Guillaume Connesson (One can hear Connesson pronouncing his name in thi
interview
) is a French

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Def ...

born in 1970 in

Boulogne-Billancourt Boulogne-Billancourt (; often colloquially called simply Boulogne, until 1924 Boulogne-sur-Seine, ) is a wealthy and prestigious commune in the Parisian area, located from its centre. It is a subprefecture of the Hauts-de-Seine department and t ...

Biography

Connesson studied the piano, music theory, music history and choir conducting at the Conservatoire National de Région de

and composition with Marcel Landowski for six years from 1989. In the Conservatoire National de Région de Paris, he studied orchestral conducting with Dominique Rouits and orchestration with

Alain Louvier Alain Louvier (born 13 September 1945) is a French composer of contemporary classical music. Biography Born in Paris, Louvier studied from 1953 to 1967 at the headed by Marcel Landowski, then from 1967 to 1970 at the Conservatoire de Paris wit ...

. As a composer, he asserts influences as various as

François Couperin François Couperin (; 10 November 1668 – 11 September 1733) was a French Baroque composer, organist and harpsichordist. He was known as ''Couperin le Grand'' ("Couperin the Great") to distinguish him from other members of the musically talented ...

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...

Richard Strauss Richard Georg Strauss (; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer, conductor, pianist, and violinist. Considered a leading composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras, he has been described as a successor of Richard Wag ...

Claude Debussy (Achille) Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionism in music, Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most infl ...

Maurice Ravel Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 – 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composers rejected the term. In ...

Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century clas ...

Olivier Messiaen Olivier Eugène Prosper Charles Messiaen (, ; ; 10 December 1908 – 27 April 1992) was a French composer, organist, and ornithology, ornithologist who was one of the major composers of the 20th-century classical music, 20th century. His m ...

for the ''

Turangalîla-Symphonie The ''Turangalîla-Symphonie'' is the only symphony by Olivier Messiaen (1908–1992). It was written for an orchestra of large forces from 1946 to 1948 on a commission by Serge Koussevitzky in his wife's memory for the Boston Symphony Orchestr ...

'' and '' Saint François d'Assise'', Henri Dutilleux for his ''Métaboles'',

Steve Reich Stephen Michael Reich ( ; born October 3, 1936) is an American composer known for his contribution to the development of minimal music in the mid to late 1960s. Reich's work is marked by its use of repetitive figures, slow harmonic rhythm, ...

and also

John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Befor ...

but also movie composers such as

Bernard Herrmann Bernard Herrmann (born Maximillian Herman; June 29, 1911December 24, 1975) was an American composer and conductor best known for his work in composing for films. As a conductor, he championed the music of lesser-known composers. He is widely r ...

John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (15 November 2022)Classic Connection review '' WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who w ...

or the

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the mi ...

style of

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the hono ...

. From 2001 to 2003, he was composer in residence at the Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire, for which he wrote the vocal symphony ''Liturgies de l'ombre'' and the symphonic poem ''L'appel au feu''. He is currently composer in association with the

Royal Scottish National Orchestra The Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO) ( gd, Orcastra Nàiseanta Rìoghail na h-Alba) is a British orchestra, based in Glasgow, Scotland. It is one of the five national performing arts companies of Scotland. Throughout its history, the O ...

; his music is played by American and English orchestras such as the

Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its primary concert venue is Music Hall. In addition to its symphony concerts, the orchestra gives pops concerts as the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. The Cinc ...

, the

Philadelphia Orchestra The Philadelphia Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. One of the " Big Five" American orchestras, the orchestra is based at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, where it performs its subscriptio ...

, the Houston Symphony Orchestra, the

Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra based in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1880 by Joseph Otten as the St. Louis Choral Society, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO) is the second-oldest professional symphony orc ...

, and the

BBC Symphony Orchestra The BBC Symphony Orchestra (BBC SO) is a British orchestra based in London. Founded in 1930, it was the first permanent salaried orchestra in London, and is the only one of the city's five major symphony orchestras not to be self-governing. T ...

. From 2009 he has been composer in residence at the Orchestre de Pau, Pays de Béarn. Connesson teaches

orchestration Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra (or, more loosely, for any musical ensemble, such as a concert band) or of adapting music composed for another medium for an orchestra. Also called "instrumentation", orch ...

at the Conservatoire National d'

Aubervilliers Aubervilliers () is a commune in the Seine-Saint-Denis department, Île-de-France region, northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Albertivillariens'' or ''Albertivillariennes''. Geography Localisatio ...

