“The results were heart-stopping, transfixing, almost beyond praise; they created the sort of quasi-religious enchantment that Wagner envisioned at his most grandiose, but that performances of his music provide all too rarely …” San Francisco Chronicle, December 2008
Born in Sussex, England, Mark Wigglesworth studied music at Manchester University and conducting at the Royal Academy of Music in London.
Whilst still a student, he formed The Premiere Ensemble, an orchestra committed to performing a new piece in every programme. A few weeks after leaving the Academy, he won the Kondrashin International Conducting Competition in The Netherlands, and since then has worked with many of the leading orchestras and opera companies of the world.
In 1992 he became Associate Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra and further appointments included Principal Guest Conductor of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Music Director of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. Highlights of his time with the BBCNOW included several visits to the BBC Proms, a performance of Mahler's Tenth Symphony at the prestigious Amsterdam Mahler Festival in 1995, and a six part series for BBC Television entitled 'Everything To Play For.'
In addition to concerts with most of the UK's orchestras, Mark Wigglesworth has regularly guest conducted many of Europe's finest ensembles, including the Berlin Philharmonic, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, La Scala Filarmonica, Milan, Gothenburg Symphony, Oslo Philharmonic, Finnish Radio Symphony, Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra, and the Budapest Festival Orchestra. In 2000 he led the Sydney Symphony at the closing concert of the Olympic Arts Festival and has worked many times with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. He has been equally busy in North America having been invited to the Cleveland Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal, and the Boston Symphony. He frequently visits the Minnesota Orchestra and Detroit Symphony and has an on-going relationship with the New World Symphony.
It is with this Miami based professional training orchestra that Mark continues his commitment to making music with young people. Having conducted the Dutch National Youth Orchestra on several occasions since 1990 he has collaborated with many of Holland's finest musicians from the earliest stages of their careers. Passionate about passing on his experiences to a younger generation, he has also performed with the European Union Youth Orchestra, the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, and the Aspen Music Festival Orchestra, as well as giving Conducting Masterclasses in London, Stockholm and Amsterdam.
Alongside his symphonic conducting, Mark Wigglesworth has always been equally at home in the opera house. This began with a period as Music Director of Opera Factory, London, and has since involved repeated visits to Glyndebourne (Peter Grimes, La Boheme, Le Nozze di Figaro), Welsh National Opera (Elektra, The Rake's Progress, Tristan und Isolde), and English National Opera (Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, Cosi fan Tutte, Falstaff). He has conducted at the Netherlands Opera with Peter Grimes; La Monnaie in Brussels with Mitridate, Wozzeck, and Pelleas et Melisande; The Metropolitan Opera, New York with Le Nozze di Figaro; and The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden with Die Meistersinger von Nuremberg.
In the studio, Mark's recordings have centred around a project with BIS Records to record all the symphonies of Shostakovich. Now nearing its completion, this cycle has received critical acclaim throughout the world. The live performances of Mahler's Sixth and Tenth Symphonies that he gave with the Melbourne Symphony have also been issued on the MSO Live label.
September 2009 / 536 words. Not to be altered without permission. Please destroy all previous biographical material.
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Minnesota Orchestra / Wagner, Brahms
“From the meticulously balanced opening bars, Wigglesworth's touch was sure; frenzied sections were propulsive, languorous passages glowed. …
As late Haydn symphonies go, No. 90 is obscure. Yet it offers abundant formal felicities, captivating solo turns for flute and oboe and, in the finale, a musical joke worthy of PDQ Bach…Wigglesworth was in his element; the band played with articulate gusto”
Star Tribune, May 2010
English National Opera / Janacek Katya Kabanova
"The production’s triumph is primarily musical, however. Mark Wigglesworth ... proves a worthy successor to Mackerras in this repertoire. Indeed, I don’t recall playing as beautiful and powerful as this in Janacek’s score before. Wigglesworth emphasises Janacek’s lyricism — the prelude representing the Volga, the heart-stopping music announcing Katya’s first appearance, the ecstatic climax as Boris and Katya meet for the last time — without sacrificing its rhythmic pungency and dramatic momentum. It’s a theatrical bonus that the 100-minute opera proceeds without a break. Wigglesworth, Alden and Racette rack up the tension to the last. This is another memorable Janacek night at the Colly."
Hugh Canning, The Sunday Times, March 2010
"But the protagonist of the evening is the ENO orchestra attending to every facet of Janacek's painfully beautiful and brutal score. Mark Wigglesworth conducts it magnificently, with passion and a quiet understanding,. where silences become prophecies and a solo string bass line can unlock all the sorrows in the world in Katya's final moments."
