Paul Méfano
Encyclopedia
Paul Méfano is a French
composer
and conductor
.
, and then later at the Paris Conservatory (CNSMP), where he was a student of Andrée Vaurabourg-Honegger, Darius Milhaud
, and Georges Dandelot
. He completed his studies in Basel
at the courses taught by Pierre Boulez
, Karlheinz Stockhausen
, and Henri Pousseur
.
He regularly attended the concerts of the Domaine Musical, as well as the seminars at Darmstadt, and enrolled in Olivier Messiaen
’s class at the CNSMP. Messiaen described Méfano as "restless, intense, and always in search of radical solutions” (Pugin 2000, 15).
In 1965 his music was performed publicly for the first time, at the Domaine Musical under the baton of Bruno Maderna
.
From 1966 to 1968 he lived in the United States
, and then in 1969 he moved to Berlin
at the invitation of the German Academy of Cultural Exchange (DAAD).
In 1970 he returned to France, signed a contract with Salabert, and devoted himself to composition, to conducting, and to musical life in general. In 1972 he founded the Ensemble 2e2m, a group which he regularly conducts, and with which he has premièred more than five hundred works by young composers and with which he has made more than forty recordings. Amongst those younger composers are Stéphane de Gérando
, Laurent Mettraux
, Thierry Blondeau, Marc André, Michael Finnissy
, James Dillon
, Bruce Mather
, and Claude Lefèvre, but he has also championed older composers such as Jean Barraqué
, Brian Ferneyhough
, Franco Donatoni
, Luigi Nono
, Aldo Clementi
, Philippe Boesmans
, Morton Feldman
, Edison Denisov
, and John Cage
, as well as participating in the rediscovery of Charles Valentin Alkan and the Czech composers who were interred at Terezienstadt in 1940. He is the founder of the Editions du Mordant for the publication of contemporary music, and of the Editions Musicales Européennes (dedicated primarily to young composers), and he has produced a number of notable radio series (Drake 2001).
In 1972 he was appointed director of the Conservatory of Champigny-sur-Marne
, a duty which he performed until 1988. He also was professor of composition and orchestration at the Paris Conservatory until 2002. One of his conducting students was the Canadian composer Claude Vivier
.
From 1996 until 2005 he directed the Conservatory of Versailles
.
composers, his own compositions are not at all similar, and today he is regarded as a “post-spectralist” composer (Pugin 2001, 38).
Many of his works explore and develop contemporary techniques for the flute, such as in Captive, Eventails, Gradiva, Traits suspendus, or Ensevelie.
His earliest works (Trois chants crépusculaires) maintain links with tonality, to which he returned in Micromégas. Since this work he has remained faithful to serial technique (Drake 2001).
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
.
Biography
Paul Méfano pursued musical studies at the École Normale de Musique de ParisÉcole Normale de Musique de Paris
The École Normale de Musique de Paris is a leading conservatoire located in Paris, France. The school was founded by Auguste Mangeot and pianist Alfred Cortot in 1919...
, and then later at the Paris Conservatory (CNSMP), where he was a student of Andrée Vaurabourg-Honegger, Darius Milhaud
Darius Milhaud
Darius Milhaud was a French composer and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as The Group of Six—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His compositions are influenced by jazz and make use of polytonality...
, and Georges Dandelot
Georges Dandelot
Georges Édouard Dandelot was a French composer.-Biography:Dandelot's father was Alfred Dandelot, and his mother was the daughter of a piano maker...
. He completed his studies in Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
at the courses taught by Pierre Boulez
Pierre Boulez
Pierre Boulez is a French composer of contemporary classical music, a pianist, and a conductor.-Early years:Boulez was born in Montbrison, Loire, France. As a child he began piano lessons and demonstrated aptitude in both music and mathematics...
, Karlheinz Stockhausen
Karlheinz Stockhausen
Karlheinz Stockhausen was a German composer, widely acknowledged by critics as one of the most important but also controversial composers of the 20th and early 21st centuries. Another critic calls him "one of the great visionaries of 20th-century music"...
