Dirk Joeres conducts the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in highly regarded recordings of orchestral music by Robert Schumann. The Joeres reading of the third symphony, ‘Rhenish’, received Pizzicato’s ‘Supersonic Award’ and the Tchaikovsky orchestrated Symphonic Studies, Op. 13 was the first committed to disc. The recordings were made between 1993 and 1999 in Walthamstow and Watford Town Halls.

Nadia Boulanger, the grande dame of 20th century musical life, characterised Dirk Joeres as “a supreme musician with charismatic stage presence”. He came into the limelight in 1972 winning first prize at the International Piano Competition in Vercelli and taking over a recital at short notice from an indisposed Claudio Arrau with sensational success. In 1983, he expanded his activities into conducting, and was appointed Artistic Director of the Westdeutsche Sinfonia in 1987.

Permanent Guest Conductor of the RPO since 2007, he has taken both the Royal Philharmonic and the Sinfonia to international festivals (Beethovenfest Bonn, Budapest, Cheltenham, Brucknerfest Linz, Schleswig-Holstein) and tours with them in Europe and the USA. Dirk is an acknowledged authority in 19th century Austro-Hungarian symphonic repertoire.