admiration.
