French Maestro Conductor Georges Pretre Dies At 92

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French maestro conductor Georges Pretre dies at 92

VIENNA, Jan 5 (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 05th Jan, 2017 ) - French maestro Georges Pretre, the preferred conductor of legendary opera singer Maria Callas, died Wednesday aged 92 after a career wielding the baton for many of the world's top orchestras.

The Vienna Philharmonic, where he regularly conducted, said on its Facebook page that it was mourning "our charming and dear honorary member Georges Pretre with whom we have performed for 50 years".

Pretre died in Naves in southwest France where he owned a chateau, the town's deputy mayor Brigitte Baux, who regularly organised events with the conductor, told AFP. Born in northern France in 1924, Pretre entered the Paris Conservatoire aged 15 but went on to pursue most of his career outside his homeland, from Chicago and the Metropolitan Opera of New York to La Scala in Milan and London's Royal Philharmonic.

At the time of his death, he still had concerts at La Scala scheduled for 2017.