Alain Louvier


Alain Louvier 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 with Henriette Puig-Roget, Olivier Messiaen, Tony Aubin, Robert Veyron-Lacroix, Norbert Dufourcq and Manuel Rosenthal. As a student in 1968, he won the 161st and last annual Prix de Rome for musical composition.
Louvier headed the École Nationale de Musique of Boulogne-Billancourt from 1972 to 1986. From 1986 to 1991, he was the director of the Conservatoire de Paris. From 1991 to 2009, he taught music analysis and orchestration at the CNSMDP in Paris. From 2009 until 2013, he was again director of the Boulogne-Billancourt Conservatory.
Louvier has composed pieces for piano, harpsichord, chamber music and orchestra. He is particularly known for his invention of a new piano technique centered around the "aggressors": the 10 fingers, 2 palms, 2 fists and 2 forearms, treated individually. He forged a precise gestural vocabulary, and an adapted graphic syntax, involving these different elements.

Works

Études pour agresseurs I, II for pianoÉtudes pour agresseurs III for modern harpsichordÉtudes pour agresseurs IV for two pianosÉtudes pour agresseurs V for harpsichord, loudspeaker and stringsQuintette de cuivres
  • Sonata for two pianosChant des limbes for orchestraQuatre Préludes pour cordes for one or several pianosChimère for harp, premiered in 1975Sempre più alto for viola and pianoConcerto pour orchestres for orchestra and computer synthesized soundtrackEnvols d'écailles for flute, viola and harp
  • Concerto for viola and orchestraSolstices, 5 short pieces for high voices and piano, composed in 2004 and premiered on May 20, 2008