, and Henri Pousseur
Henri Pousseur
Henri Pousseur was a Belgian composer.-Biography:Pousseur studied at the Academies of Music in Liège and in Brussels from 1947 to 1953. He was closely associated with Pierre Froidebise and André Souris...
.
He regularly attended the concerts of the Domaine Musical, as well as the seminars at Darmstadt, and enrolled in Olivier Messiaen
Olivier Messiaen
Olivier Messiaen was a French composer, organist and ornithologist, one of the major composers of the 20th century. His music is rhythmically complex ; harmonically and melodically it is based on modes of limited transposition, which he abstracted from his early compositions and improvisations...
’s class at the CNSMP. Messiaen described Méfano as "restless, intense, and always in search of radical solutions” (Pugin 2000, 15).
In 1965 his music was performed publicly for the first time, at the Domaine Musical under the baton of Bruno Maderna
Bruno Maderna
Bruno Maderna was an Italian conductor and composer. For the last ten years of his life he lived in Germany and eventually became a citizen of that country.-Biography:...
.
From 1966 to 1968 he lived in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and then in 1969 he moved to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
at the invitation of the German Academy of Cultural Exchange (DAAD).
In 1970 he returned to France, signed a contract with Salabert, and devoted himself to composition, to conducting, and to musical life in general. In 1972 he founded the Ensemble 2e2m, a group which he regularly conducts, and with which he has premièred more than five hundred works by young composers and with which he has made more than forty recordings. Amongst those younger composers are Stéphane de Gérando
Stéphane de Gérando
Stéphane de Gérando , is a French composer, conductor, multimedia artist, researcher.-Biography:Stéphane de Gérando succeeded to enter first the C.N.S.M.D.P. , got the First Prize of Composition of the C.N.S.M.D.P. in 1991...
, Laurent Mettraux
Laurent Mettraux
Laurent Mettraux is a composer and organist.-Studies:Mettraux is a graduate of the Conservatoire de Fribourg where he studied music theory with René Oberson, as well as piano, violin, and singing...
, Thierry Blondeau, Marc André, Michael Finnissy
Michael Finnissy
Michael Finnissy is an English composer and pianist. His music is characterised by the range of extremes often found in his work; opposing binary structures are found commonly, often seen as juxtaposing textures, register and tempi...
, James Dillon
James Dillon (composer)
James Dillon, born October 29, 1950 in Glasgow, Scotland, is a Scottish composer often regarded as belonging to the New Complexity school. Dillon studied art and design, linguistics, piano, acoustics, Indian rhythm, mathematics and computer music, but is self-taught in composition.Honors include...
, Bruce Mather
Bruce Mather
Bruce Mather is a Canadian composer, pianist, and writer who is particularly known for his contributions to contemporary classical music. One of the most notable composers of microtonal music, he was awarded the Jules Léger Prize twice, first in 1979 for his Musique pour Champigny and again in...
, and Claude Lefèvre, but he has also championed older composers such as Jean Barraqué
Jean Barraqué
Jean-Henri-Alphonse Barraqué was a French composer and writer on music who developed an individual form of serialism which is displayed in a small output of highly complex but passionate works.-Life:...
, Brian Ferneyhough
Brian Ferneyhough
Brian John Peter Ferneyhough is an English composer. His music is characterized by the extensive use of complex rhythmic tuplet notation which features in all his works...
, Franco Donatoni
Franco Donatoni
Franco Donatoni was an Italian composer.Born in Verona, he started studying violin at the age of seven, and frequented the local Music Academy...
, Luigi Nono
Luigi Nono
Luigi Nono was an Italian avant-garde composer of classical music and remains one of the most prominent composers of the 20th century.- Early years :Born in Venice, he was a member of a wealthy artistic family, and his grandfather was a notable painter...
, Aldo Clementi
Aldo Clementi
-Life:Aldo Clementi was born in Catania, Italy. He studied the piano, graduating in 1946. His studies in composition began in 1941, and his teachers included Alfredo Sangiorgi and Goffredo Petrassi. After receiving his diploma in 1954, he attended the Darmstadt summer courses from 1955 to 1962...
