French pianist
Claude Helffer |
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Born | 18 June 1922
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Died | 27 October 2004 (aged 82)
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Education |
École Polytechnique |
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Spouse | Mireille Helffer (m. 1946) |
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Claude Helffer (18 June 1922 – 27 October 2004) was a French pianist.
Early life
Helffer was born in Paris, and began piano lessons at the age of five. From the age of ten, until the outbreak of World War II, he studied with
Robert Casadesus. During the war, he entered
École Polytechnique and fought for the
French Resistance during
World War II. After the war, he studied theory and composition with
René Leibowitz.
Career
He made his debut in Paris in 1948 and from 1954 appeared regularly in the concerts of the
Domaine musical.
Helffer gave many premières of new works and was the dedicatee of several notable works, including Erikhthon (
Xenakis, 1974), Concerto (
Boucourechliev, 1975), Stances (
Betsy Jolas, 1978), Concerto no. 1 (
Luis de Pablo, 1980), Envoi (
Gilles Tremblay, 1982), and Modifications (
Michael Jarrell, 1983). Conductors he collaborated with included
Boulez,
Bour,
Gielen,
Leibowitz,
Maderna,
Marriner,
Martinon,
Van Otterloo,
Prêtre and
Scherchen. His discography includes the complete piano music of
Schoenberg (Grand Prix du Disque),
Debussy and
Ravel and the
Sonatas of
Boulez,
Berg and
Barraqué.
Helffer taught
master classes all over the world, most notably at the
Salzburg Summer Academy from 1985 to 1998.
Personal life
Helffer married the noted
ethnomusicologist, Mireille Helffer, whom he met at the
Lycée Molière two years earlier, in June 1946.
[1]
Discography
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Barraqué:
Piano Sonata (recorded 1969). Astrée (LP)
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Bartók:
Out of Doors, Piano Sonata, Popular Romanian Dances, Suite op. 14, Improvisations op. 20. Harmonia Mundi (CD)
- Bartók: Mikrokosmos. Harmonia Mundi (LP/CD)
- Bartók: Piano sonata.
Debussy: 3 Etudes.
Evangelisti: Due proiezioni sonore.
Serocki: A piacere. RCA Red Seal (LP)
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Boulez: Piano Sonata No. 2.
Berg: Piano Sonata. Deutsche Grammophon (LP)
- Boulez: Piano Sonatas Nos. 1–3. Astrée (LP/CD)
- Debussy: Complete Works for Solo Piano. Harmonia Mundi (LP/CD)
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Milhaud: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 4, Le Carnaval d’Aix, 5 Etudes, Ballade. Orchestre National cond. D. Robertson. Erato (CD)
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Ravel: Complete Works for Solo Piano. Harmonia Mundi (LP/CD, 2 vols.)
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Roussel: Piano Concerto. Omega (LP)
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Schoenberg: Piano Concerto op.42 (recorded c.1952). Orchestre Radio-Symphonique de Paris cond. René Leibowitz. Renaissance/Period/Counterpoint (LP)
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Schoenberg: Complete Works for Solo Piano (recorded 1976). Harmonia Mundi (LP/CD)
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Schoenberg: Complete Works for Solo Piano (recorded 2000). Pianovox (CD)
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Xenakis: Mists, Herma, A r., Akea, Dikhtas, Evryali, chamber works.
Irvine Arditti (violin);
Arditti Quartet. Astrée Auvidis (2 CDs)
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^ Philippe Albèra, Entretiens avec Claude Helffer, Contrechamps, 1995 p.25.
Bibliography
- Albèra, Philippe, Entretiens avec Claude Helffer, 1995 (Editions Contrechamps)
- Helffer, Claude and Michaud-Pradeilles, Catherine, Le Piano, 1997 (Presses universitaires de France: Que sais-je?)
- Helffer, Claude, Quinze analyses musicales, de Bach à Manoury, 2000 (Editions Contrechamps)
- Claude Helffer: La musique sur le bout des doigts: Entretien avec Bruno Serrou, 2005 (Michel de Maule/Institut national de l'audiovisuel, with DVD-ROM)
External links
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