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Yvonne Loriod

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Yvonne Loriod was a French pianist and teacher, born in 1924 in Houilles near Paris. As a child she received piano lessons from her godmother and gave recitals at a young age, with a large repertoire of Bach, Beethoven, Chopin and Mozart. Between 1941 and 1948 she studied at the Paris Conservatoire, with Lazare Lévy and Marcel Ciampi, among others. She became one of the first pupils of Olivier Messiaen, who noticed her virtuosity and memory at once. In 1945 she gave the French premiere of Béla Bartók's Second Piano Concerto, which she had learned in eight days.

Music and breakthrough

From the 1940s onwards Messiaen wrote his piano works for her, including Visions de l'Amen and Vingt Regards sur l'enfant Jésus. He said he could allow himself the greatest extravagances, because Loriod would master them anyway. Together with her sister Jeanne, who played the Ondes Martenot, she was a soloist in the Turangalîla-Symphonie. Among other things she recorded Catalogue d'oiseaux (1971). In 1961 she married Messiaen. From 1967 to 1989 she taught at the Paris Conservatoire. After his death in 1992 she completed his Traité de rythme, de couleur et d'ornithologie. She also composed herself, including Mélopées africaines.

Influence

Loriod is regarded as the most important interpreter of Messiaen's piano music. That is far more than performing: a composer wrote his music around a player, and her technique helped determine how that music sounded. As a teacher she and Messiaen passed on their knowledge to Pierre-Laurent Aimard, who still champions their work. She died in 2010.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to a movement from Catalogue d'oiseaux or Vingt Regards sur l'enfant Jésus. Notice the fast, bright chords and birdlike motifs, and how far the pianist ranges across the keyboard.

Discography

Studio albums

Categories: Artists