Guillaume Connesson


Guillaume Connesson is a French composer born in 1970 in Boulogne-Billancourt.
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Biography

Connesson studied the piano, music theory, music history and choir conducting at the Conservatoire National de Région de Boulogne-Billancourt and composition with Marcel Landowski for six years from 1989.
In the Conservatoire National de Région de Paris, he studied orchestral conducting with Dominique Rouits and orchestration with Alain Louvier.
As a composer, he asserts influences as various as François Couperin, Richard Wagner, Richard Strauss, Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, Igor Stravinsky, Olivier Messiaen for the Turangalîla-Symphonie and Saint François d'Assise, Henri Dutilleux for his Métaboles, Steve Reich, and also John Adams but also movie composers such as Bernard Herrmann or John Williams or the funk style of James Brown.
From 2001 to 2003, he was composer in residence at the Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire, for which he wrote the vocal symphony Liturgies de l'ombre and the symphonic poem L'appel au feu.
He is currently composer in association with the Royal [Scottish National Orchestra]; his music is played by American and English orchestras such as the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Houston Symphony Orchestra, the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, and the BBC Symphony Orchestra. From 2009 he has been composer in residence at the Orchestre de Pau, Pays de Béarn.
Connesson teaches orchestration at the Conservatoire National d'Aubervilliers-la Courneuve.
Guillaume Connesson's music is published by Éditions Billaudot.

Works

Orchestral

Oniris Night-Club Feux d'artifice Enluminures Scènes Nocturnes for string orchestra Trilogie cosmiqueThe Ship of Ishtar for string orchestra Lucifer - Ballet in two acts with a libretto by the composer Maslenitsa Flammenschrift Les cites de Lovecraft - orchestral poems

Concertante

Yu Yan for erhu and orchestra
  • Concerto for cello and orchestra Constellations, Concerto for viola and orchestra The Shining One, Concerto for piano and orchestra Concertino for piano and chamber orchestra Pour sortir au jour- Concerto for flute and orchestra A Kind of Trane - Concerto for saxophone and orchestra Les Horizons Perdus - Concerto for violin and orchestra Les Belles Heures - Concerto for oboe and orchestra Danses concertantes - Concerto for flute and orchestra

Vocal

Music for choir and orchestra

Sphaera for chorus and orchestra, or for chorus, piano 4 hands and percussion ; Latin text by Richard CrashawLa cathédrale aux étoiles, Cantata in 3 acts for mixed chorus, children chorus and orchestra ; text of Valérie de la RochefoucauldAthanor for soprano, baritone, mixed chorus and ensemble or orchestra

Music for choir and instruments

Sphaera for choir, piano with 4 hands and 3 percussions - On a Latin text of Richard Crashaw Musique pour Oscar - Seven children choirs a cappella or with instrumental accompaniment harp and cello Au commencement, for children's chorus and instrumental ensemble

Music for a cappella choir

  • Funeratio for mixed chorus a cappella, or with instrumental ensemble Deux chœurs for female chorus a cappella ; poems of Olivier TanguyLaudate Pueri for mixed chorus a cappella

Music for solo voice and orchestra

Liturgies de l'ombre for soprano and orchestra ; poem of Charles PéguyLe Livre de l'amour for mezzo-soprano and orchestra ; poems of Lord Byron, Emily Brontë and Germain Nouveau

Music for solo voice and chamber ensemble

Medea for soprano, clarinet, cello and piano ; text by Jean VauthierTimouk, Musical Tale for narrator and five instruments on a booklet of Yun Sun Limet

Music for solo voice and piano

De l'Espérance for soprano and piano ; poem of Charles PéguyNuit obscure for baritone and piano ; poem of Saint-Jean de la CroixI'll not weep for alto and piano ; poem of Emily BrontëMy sweet sister for mezzo-soprano and piano ; poem of Lord ByronTrois merveilles du monde for baritone and piano ; poems of Victor HugoVivre for soprano and piano ; poem of Typhanie Vigouroux

Chamber and instrumental music

Disco-toccata for clarinet and cello Double Quatuor for flute, oboe, clarinet, bass clarinet and string quartet Deux Images antiques for clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, trombone, percussion, violin and double bass Jurassic Trip for flute, clarinet, 2 pianos, percussion and string quintet Sextuor for oboe, clarinet, violin, viola, double bass and piano initials dances for piano solo Le rire de Saraï for flute and piano Techno-parade for flute, clarinet and piano Toccata nocturne for flute and cello Toccata for harp solo Riffs for trumpet solo La Solitaire for viola da gamba solo Constellation de la Couronne boréale for viola and piano L'île de Pâques, Prélude for piano Les Chants de l'Atlantide, 3 Pieces for violin and piano Constellation de la Couronne australe for viola and piano Les Chants de l'Agartha, 3 Pieces for cello and piano

Teaching music

Remix for strings orchestra and six percussionists Et un sourire for children's chorus and string orchestra ; poem of Paul Éluard

Stage music

Musique pour Oscar, Incidental Music for the play Oscar et la dame rose by Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt for children's choir, harp and cello Lucifer, Ballet in 2 acts ; libretto by the composer

Film scores

Greed, Music for Erich von Stroheim's 1924 film for clarinet, violin, viola, cello and piano L'Aurore, Music for Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau's 1927 silent film Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans for large symphonic orchestra

Discography

Lost Horizon - Les Cités de Lovecraft, A Kind of Trane, Les Horizons Perdus, Le Tombeau des Regrets - Renaud Capuçon, Timothy McAllister. Brussels Philharmonic conducted by Stéphane Denève Pour sortir au jour- Flammenschrift - Pour sortir au jour, concerto for flute - E chiaro nella valle il fiume appare - Maslenitsa. With the Brussels Philharmonic conducted by Stéphane Denève, with Mathieu Dufour, flute. Award: Diapason d'or.Lucifer - Concerto for cello interpreted by Jérôme Pernoo - Lucifer - Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo under conducting of Jean-Christophe Spinosi Timouk - Yun Sun Limet, texts - Delphine Jacquot, illustrations - Claire-Marie Le Guay, piano - Marie Gillain, narrator Constellations - Monograph of chamber music - With Jérôme Ducros, Jérôme Pernoo... Cosmic Trilogy - The Shining One - With Éric Le Sage, Stéphane Denève and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra Athanor-Supernova - Monograph of orchestral music and choral Laudate pueri - Motet for mixed chorus with six voices a cappella Techno Parade - Monograph of chamber music - With Mathieu Dufour, Paul Meyer, Éric Le Sage...

Interpreters

Principal musicians or orchestral formations which interpret regularly the music of Guillaume Connesson:

Awards and distinctions

  • 2011 - Grand Prix SACEM de la musique symphonique
  • 2006 - Grand Prix Lycéen des Compositeurs
  • 2005 - Choc du Monde de la Musique and 10 de Classica for the CD Techno Parade
  • 2001 - Bourse de la Fondation Natexis
  • 2000 - Prix de la SACEM
  • 1999 - Prix Nadia et Lili Boulanger
  • 1998 - Prix Cardin de l'Institut de France pour Supernova