Gold Medal Presentation to Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Nikolaus Harnoncourt becomes the latest recipient of one of the most esteemed honours in the music world - the Royal Philharmonic Society Gold Medal.
Since its initiation in 1870, recipients have included Brahms (1877), Delius and Elgar (1925), Richard Strauss (1936), Stravinsky (1954), Britten and Bernstein (1987). More recently, the medal has been awarded to Charles Mackerras, Daniel Barenboim, Henri Dutilleux and Thomas Quasthoff.
The award was created to commemorate the centenary of Beethoven’s birth and celebrates the close relationship between the Society and the composer. It is thus particularly fitting that Harnoncourt, whose performances and recordings of Beethoven’s work have achieved a legendary status, will receive this award.
The ceremony takes place during a concert of Beethoven’s “Missa Solemnis” with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam on April 22 2012 at Barbican Hall, London. ()