, Philippe Boesmans
Philippe Boesmans
-Life:Boesmans was born in Tongeren and studied piano at the Conservatory in Liège, where he was also introduced to serial composing techniques by Pierre Froidebise. However, it was only after coming into contact with the "Liège Group" in 1957 that he began to write music, as a self-taught composer...
, Morton Feldman
Morton Feldman
Morton Feldman was an American composer, born in New York City.A major figure in 20th century music, Feldman was a pioneer of indeterminate music, a development associated with the experimental New York School of composers also including John Cage, Christian Wolff, and Earle Brown...
, Edison Denisov
Edison Denisov
Edison Vasilievich Denisov was a Russian composer of so called "Underground" — "Anti-Collectivist", "alternative" or "nonconformist" division in the Soviet music.-Biography:...
, and John Cage
John Cage
John Milton Cage Jr. was an American composer, music theorist, writer, philosopher and artist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading figures of the post-war avant-garde...
, as well as participating in the rediscovery of Charles Valentin Alkan and the Czech composers who were interred at Terezienstadt in 1940. He is the founder of the Editions du Mordant for the publication of contemporary music, and of the Editions Musicales Européennes (dedicated primarily to young composers), and he has produced a number of notable radio series (Drake 2001).
In 1972 he was appointed director of the Conservatory of Champigny-sur-Marne
Champigny-sur-Marne
Champigny-sur-Marne is a commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.-Name:Champigny-sur-Marne was originally called simply Champigny...
, a duty which he performed until 1988. He also was professor of composition and orchestration at the Paris Conservatory until 2002. One of his conducting students was the Canadian composer Claude Vivier
Claude Vivier
-Biography:Born to unknown parents in Montreal, Vivier was adopted at the age of three by a poor French-Canadian family. From the age of thirteen, he attended boarding schools run by the Marist Brothers, a religious order that prepared young boys for a vocation in the priesthood. At the age of...
.
From 1996 until 2005 he directed the Conservatory of Versailles
Versailles
Versailles , a city renowned for its château, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial centre...
.
Musical style
Méfano’s compositional style has evolved considerably from his early serial work Incidences (1960) down to recent compositions which make extensive use of microtones, such as Speed (2000). His early serial style is clearly under the influence of Boulez, but the ardour of his employment of these traits “confounds the crystalline, the mirror-like and with it all suggestion of musical geometry” (Pugin 2000, 15). He has an essentially poetic conception of music, reflected in a lifelong interest in poets and poetry (Pugin 2000, 16). This is manifested especially in his treatment of instrumental color and in his vocal writing. He also has a special feeling for drama, as manifested in La cérémonie. At the beginning of the 1970s he experimented with electronics (La messe des voleurs), and with its real-time combination with instruments. Though he has shown interest in the music of the spectralistSpectral music
Spectral music is a musical composition practice where compositional decisions are often informed by the analysis of sound spectra. Computer-based sound spectrum analysis using tools like DFT, FFT, and spectrograms...
composers, his own compositions are not at all similar, and today he is regarded as a “post-spectralist” composer (Pugin 2001, 38).
Many of his works explore and develop contemporary techniques for the flute, such as in Captive, Eventails, Gradiva, Traits suspendus, or Ensevelie.
His earliest works (Trois chants crépusculaires) maintain links with tonality, to which he returned in Micromégas. Since this work he has remained faithful to serial technique (Drake 2001).
Awards
He has been awarded the following prizes and honors:- 1971 – Prix Enesco de SACEM.
- 1980 - Chevalier de l'Ordre du Mérite.
- 1982 - Grand prix national de la Musique.
- 1985 - Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et Lettres.
- 1989 - Prix SACEM de la musique symphonique.