-la Courneuve. Guillaume Connesson's music is published b
Éditions Billaudot

Works

Orchestral

* ''Oniris'' (1991) * ''Night-Club'' (1996) * ''Feux d'artifice'' (1998) * ''Enluminures'' (1999) * ''Scènes Nocturnes'' for string orchestra (2001) * ''Trilogie cosmique'' :# ''Supernova'' (1997) :# ''Une lueur dans l'âge sombre'' (2005) :# ''Aleph'' (2007) * ''The Ship of Ishtar'' for string orchestra (2009) * ''Lucifer'' - Ballet in two acts with a libretto by the composer (2011) * ''Maslenitsa'' (2011) * ''Flammenschrift'' (2012)

Concertante

* ''Yu Yan'' for

erhu The ''erhu'' (; ) is a Chinese two-stringed bowed musical instrument, more specifically a spike fiddle, which may also be called a ''Southern Fiddle'', and is sometimes known in the Western world as the ''Chinese violin'' or a ''Chinese two- ...

and orchestra (2007) * Concerto for cello and orchestra (2008) * ''Constellations'', Concerto for viola and orchestra (2009) * ''The Shining One'', Concerto for piano and orchestra (2009) * ''Concertino'' for piano and chamber orchestra (2013) * ''Pour sortir au jour''- Concerto for flute and orchestra (2014) * ''A Kind of Trane'' - Concerto for saxophone (soprano and alto) and orchestra (2015) * ''Les Horizons Perdus'' - Concerto for violin and orchestra (2018) * ''Les belles heures'' - Concerto for oboe and orchestra (World premiere 06.05.2022)

Vocal

Music for choir and orchestra

* ''Sphaera'' for chorus and orchestra (2006), or for chorus, piano 4 hands and percussion (chamber version) (2010); Latin text by

Richard Crashaw Richard Crashaw (c. 1613 – 21 August 1649) was an English poet, teacher, High Church Anglican cleric and Roman Catholic convert, who was one of the major metaphysical poets in 17th-century English literature. Crashaw was the son of a famous ...

* ''La cathédrale aux étoiles'', Cantata in 3 acts for mixed chorus, children chorus and orchestra (2006); text of Valérie de la Rochefoucauld * ''Athanor'' for soprano, baritone, mixed chorus and ensemble or orchestra (2003)

Music for choir and instruments

* ''Sphaera'' for choir, piano with 4 hands and 3 percussions (chamber version) - On a Latin text of Richard Crashaw (2010) * ''Musique pour Oscar'' - Seven children choirs a cappella or with instrumental accompaniment harp and cello (2007) * ''Au commencement'', for children's chorus and instrumental ensemble (2004)

Music for a cappella choir

*'' Funeratio'' for mixed chorus a cappella, or with instrumental ensemble (2011) * ''Deux chœurs'' for female chorus a cappella (2005); poems of Olivier Tanguy * ''Laudate Pueri'' for mixed chorus a cappella (2002)

Music for solo voice and orchestra

* ''Liturgies de l'ombre'' for soprano and orchestra (2000); poem of

Charles Péguy Charles Pierre Péguy (; 7 January 1873 – 5 September 1914) was a French poet, essayist, and editor. His two main philosophies were socialism and nationalism. By 1908 at the latest, after years of uneasy agnosticism, he had become a believing b ...

* ''Le Livre de l'amour'' for mezzo-soprano and orchestra (2001); poems of

Lord Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), known simply as Lord Byron, was an English romantic poet and peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and has been regarded as among the ...

Emily Brontë Emily Jane Brontë (, commonly ; 30 July 1818 – 19 December 1848) was an English novelist and poet who is best known for her only novel, '' Wuthering Heights'', now considered a classic of English literature. She also published a book of poe ...

and

Germain Nouveau Germain Marie Bernard Nouveau (1851–1920) was a French poet associated with the symbolist movement. Biography Early life Germain Nouveau was born on 31 July 1851 in Pourrières, Var, in France. He was one of four children of Felicien Nou ...

Music for solo voice and chamber ensemble

* ''Medea'' for soprano, clarinet, cello and piano (2004); text by

Jean Vauthier Jean Vauthier (20 September 1910 – 5 May 1992) was a 20th-century French playwright. Plays * 1952: ''La Nouvelle Mandragore'' after Machiavelli, directed by Gérard Philipe, TNP Théâtre national de Chaillot * 1955: ''Le Personnage comba ...

* ''Timouk'', Musical Tale for narrator and five instruments on a booklet of Yun Sun Limet (2010)

Music for solo voice and piano

* ''De l'Espérance'' for soprano and piano (1999); poem of

* ''Nuit obscure'' for baritone and piano (2000); poem of Saint-Jean de la Croix * ''I'll not weep'' for alto and piano (2001); poem of

* ''My sweet sister'' for mezzo-soprano and piano (2001); poem of

* ''Trois merveilles du monde'' for baritone and piano (2008); poems of

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...