Edward Seckerson, The Independent, March 2010
"Mark Wigglesworth unfolds the aching rapture of the score with consummate authority. In their final meeting, Boris and Katya reels perilously along the banks of the Volga and a sense of being on the brink is miraculously conveyed too in Wigglesworth's reading. His conducting and Alden's direction make for a powerful conjunction of drama and music, constantly engaging the emotions, frequently lacerating."
Barry Millington, Evening Standard, March 2010
"The remainder of the cast is quite exceptionally good and Mark Wigglesworth's conducting is even better than that. I can't think when I last heard ENO's orchestra play with such sumptuous richness of texture, with rhythms kept electrifyingly tense and the pacing perfectly judged. Wigglesworth may be a hard taskmaster, but golly, does he get results. "
Rupert Christiansen, The Telegraph, March 2010
"the music is stunningly delivered - and often beautifully delineated - by the ENO Orchestra under Mark Wigglesworth's direction. It's all over in 100 minutes with no interval. But I'm still shuddering from the impact."
Richard Morrison, The Times, March 2010
"Everything about this performance is first rate - from Mark Wigglesworth's beautifully detailed and expansive conducting, through Alfie Boe's Kudriash, Anna Grevelius's "Varvara and Clive Bayley's Dikoy to the leading roles, with Racette and Skelton counterpointed with Susan Bickley's Kabanicha, as monstrous of character as of coiffeur"
Andrew Clements, The Guardian, March 2010
"It's amazing how much you can tell of what lies ahead from the way a conductor handles a master composer's first chord. Katya Kabanova's opening sigh of muted violas and cellos underpinned by double basses should tell us that the Volga into which the self-persecuted heroine will eventually throw herself is a river, real or metaphorical, of infinite breadth and depth. And that was exactly what Mark Wigglesworth conjured from the ENO strings in a performance more alert to the value of every note and colour in Janacek's lightening-flash score than any I've heard.
The hushed tenderness of the ENO's Orchestra's phrasing under Wigglesworth is almost too painful to bear here. Either side of it as single clarinet note seems to come from the depths of Katya's tormented spirit and an oboe wails an unearthly threnody over her drowned body. Janacek who insisted upon the expressive significance of every tone from voices and instruments, would surely have approved. And Wigglesworth understands the unbearable tension of silence. What is unsung or unplayed is as vital as what we see."
David Nice, The Art's Desk, March 2010
Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra / Shostakovich Symphony No.11 (BIS)
“Mark Wigglesworth's attention to detail is apparent from the first movement. The music seems to stand still as Wigglesworth stakes everything on the most important element: the instrumentation. He doesn't hurry his way through the movement, but waits until every detail emerges out of the haze of the strings. This has a most unusual effect. On the one hand, the performance seems almost too slow and sluggish; on the other hand it is perhaps precisely this lethargic, pale coolness (demonstrated to perfection in the trumpet's reveille) that is the essence of this piece. It could quite appropriately be compared to a menacing military march.
The same applies to the rest of the recording: the tempo is on the whole slow, giving space to every phrase and every tonal nuance. The subtly planned corollary is that the fast sections of movements 2 and 4 are performed at a tempo just quick enough that none of the lines become blurred. The orchestra's virtuosity is apparent in the extreme precision and excitement of the playing. (...) The performance of the whole symphony is eloquent in its narrative, and coherent in its expression.”
klassik.com, April 2010
“… This could be the most important Shostakovich cycle of recent times. […]
[Wigglesworth] takes a broader, more purposeful view of these scores than most, uncovering a wealth of hidden detail and sonorities along the way. This wouldn’t count for much if the results weren’t so compelling. For instance, I was quite sure the gaunt 8th wouldn’t survive Wigglesworth’s measured pace, only to discover that those great climaxes sound all the more powerful for being so doggedly pursued. In particular, the 12th which, like the 11th, is often considered a Cinderella symphony, emerges as a far better work than I had first imagined. Indeed, if anyone can be said to have rehabilitated that neglected work it must be Mark Wigglesworth.
So, how does the 11th fare? As with all iconoclasts - and I’d say that’s a fair description of this conductor - first reactions are likely to be mixed. His tempi and phrasing in the first movement, ‘In the Palace Square’, are very deliberate indeed - just listen to those dark opening chords - yet the music retains a surprising degree of tension. […]
The second movement, ‘The Ninth of January’, is similarly low-key to begin with, but Wigglesworth soon ratchets up the tension, restless brass baying above insistent drums. And despite the work’s obvious programme, Wigglesworth focuses more on the subtleties and nuances of the score, all of which are projected with striking clarity and implacable logic. That may translate into ‘too cool and detached’ for some, but aided and abetted by a warm, detailed recording Wigglesworth and his Dutch forces can be as ferocious as any when required. […]
After that heat and turmoil Shostakovich strikes a note of utter desolation, the music leached of all warmth and drained of all momentum. Wigglesworth captures that chill as few others have done, ushering in the third movement, ‘In memoriam’, with the softest string playing imaginable. Indeed, the ear-pricking realism of this disc is a perfect complement to the conductor’s passion for detail; many of those barely audible string passages - a distant keening, perhaps - are often lost on less analytical recordings. Just as impressive is the amplitude and weight of the pounding theme that emerges at 7:57, less gritty than some yet no less powerful for that. And listen out for the spectral figure that flickers into life at 10:15; it may be short-lived, but in Wigglesworth’s hands it takes on a frisson all of its own.
