Laurent Petitgirard (born 10 June 1950, in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

) is a French classical composer and conductor.

Biography

Laurent Petitgirard was born in Paris on 10 June 1950. He studied piano with his father Serge Petitgirard, a pupil of Alfred Cortot and Yves Nat, and composition with his older brother Alain Kremski (Kremski being their mother’s name). He has composed over twenty works of symphonic music,

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of Musical instrument, instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a Great chamber, palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music ...

and nearly one hundred and forty scores for film and television, in a style that is “always refined, dramatic and precisely tailored to the images”. He notably wrote the music for several films by Francis Girod and the 1991 Maigret television series. He also composes lyrical works. His first opera, Joseph Merrick dit Elephant man, with a libretto by Éric Nonn, premiered in 2002 at the Prague State Opera, under the direction of Daniel Mesguich. A new production of this opera was presented in 2005 at the Minneapolis Opera, directed by Doug Varone. His second opera, Guru (commissioned by the State), based on a libretto by Xavier Maurel, explores the subject of mental manipulation. It was recorded in

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

for the

Naxos Naxos (; , ) is a Greek island belonging to the Cyclades island group. It is the largest island in the group. It was an important centre during the Bronze Age Cycladic Culture and in the Ancient Greek Archaic Period. The island is famous as ...

label in October 2010 under the composer’s direction and premiered on 28 September 2018 at the Castle Opera in Szczecin (

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

) in a staging by Damien Cruden, with Laurent Petitgirard conducting, and starring Hubert Claessens, Paul Gaugler and Sonia Petrovna. A new production of Guru was presented under the composer’s direction from 24 to 28 February 2024 at the Opéra de Nice, staged by Muriel Mayette-Holtz. Recordings of his three

concerto A concerto (; plural ''concertos'', or ''concerti'' from the Italian plural) is, from the late Baroque era, mostly understood as an instrumental composition, written for one or more soloists accompanied by an orchestra or other ensemble. The ...

s, performed by

Augustin Dumay Augustin Dumay (born 17 January 1949) is a French violinist and conductor from Paris. Biography Dumay was invited as a soloist to appear with Yo-Yo Ma in Paris by Herbert von Karajan. Later on, he performed Béla Bartók's ''Second Concerto'' with ...

, Gérard Caussé and Gary Hoffman, of his six

symphonic poem A symphonic poem or tone poem is a piece of orchestral music, usually in a single continuous movement, which illustrates or evokes the content of a poem, short story, novel, painting, landscape, or other (non-musical) source. The German term ( ...

s and of the complete version of Maurice Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé, with the orchestra and chorus of the Opéra national de Bordeaux, are available on the Naxos label. The music he composed for Sonia Petrovna’s production of

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste Roger, vicomte de Saint-Exupéry (29 June 1900 – 31 July 1944), known simply as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (, , ), was a French writer, poet, journalist and aviator. Born in Lyon to an French nobility, aristocratic ...

’s

The Little Prince ''The Little Prince'' (, ) is a novella written and illustrated by French writer and aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. It was first published in English and French in the United States by Reynal & Hitchcock in April 1943 and was published po ...

was recorded for the Naxos label in August 2013. His latest work is a ballet based on Si Yeou Ki (“Journey to the West”) for Chinese choreographer Whang Yabin (Naxos CD released in April 2023). This work, performed by the Wang Yabin Company, premiered on 29 April 2024 in Beijing and has since been presented all over China (it was performed in France in December 2018). His concerto for oboe and orchestra Souen Wou K’ong was first performed in Edinburgh and Glasgow in March 2022 with François Leleux and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. His trio “La Croisée des Arts” will premier in Madrid in October 2024, played by the

Trio Wanderer The Trio Wanderer is a French piano trio made up of Vincent Coq, piano, Jean-Marc Phillips-Varjabédian, violin, and Raphaël Pidoux, cello, who graduated from the Conservatoire de Paris. In 1988 they won the ARD International Music Competition ...

. Laurent Petitgirard is currently composing his third opera, “Houdini”, to a libretto by Tristan Petitgirard. In 1989, he founded the Orchestre symphonique français, which he conducted until 1997. He is a conductor invited by the world’s leading orchestras, among which: the Orchestre de l'Opéra national de Paris, the Orchestre philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, the

Orchestre national de France The Orchestre National de France (; ; abbr. ONF) is a French symphony orchestra based in Paris, founded in 1934. Placed under the administration of the French national radio (named Radio France since 1975), the ONF performs mainly in the Grand ...

