Laurent Petitgirard (born 10 June 1950, in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

) is a French classical composer and conductor.

Biography and career

Laurent Petitgirard studied piano with Serge Petitgirard and composition with Alain Kremski. He has worked as conductor with dozens of orchestras, including the Paris Opera Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, Orchestre National de France, Utah Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, National Orchestra of Spain,

Moscow State Orchestra The Moscow State Symphony Orchestra (MSSO) is a Russian orchestra, based in Moscow. The orchestra gives concerts primarily at the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, and at the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall. As well, the orchestra gives concerts in ...

, China National Symphonic Orchestra and many others. In 1989 he founded the Orchestre Symphonique Français which he conducted until 1996, and also directed the Festival and the Academy of Flaine from 1986 to 1997. He has been the music director of the

Orchestre Colonne The Colonne Orchestra is a French symphony orchestra, founded in 1873 by the violinist and conductor Édouard Colonne. History While leader of the Opéra de Paris orchestra, Édouard Colonne was engaged by the publisher Georges Hartmann to lead a ...

, in Paris, since December 2004 and ended his contract two years before the end in April 2018 to concentrate on composition and guest conducting. He will still conduct the Colonne Orchestra, as a guest conductor, in the next seasons. Petitgirard has recorded dozens of CDs of music by a variety of composers, such as

Honegger Arthur Honegger (; 10 March 1892 – 27 November 1955) was a Swiss composer who was born in France and lived a large part of his life in Paris. A member of Les Six, his best known work is probably '' Antigone'', composed between 1924 and 1927 ...

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 ...

, Dukas,

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 ...

, Saint-Saëns and others. As composer, Petitgirard has written scores for films by

Otto Preminger Otto Ludwig Preminger ( , ; 5 December 1905 – 23 April 1986) was an Austrian-American theatre and film director, film producer, and actor. He directed more than 35 feature films in a five-decade career after leaving the theatre. He first gai ...

, Jacques Demy,

Francis Girod Francis Girod (9 October 1944 – 19 November 2006) was a French film director, actor, and screenwriter. He directed 20 films between 1974 and 2006. His film ''L'enfance de l'art'' was entered into the 1988 Cannes Film Festival. In 1994 he w ...

, Peter Kassovitz,

Pierre Granier Deferre Pierre Granier-Deferre (27 July 1927 – 16 November 2007) was a French film director and screenwriter His 1971 film ''Le Chat'' (The Cat) won the Best Actor and Best Actress awards at the 21st Berlin International Film Festival. His 19 ...

, and many others, with many of his film soundtracks being released on CD. He composed the theme and various incidental music for the television program '' Maigret''. Petitgirard's first opera, '' Joseph Merrick, The Elephant Man'', was premiered in 2002 by the Prague State Opera, with Petitgirard conducting. Petigirard later recorded the opera for the Naxos label with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo and with Nathalie Stutzmann in the title role. Other works by Petigirard include ''Le Fou d'Elsa'', a cycle of six songs to poems by

Louis Aragon Louis Aragon (, , 3 October 1897 – 24 December 1982) was a French poet who was one of the leading voices of the surrealist movement in France. He co-founded with André Breton and Philippe Soupault the surrealist review '' Littérature''. He w ...

for mezzo and orchestra, ''Le Plus Ardent à Vivre'', a septet with harp, ''Poème'' for large string orchestra, and ''Dialogue'' for viola and orchestra. Petitgirard's second opera, ''Guru'', was released on the Naxos label in 2011 and its stage premiere occurred on 28 September 2018 in a production directed by Damian Cruden for Opera Na Zamku in Szczecin (Poland), with the composer conducting. Many of his other works are also available on the Naxos label, with the composer conducting. Petitgirard has received a number of prizes, including the Young Composer's Prize of the SACD in 1987, the SACEM Prize in 1990, the Grand Prix Lycéen for Composers in 2000 for his Cello Concerto, and the Prix Musique 2001 of the SACD for his opera ''Joseph Merrick, The Elephant Man''. In December 2000 he was elected Member of the French Institute, and elected Perpetual Secretary of the beaux-arts Academy on 1 February 2017 . Laurent Petitgirard is a " Commandeur des Arts et Lettres", an "

Officier de La Légion d'Honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon B ...

" and "Officier de l'Ordre National du Mérite".

References

External links

Laurent Petitgirard's web site

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Petitgirard, Laurent 1950 births Living people French composers French male composers Officers of the Ordre national du Mérite Composers for harp