* ''Vivre'' for soprano and piano (2010); poem of Typhanie Vigouroux

Chamber and instrumental music

* ''Disco-toccata'' for clarinet and cello (1994) * ''Double Quatuor'' for flute, oboe, clarinet, bass clarinet and string quartet (1994) * ''Deux Images antiques'' for clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, trombone, percussion, violin and double bass (1996) * ''Jurassic Trip'' for flute, clarinet, 2 pianos, percussion and string quintet (1998) * ''Sextuor'' for oboe, clarinet, violin, viola, double bass and piano (1998) * ''initials dances'' for piano solo (2001) * ''Le rire de Saraï'' for flute and piano (2001) * ''Techno-parade'' for flute, clarinet and piano (2002) * ''Toccata nocturne'' for flute and cello (2002) * ''Toccata'' for harp solo (2003) * ''Riffs'' for trumpet solo (2004) * ''La Solitaire'' for viola da gamba solo (2004) * ''Constellation de la Couronne boréale'' for viola and piano (2005) * ''L'île de Pâques'', Prélude for piano (2006) * ''Les Chants de l'Atlantide'', 3 Pieces for violin and piano (2007) * ''Constellation de la Couronne australe'' for viola and piano (2008) * ''Les Chants de l'Agartha'', 3 Pieces for cello and piano (2008) * String Quartet (2010)

Teaching music

* ''Remix'' for strings orchestra and six percussionists (1998) * ''Et un sourire'' for children's chorus and string orchestra (1998); poem of

Paul Éluard Paul Éluard (), born Eugène Émile Paul Grindel (; 14 December 1895 – 18 November 1952), was a French poet and one of the founders of the Surrealist movement. In 1916, he chose the name Paul Éluard, a matronymic borrowed from his maternal ...

Stage music

* ''Musique pour Oscar'', Incidental Music for the play '' Oscar et la dame rose'' by

Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt (born 28 March 1960) is a Franco– Belgian playwright, short story writer and novelist, as well as a film director. His plays have been staged in over fifty countries all over the world. Life Early years Eric-Emmanuel ...

for children's choir, harp and cello (2007) * ''Lucifer'', Ballet in 2 acts (2011); libretto by the composer

Film scores

* ''

Greed Greed (or avarice) is an uncontrolled longing for increase in the acquisition or use of material gain (be it food, money, land, or animate/inanimate possessions); or social value, such as status, or power. Greed has been identified as und ...

'', Music for

Erich von Stroheim Erich Oswald Hans Carl Maria von Stroheim (born Erich Oswald Stroheim; September 22, 1885 – May 12, 1957) was an Austrian-American director, actor and producer, most noted as a film star and avant-garde, visionary director of the silent era. H ...

's 1924 film for clarinet, violin, viola, cello and piano (1995) * ''

L'Aurore ''L’Aurore'' (; ) was a literary, liberal, and socialist newspaper published in Paris, France, from 1897 to 1914. Its most famous headline was Émile Zola's '' J'Accuse...!'' leading into his article on the Dreyfus Affair. The newspaper w ...

'', Music for

Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau (born Friedrich Wilhelm Plumpe; December 28, 1888March 11, 1931) was a German film director, producer and screenwriter. He was greatly influenced by Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Shakespeare and Ibsen plays he had seen at th ...

's 1927 silent film ''Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans'' for large symphonic orchestra (1999)

Discography

* ''Lost Horizon'' - Les Cités de Lovecraft, A Kind of Trane (concerto for saxophone), Les Horizons Perdus (concerto for violin), Le Tombeau des Regrets -

Renaud Capuçon Renaud Capuçon (born 27 January 1976) is a French classical violinist. Since late 2016 he has been teaching at the Royal Northern College of Music. Biography Capuçon was born in Chambéry on 27 January 1976. He entered the conservatory in h ...

Timothy McAllister Timothy McAllister (born October 21, 1972) is an American classical saxophonist and music educator, who, as of 2014, is Professor of Saxophone at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance. Career Born in 1972, he gave his solo ...

. Brussels Philharmonic conducted by

Stéphane Denève Stéphane Denève (born 24 November 1971) is a French conductor. He is currently music director of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and artistic director of the New World Symphony. Biography Denève was born in Tourcoing, France, and graduated ...

(

Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon (; DGG) is a German classical music record label that was the precursor of the corporation PolyGram. Headquartered in Berlin Friedrichshain, it is now part of Universal Music Group (UMG) since its merger with the UMG family of ...

