"Jonathan Nott, the new principal conductor in Geneva, was long underestimated during his time in Bamberg. Now, thanks to this lockdown streaming, he is allowed and able to conduct for the whole world, and he shows it magnificently: graspingly dreamy, drivingly lost in the world, romantically modern, tonally structuralist. Nott can create such antagonisms easily and naturally. They're what's needed for "Pelléas," and that's why his reading is magical throughout." Reinhard J. Brembeck, Süddeutsche Zeitung, 01/19/2021
Among the world's most interesting conductors, Jonathan Nott occupies a special position because of the almost unbelievable versatility of his talent. Not only is he, who as principal conductor of the Bamberg Symphony conducted more than an incredible 470 different works in 16 years, famous for the power, clarity and intellectual and emotional depth of his interpretations of the entire symphonic repertoire from Schubert and Bruckner to Mahler and Shostakovich. He also enjoys a reputation as an exceptional interpreter of contemporary music, which has earned him the personal friendship and gratitude of composers such as György Ligeti, Luciano Berio, Pierre Boulez, Helmut Lachenmann, Karlheinz Stockhausen, as well as all the renowned composers* of his own generation, whose works he has performed to universal acclaim with the Ensemble Modern, the Ensemble Intercontemporain, the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie and most recently with his Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (OSR), which has modern music in its genes since its collaboration with Ernest Ansermet.
As if that were not enough, as principal conductor of the OSR, where his contract has been extended for life to the delight of the orchestra and the public, he also demonstrates his interpretive depth and stylistic confidence in the operatic repertoire, earning him the highest international acclaim. It is therefore natural that he has collaborated with all the world's great orchestras and almost all the renowned soloists*, and can be proud of a long list of award-winning recordings with publishers such as TUDOR, SONY, the Japanese label OCTAVIA, and currently three groundbreaking recordings (in 9.1 Auro 3D) with the OSR and PENTATONE.
Likewise, it is no surprise that he enjoys pop star status, especially in Japan, where he is the longtime principal conductor of the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra. His exuberant creativity is also expressed here in completely new concert formats in Corona times.
It is a personal concern of Jonathan Nott to promote and train young musicians. To this end, he is Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor to the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie until 2024, a regular guest with the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra, and, together with Marina Mahler and Paul Müller, established the Mahler Conducting Competition. In his free time, as the leading Mahler interpreter of his generation, he is working with internationally renowned designer Peter Schmidt on a multimedia book about his personal analysis and interpretation of Gustav Mahler's work.