Born into a musical family in Antwerp in 1905, André Cluytens moved to France in 1932 to take up a post at the Théâtre du Capitole in Toulouse. In the course of his career he held posts at several major French opera houses and orchestras, but he also enjoyed great success at the Bayreuth Festival (he was the first French conductor to appear there), in Berlin and Vienna, and recorded with the Philharmonia in London. He also appeared with the New York Philharmonic.
