Claude Helffer (June 18, 1922 – October 27, 2004) was a French pianist noted particularly for his advocacy of 20th-century music. June 18 is the 169th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (170th in leap years), with 196 days remaining. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1922 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search October 27 is the 300th day of the year (301st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 65 days remaining. ... Jump to: navigation, search 2004(MMIV) is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

He was born in Paris, and began piano lessons at the age of five and from the age of ten until the outbreak of World War II he studied with Robert Casadesus. During the War he entered the élite École polytechnique after having fought for the Resistance (in the maquis de Vercors). After the War he studied theory and composition with René Leibowitz. He made his début in Paris in 1948 and from 1954 appeared regularly in the concerts of the Domaine musical. Jump to: navigation, search The Eiffel Tower has become a symbol of Paris throughout the world. ... Jump to: navigation, search World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrinations, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atom bomb World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a mid-20th-century conflict that... Robert Casadesus (April 7, 1899 – September 19, 1972) was a French pianist and composer. ... The cadets of Polytechnique rushed to the defense of Paris against the foreign armies in 1814. ... The French Resistance is the name used for resistance movements that fought military occupation of France by Nazi Germany and the Vichy France undemocratic regime during World War II after the government and the high command of France surrendered in 1940. ... René Leibowitz (February 17, 1913 – August 29, 1972) was a French composer, conductor, music theorist and teacher born in Warsaw, Poland. ... The Domaine musical was a concert society established by Pierre Boulez in Paris, France, which was active from 1954 to 1973. ...

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. Iannis Xenakis (May 29, 1922, Romania - February 4, 2001) was a Greek composer who spent much of his life in Paris, France. ... André Boucourechliev (July 28, 1925 – November 13, 1997) was a French composer of Bulgarian origin. ... Betsy Jolas (born August 5, 1926) is a French composer. ... Luis de Pablo (born January 28, 1930) is a Spanish composer. ... Gilles Tremblay (born September 6, 1932) is a Canadian composer. ... Michael Jarrell (born October 8, 1958) is a Swiss composer. ... Pierre Boulez (IPA: /pjɛʁ.buˈlÉ›z/) (born March 26, 1925) is a conductor and composer of classical music. ... Ernest Bour (born April 20, 1913) is a French conductor. ... Michael Gielen (born July 20, 1927) is an Austrian conductor and composer. ... René Leibowitz (February 17, 1913 – August 29, 1972) was a French composer, conductor, music theorist and teacher born in Warsaw, Poland. ... Bruno Maderna (1920-1973) was an Italian composer of 20th century music. ... Sir Neville Marriner (born April 15, 1924) is a conductor and violinist. ... Jean Martinon (January 10, 1910–March 1, 1976) was a French conductor and composer. ... Willem van Otterloo (December 27, 1907 – July 27, 1978) was a Dutch conductor and composer. ... Georges Prêtre (born August 14, 1924) is a French conductor. ... Hermann Scherchen was a German conductor and arranger, (June 21, 1891 – June 12, 1966). ... Arnold Schoenberg, Los Angeles, 1948 Arnold Schoenberg, (the anglicized form of Schönberg—Schoenberg changed the spelling officially when he became a U.S. citizen) (September 13, 1874 – July 13, 1951) was a composer, born in Vienna, Austria. ... Claude Debussy Claude Achille Debussy (August 22, 1862 – March 25, 1918), composer of impressionistic classical music. ... Joseph-Maurice Ravel (March 7, 1875 – December 28, 1937) was a French composer and pianist, best known for his orchestral work, Boléro, and his famous 1922 orchestral arrangement of Modest Mussorgskys Pictures at an Exhibition. ... Pierre Boulez (IPA: /pjɛʁ. ... Alban Maria Johannes Berg (February 9, 1885 – December 24, 1935) was an Austrian composer. ... Jean Barraqué (January 17, 1928 – August 17, 1973) was a French composer. ...

Helffer gave masterclasses all over the world, most notably at the Salzburg Summer Academy from 1985 to 1998. Flag of Salzburg Salzburg (population 145,000 in 2003) is a city in western Austria and the capital of the federal state of Salzburg (population 520,000 in 2003). ...

Discography

• Barraqué: Piano sonata. Astrée (LP/CD)
• 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)
• 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)
• Milhaud: Piano concertos nos. 1 & 4, Le Carnaval d’Aix, 5 Etudes, Ballade. Orchestre National cond. D. Robertson. Erato (CD)
• Ravel: Complete works for solo piano. Harmonia Mundi (LP/CD, 2 vols.)
• Schoenberg: Complete works for solo piano (recorded 1976). Harmonia Mundi (LP/CD)
• Schoenberg: Complete works for solo piano (recorded 2000). Pianovox (CD)
• Xenakis: Mists, Herma, A r., Akea, Dikhtas, Evryali, chamber works. Irvine Arditti (violin); Arditti Quartet. Astrée Auvidis (2 CDs)

Jean Barraqué (January 17, 1928 – August 17, 1973) was a French composer. ... Béla Viktor János Bartók (March 25, 1881 – September 26, 1945) was a composer, pianist and collector of East European folk music. ... Claude Debussy Claude Achille Debussy (August 22, 1862 – March 25, 1918), composer of impressionistic classical music. ... Kazimierz Serocki (3 March 1922, ToruÅ„ - 9 January 1981, Warsaw) was a Polish composer and one of the founders of the Warsaw Autumn contemporary music festival. ... Pierre Boulez (IPA: /pjɛʁ. ... Alban Maria Johannes Berg (February 9, 1885 – December 24, 1935) was an Austrian composer. ... Darius Milhaud (September 4, 1892 - June 22, 1974) was a French-Jewish composer and teacher. ... Joseph-Maurice Ravel (March 7, 1875 – December 28, 1937) was a French composer and pianist, best known for his orchestral work, Boléro, and his famous 1922 orchestral arrangement of Modest Mussorgskys Pictures at an Exhibition. ... Arnold Schoenberg, Los Angeles, 1948 Arnold Schoenberg, (the anglicized form of Schönberg—Schoenberg changed the spelling officially when he became a U.S. citizen) (September 13, 1874 – July 13, 1951) was a composer, born in Vienna, Austria. ... Iannis Xenakis (May 29, 1922, Romania - February 4, 2001) was a Greek composer who spent much of his life in Paris, France. ... Well known string quartet founded in 1974. ...

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

• Qui est Claude HELFFER?