, the

Orchestre national de Lyon The Orchestre National de Lyon (ONL) is a French orchestra based in Lyon. Its primary concert venue is the Maurice Ravel Auditorium. The orchestra operates with the help of a subsidy from the Ministry of Culture (France), French Ministry of Cult ...

, the Orchestre national Bordeaux Aquitaine, the Orchestre philharmonique de Nice, the Orchestre philharmonique de Strasbourg, the

Bamberg Symphony Orchestra The Bamberg Symphony (German: Bamberger Symphoniker – Bayerische Staatsphilharmonie) is a renowned German orchestra top-class orchestra that has been residing in Bamberg since its foundation in 1946 and travels the world as a touring orchestra. ...

, The

Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin The Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin (DSO) is a German broadcast orchestra based in Berlin. The orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families ...

, the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, the orchestra of

La Fenice Teatro La Fenice (; "The Phoenix Theatre") is a historic opera house in Venice, Italy. It is one of "the most famous and renowned landmarks in the history of Italian theatre" and in the history of opera as a whole. Especially in the 19th cen ...

, the

Orchestre de la Suisse Romande The Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (OSR) is a Swiss symphony orchestra, based in Geneva at the Victoria Hall. In addition to symphony concerts, the OSR performs as the opera orchestra in productions at the Grand Théâtre de Genève. History ...

, the Spanish National Orchestra, the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, the KBS Symphony Orchestra, the

China National Symphony Orchestra The China National Symphony Orchestra (; abbreviated CNSO) is China's national orchestra. It was founded as the Central Philharmonic Orchestra of China (CPOC) in 1956 under the baton of the conductor Li Delun. In 1996, it was restructured and rena ...

. In

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

, he was elected Music Director of the Orchestre Colonne in Paris. His contract was periodically renewed, covering the period until June 2020. He stepped down as Music Director in April 2018, two years before the end of his term, to devote himself to composition and guest conducting. He continues to conduct the Orchestre Colonne as a guest conductor. From 2013 to 2016, Laurent Petitgirard directed the new Music Composition for Image curriculum at the Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse in Paris. He chaired the

SACEM The Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers of Music or SACEM () is a French professional association collecting payments of artists’ rights and distributing the rights to the original songwriters, composers, and music publisher A mus ...

Board of Directors 8 times between 2006 and 2016. He was awarded the Grand Prix Lycéen des Compositeurs in 2000, the Prix Musique in 2001 and the Prix Opéra in 2003 by the Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques (SACD). Laurent Petitgirard is a member of the

Académie des Beaux-Arts The (; ) is a French learned society based in Paris. It is one of the five academies of the . The current president of the academy (2021) is Alain-Charles Perrot, a French architect. Background The academy was created in 1816 in Paris as a me ...

(

Institut de France The ; ) is a French learned society, grouping five , including the . 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 institute manages approximately ...

), where he succeeded Marcel Landowski. On 1 February 2017 he was elected as its Permanent Secretary, granting him a lifelong term of office.

Personal life

Laurent Petitgirard is married to actress Sonia Petrovna. His son Tristan Petitgirard is an author, director and actor.

Honorary distinctions

Officer of the National Order of the Legion of Honour. * Ordre national du Merite Officier ribbon

Officer of the National Order of Merit. * Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Commandeur ribbon

Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters. * MON Ordre du Merite Culturel Officier BAR

Officer of the Order of Cultural Merit (Monaco).

Works

Operas

* Joseph Merrick dit Elephant man (1996-1999), Éditions Durand, premiered in Prague in February 2002 and was first performed in Nice in December 2002 and in Minneapolis in 2005.

CD, Marco Polo DVD. * Guru (2006-2009) Éditions OSF Productions, Naxos CD, premiered at the Castle Opera in Szczecin in Poland on 28 September 2018, first performed in Nice in February 2024.

