Eötvös, Péter (1944– )

Hungarian conductor and composer. He was music director of the Ensemble Intercontemporain, Paris, 1979–91. As principal guest conductor for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Symphony Orchestra from 1985, he conducted the first performance of Harrison Birtwistle's Earth Dances in 1986.

He studied at Budapest and Cologne. In 1981 he gave the first performance of Karlheinz Stockhausen's Donnerstag aus Licht, at La Scala, Milan, and premiered Steve Reich's Desert Music in 1984.

Works Hochzeitmadrigal for six soloists (1963/1976), and Chinese Opera for chamber orchestra (1984).