Catalog of works
| Year | Title | Type of work | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Evocations à l'usage des jeunes filles, for piano | solo (piano) | 03:00 |
| 1957 | Croquis pour un adolescent. 6 pieces for piano | solo (piano) | 00:15 |
| 1958 | Involutive, for clarinet | solo (clarinet) | 06:00 |
| 1958 | Trois Chants crépusculaires (Text by Paul Méfano) [I. Rivages: jamais entamés par le jeu - II. Toi, qui rêveur observe les flammes - III. Perçois-tu, humain le futur], for dramatic soprano and piano | vocal (with piano) | 15:00 |
| 1959 | Estampes japonaises, for soprano and 10 instruments [I. Sur les vagues (Hitomaro, 681-729) - II. La Vague (Ninamato No Sanetamo) - III. Pluie (anonymous, 8th century) - IV. Dans la bise glacée (Ki No Tsurayuki, 883–946) - V. Dans un jardin (anonymous 12th century poet). There are 3 versions: a) light or coloratura soprano and ensemble - b) light or coloratura soprano and piano reduction - c) Transcription for flute (pic, bass fl) and piano | vocal | 10:00 |
| 1959 | Danse bulgare n° 1, after Bartók version 1 (1959) - version 2 (1980): for string orchestra | orchestral music | 01:50 |
| 1959 | Variations libres, after Bartók (version 1 (1959) - version 2 (1980) : for orchestre à cordes | orchestra | 01:40 |
| 1960 | Incidences, for piano and orchestra | orchestra | - |
| 1959 | Orchestration of Die jagd, excerpt from Romances without Words by Mendelssohn (revision for orchestra) | orchestra | 05:00 |
| 1962 | Captive (cadence extracted from Madrigal), for flute | solo (flute) | 05:00 |
| 1962 | Lignes, noble bass and 15 instruments | vocal (with instruments) | 15:00 |
| 1962 | Madrigal (Text after Paul Eluard), for 3 female voices or 2 female voices and countertenor, with small instrumental ensemble: fl, pno, hp, & 4perc | vocal (with instruments) | 18:00 |
| 1962 | Que l’oiseau se déchire (poem by Yves Bonnefoy), for voice, clarinet in A and 1 percussionist | vocal (with instruments) | |
| 1962 | Mélodies, for soprano, mezzo-soprano or countertenor or contralto, and various instrumental ensembles [1. Nous avons erré longtemps (Omar Kayam), for voice and clarinet in A - 2. La Vague (Ninamato No Sanetamo), for voice and piano - 3. Que l’oiseau se déchire (Yves Bonnefoy), for voice, clarinet in A, and percussion - 4. Et l’unique cordeau (Guillaume Apollinaire), for voice, cl in A, trb, perc, pno, cb - 5. L’Infirmité du feu (Yves Bonnefoy), for voice and 10 instruments | vocal (with instruments) | 20:00 |
| 1964–65 | Paraboles, soprano and ensemble (Version A (movements 1 to 3), for dramatic soprano and ensemble - Version B (movements 1 to 4, symphony orchestra) | vocal & instrumental | - |
| 1966 | Interférences, for piano and horn soli and 10 instruments | vocal (with instruments) | 12:00 |
| 1970 | La Cérémonie, oratorio (text by the composer), for soprano, countertenor, baritone, speaking choir and 3 orchestral groups | oratorio | 25:00 |
| 1970 | Old Œdip, "plaisanterie sonore" for reciter, actor, tape, electronics, and ring modulator | vocal | 13:30 |
| 1970 | Intersections, electronic music | electronic | 10:10 |
| 1972 | As you like it? Aleatoric piece for small variable ensemble | instrumental | 10-20:00 |
| 1972 | L’Age de la vie (poem by Paul Eluard), for soprano, horn, and harp | vocal (with instruments) | 06:00 |
| 1972 | La Messe des voleurs, for vocal quartet, chamber ensemble, electronics, and magnetic tape | vocal (with instruments) | 75:00 |
| 1972 | Signes/oubli, for 22 instruments divided into 2 groupes | vocal | 07:00 |
| 1972 | N, for one flutist playing piccolo, flute, alto flute, and bass flute, with electronics, modulator, and magnetic tape | solo (flute) | 23:00 |
| 1974 | They (text: phonemes), for one singer | vocal (a cappella) | 03:00 |