Symphonic works

* Souen Wou K’ong, Concerto for oboe and orchestra (2020-2021) Éditions OSF Productions * Si Yeou Ki, Ballet (2019-2020) Éditions OSF Productions * Dilemme, for flute, harp and string orchestra (2017) Éditions Durand * Solitaire, Symphonic poem (2015) Éditions Durand * États d’âme, for saxophone and orchestra (2011-2012) Éditions Durand * Les Douze Gardiens du Temple, Symphonic poem (2003-2004) Éditions Durand * Dialogue, for viola and orchestra (2002-2003) Éditions Durand * Poème, for large string orchestra (2002) Éditions Durand * Le Fou d’Elsa (2000) Éditions Durand * Concerto for cello and orchestra (1994) Éditions Durand * Le Marathon, Symphonic poem (1992 revised 2011) Éditions Durand * Euphonia, symphonic poem (1988-1889 revised 2011) Éditions Durand * Le Légendaire, Concerto for violin, choir and orchestra (1984) Éditions Durand * Musique d’Automne, for twelve solo strings (1974) Éditions L. Alberti * L’Arche, Ballet for 20 flutes, 4 percussions and bass (1973)

Chamber music

* ''Bribes'' (2016) trio for clarinet (or alto saxophone), cello and piano (Éditions Durand) premiered at the ''Tons Voisins'' festival in Albi in June 2016 * ''Le Petit Prince'' for mixed choir, clarinet, harp and percussion (2010), music composed for Sonia Petrovna’s show first performed at the Avignon Opera House in May 2010 (Naxos CD) * ''Réflexions croisées pour violoncelle et percussion'' (2008), commissioned by the '' André Navarra'' competition (Éditions Durand) * ''Le Temple pour piano'' (2005 - Éditions Durand) first performed on 20 May 2008 in Reims by Jean-Philippe Collard * ''Le Plus ardent à vivre…'' (2001) septuor for harp, flute, clarinet and string quartet, first performed in Mulhouse on 14 June 2003 by Marielle Nordmann, Jean Ferrandis, Florent Héau and the Quatuor Chambertin (Éditions Durand) * ''Le Fou d’Elsa'' (2000) cycle of songs on 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 Surrealism, surrealist movement in France. He co-founded with André Breton and Philippe Soupault the surrealist review ''Littératur ...

for alto voice, cello and piano, first performed on 20 January 2002 by Nathalie Stutzmann, Inger Södergren and François Guye (Éditions Durand) * ''Le Songe de Merrick'' (1999) for harp solo, commissioned by the Concours Lily Laskine, premiered in Deauville in September 1999 (Éditions Durand) * ''Hamelin pour violoncelle solo et récitant'' (1984) first performed in 1984 at the Lascours festival by Frédéric Lodéon and Sonia Petrovna (Éditions Durand) * ''Suites du Marathon pour 1 et 2 pianos'' (1983). First performed in 1983 in Newport (USA) par Jean-Philippe Collard and Laurent Petitgirard (Éditions Mario Bois) * ''Sonate pour piano et violon'' (1982), first performed at the Salle Gaveau and recorded in 1983 by Erick Friedman and Laurent Petitgirard (Éditions Mario Bois) * ''Octuor pour 8 violoncelles solistes'' (1980). Revised score published in September 2000 (Éditions Mario Bois) * ''Triptyque pour guitare'' (1979), first performed in 1980 at the

Salle Pleyel The Salle Pleyel (, meaning "Pleyel Hall") is a concert hall in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France, designed by the acoustician Gustave Lyon together with the architect Jacques Marcel Auburtin, who died in 1926, and the work was completed i ...

in Paris and recorded in Rome in 1982 by Paolo Pilia, répertoire by Eduard Agullo (Éditions Mario Bois) * ''Le Lien'', text by Claude Confortès (1977) for mezzo, cello and male choir, first performed at the Salle Gaveau in Paris by Anna Ringart and René Benedetti (Éditions Mario Bois) * ''Quintette avec piano'' (1976). First performed in 1977 at the Salle Gaveau by the Quatuor Français and Laurent Petitgirard (Éditions Mario Bois) * ''Méandres pour piano'' (1976) first performed in 1977 by Laurent Petitgirard at the Salle Gaveau in Paris (Éditions Mario Bois) * ''Prélude pour contrebasse'' (1975), first performed by François Rabbath in 1975 at the Salle Gaveau in Paris

Film and television

For the cinema

= Films

= *

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...

: La Pente douce by Claude d'Anna *

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...

