Alexander Rahbari studied composition and conducting in Vienna with Gottfried von Einem, Hans Swarowsky and Karl Österreicher; and after completing his studies he returned to his home country where, having been appointed director of the Tehran Conservatory of Music, he played a leading rôle in this capacity in the cultural development of pre-revolutionary Iran. In 1977 he moved to Europe, winning the silver medal at the Geneva Conductors’ Competition and the gold medal at the Besançon International Conductors’ Competition. As a result of this success he came to the attention of Herbert von Karajan, being engaged to conduct the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra in 1979 and to act as Karajan’s assistant at the 1980 Salzburg Easter Festival; Rahbari continued to appear with the Berlin Philharmonic on several occasions during the early 1980s. Appointed permanent guest conductor of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and guest conductor of the Belgian Radio and Television Orchestra in Brussels in 1985, he was awarded the Dvořák Medal for his work with the former; and served as the latter’s chief conductor from 1988 to 1996, being awarded the Fuga Trophy by the Belgian Composers’ Association in 1994 for his work with this orchestra.

In 1992 Rahbari founded the Discover International record label in order to publish recordings by young artists, often of unusual repertoire, as well as many performances conducted by Rahbari himself; in addition he has recorded extensively for the Naxos label. He became chief conductor of the Virtuosi di Praga and of the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra in 1997 and in the same year brought together in Bregenz sixty Iranian musicians from America, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Holland, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland to form the Persian International Philharmonic Orchestra, which performed several orientally inspired works including Rimsky-Korsakov’s Sheherazade, Khachaturian’s Violin Concerto and Rahbari’s own Nohe Khan, composed when he was nineteen. He has worked frequently with the Malaga Philharmonic Orchestra and the Tehran Symphony Orchestra.

Rahbari’s discography is focussed primarily upon complete opera recordings, for which his vigorous conducting style is well-suited. For Naxos he has conducted accounts of Bizet’s Carmen; Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci; Mascagni’s Cavalleria rusticana; Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, Madama Butterfly, Manon Lescaut and Tosca; and Verdi’s La traviata and Rigoletto. These recordings have been extensively excerpted on numerous Naxos compilation releases. Orchestral recordings of note include works by Bartók, Beethoven, Brahms, Debussy, Shostakovich and Stravinsky. Among his recordings for the Discover International label, a release entitled Salve Antverpia contains an unusual programme of symphonic Flemish music by composers who lived beyond 1911 including Flor Alpaerts, Jan Blockx, Jef van Hoof, Lodewijk Lodewijk and Daniel Sternefeld.

© Naxos Rights International Ltd. — David Patmore (A–Z of Conductors, Naxos 8.558087–90).