| 1975 | Ondes (espaces mouvants), for 10 instruments | chamber music | 08:00 |
| 1976 | Placebo Domino in regione vivorum, motet for 6 mixed voices (S,MzS,A,T,Bar,B) on a text by the composer | vocal | 12:00 |
| 1976 | Eventails, for amplified bass flute | solo (flute) | 10:00 |
| 1976 | Mouvement calme, for string quartet or string ensemble (12 strings) | chamber music | 07:20 |
| 1978 | Gradiva, for contrabass flute | solo (flute) | 24:00 |
| 1978 | Périple, for saxophone and electronics | solo (saxophone) | 06-10:00 |
| 1979 | Micromégas I, "action musicale" (after Voltaire) [rev. 1983–87 as Micromégas] | opera | |
| 1980 | Traits suspendus, contrabass flute or bass flute | solo (flute) | 06:00 |
| 1980 | A Bruno Maderna, for solo cello, 11 strings, and magnetic tape | chamber music | 20:00 |
| 1983-87 | Micromégas, "action lyrique" in 7 tableaux (after Voltaire) | opera | 80:00 |
| 1984 | Scène 3, extract from the opera Micromégas (government commission, 1983) (Grand-théâtre, Metz) | opera | 15:00 |
| 1984 | Douce saveur (poem by Nathalie Méfano), for bass, cor anglais, and tuba | vocal (with instruments) | 05:00 |
| 1986 | Tige, for saxophone | solo (saxophone) | 04:00 |
| 1986 | Ensevelie, for flute and synthesizer-controlled sampler | solo (flute) | 10:00 |
| 1989 | Voyager, interlude for the opera Micromégas, for instrumental ensemble (17 instruments) | chamber music | 15:00 |
| 1990 | Scintillante, for basson and electronics (MIDI-keyboard) | chamber music | 07:00 |
| 1990 | Orchestration of Erwartung, orchestration by Paul Méfano and Michel Decoust, for soprano and 15 instruments | orchestra | 30:00 |
| 1991 | Mémoire de la Porte Blanche, for piano | solo (piano) | 06:00 |
| 1992 | Asahi, for oboe and electronics | solo (oboe) | 06:00 |
| 1992 | Matrice des vents, for sho and electronics | solo (sho) | 35:00 |
| 1993 | Dragonbass, for bass, 2 saxophones, synthesizer and tape | vocal (with instruments) | 15:00 |
| 1995-96 | Mon ami Emile, une interprétation des Valses de Waldteufel [1er cahier: Amour et printemps - Les patineurs - Violettes], for flute, clarinet, piano, and string quartet | chamber music | 25:00 |
| 1995 | Deux mélodies, for sop., mezzo-sop., sax., bass cl., viola | vocal (with instruments) | 08:00 |
| 1997 | Trois chants 1958, for sop., 3 sax., 3 perc., and 3 cellos | vocal (with instruments) | 10:00 |
| 1998 | Cinq pièces for 2 violins | chamber music | 12:00 |
| 1998 | Mon ami Emile, une interprétation des Valses de Waldteufel [2nd collection: Roses et Marguerites - Valse de la poupée - Sirènes - Madeleine], for fl., cl., piano, harmonium, and string quartet | chamber music | 35:00 |
| 1998 | Hélios, for alto flute and string trio | chamber music | 20:00 |
| 1999 | Alone, for violon | solo (violin) | 12:00 |
| 2001 | Tronoën, for cello alone | solo (violoncello) | 12:00 |
| 2003 | Jades, for flute, clarinet, guitar and 2 cellos | chamber music | 10:00 |
| (n.d.) | Etrange/arrêtée/seule froissée, for 2 fl., vl., vlc., & perc. | chamber music | 09:00 |
| (n.d.) | ...s'égrainent comme le vent, for voice, 2 fl., vl., vlc., & perc. (text by Paul Méfano) | vocal (with instruments) | 09:00 |
| (n.d.) | Périple à 2, for 2 saxophones | chamber music | 05:00 |
| (n.d.) | Périple à 4 for 4 saxophones | chamber music | 06:00 |
| (n.d.) | Chanson pour les petits de 6 à 9 ans | vocal | 03:00 |
| (n.d.) | Batro, for violin and cello | chamber music | 08:00 |
| (n.d.) | Petit Batro for violin and cello | chamber music | 16:00 |
Discography
| Work | Interpretation | The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, second edition, edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell. London: Macmillan.
2868201768
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