The last movement, ‘The Tocsin’, is apt to sound rhetorical at best and bombastic at worst, and it’s a measure of Wigglesworth’s skill that he manages to avoid both pitfalls. There’s plenty of thrust here, the playing as keenly focused as ever. […] But it’s that juggernaut of a finale that draws together all the strengths of Wigglesworth’s vision, combining raw power with a remarkable degree of refinement, yet without sacrificing momentum or excitement.
And that’s the nub of it; Wigglesworth’s musical judgment is impeccable, the results invariably illuminating. Yes, the young pretender Vasily Petrenko’s recent recording of the 11th might offer more ‘bang for your buck’, but if you want a deeply satisfying performance of this symphony - and an unrivalled recording - then Wigglesworth’s is the one for you.”
Recording of the Month
musicweb-international.com, March 2010
New World Symphony / Berg, Ravel, Strauss
“[Wigglesworth] drew gorgeous string textures from the eager young players and provided a soaring wave of orchestral luminescence beneath Brueggergosman’s vocal velvet …
Wigglesworth emphasized instrumental transparency and magical impressionistic colours in a luminous reading of Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite. The conductor found the perfect sound for each movement [ …] Wigglesworth’s lucid conducting produced an enchanted performance of a masterpiece taken too easily for granted.
Wigglesworth commanded the lilt and orchestral shimmer of Strauss’ Suite from Der Rosenkavalier, op. 59. The Viennese waltzes danced in felicitous syncopation. […] The Presentation of the Rose music glowed in lush, captivating sounds.”
Music & Vision, December 2009
Opera Australia / Britten Peter Grimes
“Conductor Mark Wigglesworth and the orchestra's swift tempos, razor-sharp attack and incisive rhythmic bite propel the music forward with urgent momentum and irresistible energy. By contrast, their piquant sonorities and sensitive phrasing achieve aching poignancy in passages of contemplative lyricism.”
The Australian, October 2009
“Wigglesworth led the company through an outstanding performance of Britten's score, varying tempos and moods appropriately to reflect the beauty and power of nature as well as the dramatic tensions, gentle tenderness and rollicking humour of human relationships.
[…] this is a superb production, both musically and dramatically, and the first-night audience enthusiastically applauded both the performers and the production team.”
classicalsource.com, October 2009
"Wigglesworth leads a compelling reading of Britten's unsettling score, navigating its many layers with precision and an ear for its poetry. He strikes a robust balance between pit and stage, supporting his singers while remaining unafraid to raise the orchestra's own voice as forcefully as required."
The Opera Critic, October 2009
“The result of so much perfection is that the evening is satisfying in every way. Wearing a blindfold one could simply enjoy the wonderful orchestra and orchestration […]
It is difficult to think of anything to complain about in this production, except the fact that only six performances will be given in Sydney.”
Timeout Sydney, October 2009
Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra / Shostakovich Symphony No.4 (BIS)
“This is one of those symphonies, like Mahler’s Seventh, which demands so much orchestral preparation that you rarely hear a less than compelling interpretation. Recently we’ve had top-notch discs from Gergiev, Jansons, Barshai and Haitink. For me, Wigglesworth’s latest instalment in his long-term Shostakovich cycle goes even deeper […] Climaxes here are comparably weighty, but there’s a clarity and an expressive care throughout which inform even those first-movement passages where Shostakovich seems suspended in a pale kind of purgatory.
Everything is humanised, so that the conflict of the Finale is a whirlwind battle rather than a grinding mechanism, and even the circus ditties before the final storm have a charm as well as nuance. The end is as mesmerising as it can be, raising parallels with the fading heartbeat of Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique. Is Shostakovich’s Fourth Symphony an equal masterpiece? Mark Wigglesworth and his Dutch players persuade me that it is.”
BBC Music Magazine, Music Choice, 5 stars, October 2009
“Wigglesworth has the requisite dramatic sweep and staying power for this unusual, large piece; he leaves room for the ambivalent traits, and for the alternation between classical and modern, between rigid and free form. He has a feel for the upturns and the downturns, for the sometimes violent contrasts, for the surprises and for the grotesque and sarcastic elements of the score.