: L'Apocalypse by Jean-Claude Sée (with Alain Kremski) *

1973 Events January * January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...

: Un officier de police sans importance by Jean Larriaga *

: L'Oiseau rare by

Jean-Claude Brialy Jean-Claude Brialy (30 March 1933 – 30 May 2007) was a French actor and film director. Early life Brialy was born in Aumale (now Sour El-Ghozlane), French Algeria, where his father was stationed with the French Army. Brialy moved to mainland ...

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

: Rosebud by

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

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

: La Maison des amants by Jean-Paul Sassy *

1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...

: Le Diable au cœur by Bernard Queysanne *

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...

: L'Amant de poche by Bernard Queysanne *

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...

: Asphalte by Denis Amar *

: Le Roi des cons by Claude Confortès (with

Nicolas Errèra Nicolas Errèra (born 21 May 1967) is a French composer and musician working all over the world. Co-founder of innovative electronics groups Grand Popo Football Club and Rouge Rouge, he also composes soundtracks for films and television. Early l ...

) *

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...

: La Nuit de la mort by Raphaël Delpard and Richard Joffo * 1984 : La Nuit du risque by Sergio Gobbi *

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

: Lacenaire by Francis Girod *

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

: Drôles d'oiseaux by Peter Kassovitz *

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

: Terminale by Francis Girod *

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

: Quasimodo d'El Paris by Patrick Timsit *

: Là-haut, un roi au-dessus des nuages by

Pierre Schoendoerffer Pierre Schoendoerffer (, ; 5 May 1928 – 14 March 2012) was a French film director, a screenwriter, a writer, a war reporter, a war cameraman, a renowned First Indochina War veteran, a cinema academician. He was president of the Académ ...

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

: Un ami parfait by Francis Girod *

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

: John Rabe by

Florian Gallenberger Florian Gallenberger (born 23 February 1972 in Munich) is a German film director and writer. His film ''Quiero ser (I want to be...)'' was awarded the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film in 2001. Career Gallenberger appeared in various ...

For television

= Television series

= * ''Maigret'' (50x1.5h) * ''Carnet de vie'' (5x1h) by Éric Le Hung * ''Folies Offenbach'' (6x1h) by

Michel Boisrond Michel Jacques Boisrond (9 October 1921 – 10 November 2002) was a French film director and screenwriter. His work spanned five decades, from the 1950s to the 1990s. Career A former apprentice of Jean Delannoy, Jean Cocteau, and René Clair ...

* ''Toutes griffes dehors'' (6x1h) by

* ''L'histoire contemporaine'' (4x1.5h) by

* ''Série rose'' (4x1h) by

* ''Police des polices'' (6x1h) by

* ''Clémence Aletti'' (6x1h) by Peter Kassovitz

= Television films

= * ''L'Orange amère'' by Roger Hanin * ''Le Château-faible'' by Jean Larriaga * ''Le Rabat-joie'' by Jean Larriaga * ''Louis Renault'' by Jean Larriaga * ''Marion et son tuteur'' by Jean Larriaga * ''La Tendresse'' by Bernard Queysanne * ''Irène et sa folie'' by Bernard Queysanne * ''Hélas Alice est lasse'' by Bernard Queysanne * ''Antoinette'' by Bernard Queysanne * ''Le Billard écarlate'' by Bernard Queysanne * ''Diane Lanster'' by Bernard Queysanne * ''Dans la citadelle'' by Peter Kassovitz

= Documentaries

= * ''Sacha Guitry'' by Marcel Jullian * ''Versailles'' by Gérard Corbiau * ''La traque des nazis'' by Isabelle Clark and Daniel Costelle * ''La légende vraie de la tour Eiffel'', by Simon Brook

= Animated series

= * ''Crazy Cow-Boy'' by Mordillo-Duduyer * '' The Busy World of Richard Scarry'' (156 × 6^e), CINAR – Paramount

References

External links

Laurent Petitgirard's web site

* * * ttps://www.youtube.com/@Petitgirard1 Youtube channel {{DEFAULTSORT:Petitgirard, Laurent 1950 births 20th-century French composers 20th-century French conductors (music) 21st-century French composers 21st-century French conductors (music) Composers for harp Composers from Paris French classical composers French male classical composers French male film score composers French male opera composers French male television composers French opera composers French film score composers French television composers Living people Officers of the Ordre national du Mérite