Jean Fournet: French Conductor and Flautist

Jean Fournet (14 April 1913 – 3 November 2008) was a French flautist and conductor. He became one of the twentieth century’s leading interpreters of French orchestral and operatic music, conducting major orchestras across Europe, North America, and Asia over a career spanning more than seven decades.

Early Life and Education

Fournet was born in Rouen in 1913. His father was a flutist who provided initial instruction in flute and music theory. He trained at the Conservatoire de Paris, studying flute under Gaston Blanquart and Marcel Moyse, and conducting under Philippe Gaubert. At fifteen, he performed on the flute with the Orchestra of the Théâtre des Arts in Rouen.

Career and Achievements

Fournet first established himself as a conductor in France, holding positions in Rouen from 1936 to 1940, Marseille from 1940 to 1944, and as director of the Paris Opéra-Comique from 1944 to 1957. He taught conducting at the École Normale de Musique de Paris from 1944 to 1962. In 1949 and 1950, he was guest conductor with the Radio Éireann Symphony Orchestra.

His 1950 debut with the Concertgebouw Orchestra marked the beginning of a deep connection with the Netherlands. He became principal guest conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra in Hilversum from 1961 to 1968, where he also taught conducting. He married Miriam-Hannecart Jakes, an American cor anglais player with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra from 1977.

Fournet served as music director of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra from 1968 to 1973 and the Orchestre national d’Île de France from its founding in 1973 to 1982. He conducted the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra from 1983 to 1986, receiving the title Honorary Conductor in 1989 and Permanent Honorary Conductor upon his death in 2008. His Metropolitan Opera debut in New York occurred on 28 March 1987, conducting Samson et Dalila. He made his Lyric Opera of Chicago debut in 1965 with a double bill of Carmina Burana and L’heure espagnole.

Fournet served as president of the jury for the Besançon International Conductor’s Competition for many years. He was known as a gentle perfectionist who rarely raised his voice in rehearsal. His final concert took place in January 2005 at age 91 with the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, after which he retired to Weesp near Hilversum in the Netherlands.