The Netherlands Radio Philharmonie play with precision, flexibility, virtuosity, excitement, and rich contrast. […] The transparency of the playing is perfect; not a single detail is lost.”
Klassik Heute, September 2009
“Mark Wigglesworth and the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic […] deliver a performance of the Fourth that makes a terrific impact, not merely at the weighty climaxes but also in the way that Shostakovich’s material is executed with a sharp ear for detail while at the same time forging appreciable – even if audacious – architectural shape.
Wigglesworth’s long view of where the symphony is heading is a crucial component of this interpretation, but it also embraces a kaleidoscopic variety of character, be it the icy funeral march at the start of the finale, the passages of stirring brilliance in Shostakovich’s orchestral writing, or those moments where the composer seems to be retreating into his own contemplative thoughts. The emotional force is intense."
The Telegraph, July 2009
"Mark Wigglesworth […] has a very real and admirable ability to emphasize detail and rhythmic precision without sacrificing the necessary power. […] the very clarity of texture means that the music loses very little in the way of excitement, and it gains a melodic interest you might never suspect that it has.”
Classicstoday.com, June 2009
New Zealand Symphony Orchestra / Debussy, Rachmaninov, Shostakovich
“If there was humour in Shostakovich's 10th Symphony on Saturday then it had a manic tinge to it; any wayward circus spirits in its fiery second movement were distributing sawdust liberally laced with acid. Wigglesworth's insightful programme note suggested he had thought long and hard about this work, and few conductors could equal his first movement in its balance of the stoic sorrow and repressed anger.”
New Zealand Herald, July 2009
“Conductor Mark Wigglesworth is a master interpreter. It was clear from the start of Shostakovich’s Symphony No 10. The NZSO showed cohesion, the winds and brass were tight, and the percussion was perfectly integrated into the mix. The strings had depth and bite from the merest pianissimos to the raw climaxes. This is a bitter symphony and the ferocious attack of the strings in the “Stalin” scherzo was riveting. Wigglesworth is an acknowledged Shostakovich expert, and conducting without a score, he gave us the best performance of a Shostakovich symphony we are ever likely to hear.”
Capital Times, August 2009
“Precision is not the full deal in the Shostakovich Tenth Symphony, though it surely helps. No, the success of this performance was due to the vision and execution of conductor Mark Wigglesworth. He enjoys a huge reputation in Shostakovich's music. He galvanised his players to produce playing that moved from the sensitive to the sensational; from the superb playing of individual players, to a riveting intensity in climaxes.”
The Dominion Post, August 2009
San Francisco Symphony Orchestra / Wagner & Chopin
“Thursday night's concert by the San Francisco Symphony in Davies Symphony Hall featured some of the most focused, eloquent and ravishingly beautiful music-making local audiences have heard this year.
Also, Lang Lang played the piano. […] On any normal night at the Symphony, this would have been the high point of the evening. But Thursday wasn't a normal night. Guest conductor Mark Wigglesworth made sure of that. […]
Wigglesworth led the orchestra through orchestral excerpts from Wagner's "Tannhäuser" and "Die Meistersinger." The results were heart-stopping, transfixing, almost beyond praise; they created the sort of quasi-religious enchantment that Wagner envisioned at his most grandiose, but that performances of his music provide all too rarely. […]
The magic was twofold. One aspect was the remarkable interpretive assurance that Wigglesworth brought to the music, particularly the way he paced Wagner's musical paragraphs with a combination of expansiveness and rhythmic momentum. The other was the almost unparalleled quality of playing he got from the orchestra. […]
In the end, though, this was Wigglesworth's night. As the "Meistersinger" Prelude came to an end, I felt a sudden pang of disappointment that the entire opera was not coming next..”
San Francisco Chronicle, December 2008
Detroit Symphony Orchestra / Brahms, Wagner
“Friday’s concert was gripping in its focus and execution. Wigglesworth brought a clear-eyed expressiveness to the ‘Overture’ and ‘Venusberg Music’ from Tanhäuser, balancing muscle and delicacy and striking a flowing tempo that pushed ahead while still taking in the expansive vistas.”
Detroit Free Press, December 2008
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra / Mahler Symphony No.6 (ABC Classics)
“I came to this disk with open ears and a lot of expectations. Let me say right away that I was not disappointed. […]
Mark Wigglesworth … is a great conductor. The power, insight and intelligence he shows in shaping this performance, and bringing it to fruition, proves it. […] This is, without doubt, another Recording of the Month.”
Music Web International, March 2008