, avril 2019) * ''Pour sortir au jour''- Flammenschrift - Pour sortir au jour, concerto for flute - E chiaro nella valle il fiume appare - Maslenitsa. With the

Brussels Philharmonic The Brussels Philharmonic is a Belgian radio orchestra located in Brussels. Formerly known as the Groot Symfonie-Orkest, BRT Philharmonic Orchestra, and later as the Flemish Radio Orchestra, the orchestra has been linked to the Flemish public ...

conducted by Stéphane Denève, with Mathieu Dufour, flute (Deutsche Grammophon, 2016). Award: Diapason d'or (September 2016). * ''Lucifer'' - Concerto for cello interpreted by

Jérôme Pernoo Jérôme Pernoo (born 1972) is a French contemporary cellist. Biography Jérôme Pernoo learned to play the cello with Germaine Fleury then Xavier Gagnepain. After his studies at the Conservatoire de Paris with Philippe Muller, he obtained t ...

- Lucifer (ballet) - Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo under conducting of

Jean-Christophe Spinosi Jean-Christophe Spinosi (born 2 September 1964) is a French conductor and violinist, the founder of French orchestra Ensemble Matheus. Life and career In 1991 he created the Ensemble Matheus in Brest, an orchestra which accompanies him througho ...

(Deutsche Grammophon) * ''Timouk'' (CD + Book) - Yun Sun Limet, texts - Delphine Jacquot, illustrations -

Claire-Marie Le Guay Claire-Marie Le Guay (born 13 June 1974) is a French classical pianist. Early life Le Guay was born in Paris, France. She began playing piano at age 4 and entered the Paris Conservatoire at age 14, where she studied with Jacques Rouvier, Pasca ...

, piano -

Marie Gillain Marie Gillain :fr:Mérite wallon, O.M.W. (born 18 June 1975) is a Belgium, Belgian actress. In 1996 Gillain received the Prix Romy Schneider. She is single and has two daughters, Dune (born in 2004, with musician Martin Gamet) and Vega (born in ...

, narrator (Didier Jeunesse) * ''Constellations'' (CD + DVD directed by Stéphan Aubé) - Monograph of chamber music - With Jérôme Ducros, Jérôme Pernoo... (Editions Pierre Bergé) * ''Cosmic Trilogy - The Shining One'' - With Éric Le Sage,

and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (Chandos) * ''Athanor-Supernova'' - Monograph of orchestral music and choral (Densité 21) * ''Laudate pueri'' - Motet for mixed chorus with six voices a cappella (Accord) * ''Techno Parade'' (CD + DVD directed by Stéphan Aubé) - Monograph of chamber music - With Mathieu Dufour, Paul Meyer, Éric Le Sage... (BMG - RCA)

Interpreters

Principal musicians or orchestral formations which interpret regularly the music of Guillaume Connesson: * Lise Berthaud, viola *

, conductor * Jérome Ducros, piano *

Fayçal Karoui Fayçal Karoui (born 1971), is a conductor of Tunisian descent. He won a prize at the 1991 Besançon International Young Conductors Competition and first prize in conducting at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris in 1997. The Aïda sc ...

, conductor * Florent Héau, clarinet *

, piano * Eric Le Sage, piano * Paul Meyer, clarinet *

, cello *

Jean-Yves Thibaudet Jean-Yves Thibaudet (born 7 September 1961)Michael & Joyce Kennedy, 2007. is a French pianist. Early life and studies Jean-Yves Thibaudet was born in Lyon, France, to non-professional musical parents. His father played the violin, and his mother, ...

, piano *

National Symphony Orchestra The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1930, its principal performing venue is the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. It also performs for the annual National M ...

* Houston Symphony Orchestra...

Awards and distinctions

* 2011 - Grand Prix SACEM de la musique symphonique (carrière) * 2006 - Grand Prix Lycéen des Compositeurs * 2005 - ''Choc du Monde de la Musique'' and ''10 de Classica'' for the CD ''Techno Parade'' * 2001 - Bourse de la Fondation Natexis * 2000 - Prix de la SACEM * 1999 - Prix Nadia et Lili Boulanger * 1998 - Prix Cardin de l'

Institut de France The (; ) is a French learned society, grouping five , including the Académie Française. It was established in 1795 at the direction of the National Convention. Located on the Quai de Conti in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, the institut ...

pour Supernova

References

External links

Official website of the composer

Éditions Billaudot website - Composer's catalogue

CDMC Website

SACEM website (in english)
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Connesson, Guillaume 1970 births Living people People from Boulogne-Billancourt French classical composers French male classical composers 20th-century classical composers 21st-century classical composers 20th-century French composers 21st-century French composers 20th-century French male musicians 21st-century French male musicians