Claude Ledoux (composer)

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Claude Ledoux is a Belgian composer, born in 1960.

Claude Ledoux, photograph by Nao Momitani
Claude Ledoux, photograph by Nao Momitani

Contents

[edit] Biography

After obtaining a science diploma, Ledoux turned to music and studied at the Conservatoire de Liège where he met Jean-Louis Robert, Philippe Boesmans, Frederic Rzewski and Henri Pousseur. He also carried out research into electronic music in the CRFMW studio with Patrick Lenfant.

Afterwards, Ledoux pursued his education abroad, notably in Hungary (a Béla Bartók seminar), in Italy (in Bolzano and Venice) where he participated in a seminar by Gyorgy Ligeti and finally in Paris where he lived for two years on the occasion of IRCAM courses. At the same time, he studied composition with Iannis Xenakis at the University of Paris I.

[edit] Competitions won

As a composer he won several competitions (including Lille, Paris and Lausanne). In 2003 he received the Musical Prize from the Civitella Ranieri Foudation of New York for his recent works. His music has been performed in many towns in Europe (Brussels [Ars Musica], Paris [Radio-France, Présences, L’Itinéraire, Intercontemporain...], Strasbourg [Musica], Berlin [WDR, Philharmonie]) and in Ukraine and Russia. He has performed in North America (with the Colorado Orchestra and the Symphonic Orchestra of Montreal) and Asia (Vietnam, Japan). Latterly, Claude Ledoux has been the composer in residence at the Ensemble Musiques Nouvelles (Belgium :1998-2000), subsequently at the Castello of Umbria (Italy : 2003). Nowadays, he is composer in residence at the Brussel’s Bozar (2008-2009).

[edit] Asian researches

Due to his passion for Asian sounds, he travelled in several eastern countries in order to undertake research and to learn the traditional art of music. In 1992, he first went through India where he learned ethnic music from the Himalayan slopes to the Rajasthan desert. In 1996, he received a grant from the SPES Foundation to pursue his studies about oriental music in Vietnam, Cambodia and Indonesia. Recently he travelled in Japan (2004) with his wife Nao Momitani, where he went deeper into his knowledge of Nô, Bunraku and Kyôgen.

Claude Ledoux earned a Master in Communication from the University of Liège. Nowadays, he works as a musical journalist as well as a Musical Analysis professor at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris (France) and Composition professor at the Ecole Supérieure des Arts, Conservatoire de Mons (Belgium).

He is also member of the The Royal Academies for Science and the Arts of Belgium since 2006.

With the composers Michel Fourgon and Denis Bosse, he has founded in 1998 the Atelier Musicien, a place of creations, experiment and reflexions between composers and performers.


[edit] List of principal works

Orchestra :

  • De memoire et d'oubli - 2005
  • Adagio for strings - 2005
  • Frissons d'Ailes for violin and orchestra - 2004
  • Le Cercle de Rangda for piano and orchestra - 1999
  • Musique concertante pour l'embarquement de Cythere for clarinet, tuba, piano and orchestra - 1986
  • Evanescence for large orchestra - 1985

Chamber ensemble :

  • Sanaalijal for flute and ensemble - 2006
  • Bell(e)...s for piano and ensemble - 2004
  • Punch for 13 players - 2002
  • Chat experiment for 7 players and electronics - 1998
  • Torrent for cello and ensemble - 1995
  • Etude aux Levants de Tiahuanaco for 7 players - 1992
  • Liaisons pour Synonymes for sax and 9 players - 1986
  • Liaisons for oboe/ English horn and 9 players - 1985


Chamber Music :

  • Las Lagrimas de un Angel (An Angel's Tears) - 3rd string quartet - 2008
  • Canto a due for Bb clarinet and cello - 2007
  • Piano quintet - 2005
  • Play Time - 2nd string quartet - 2004
  • Kyoko's Dance for violin and piano - 2002
  • Bribes for soprano, alto flute, cello, piano - 2000
  • Les Ruptures d'Icare L - 1st string quartet - 1993
  • Miroirs de la transparence for violin, trombone and piano - 1993
  • Un ciel fait d'herbes II for clarinet, violin, cello and piano - 1990
  • Et le reve s'en fut... for clarinet, violin, percussion and piano - 1982

Solo instrument (or solo instrument and live electronics) :

  • Zap's INIT for electric guitar - 2008
  • Two miniatures (homage to Henri Pousseur) for piano - 1995 / 2008
  • Vertical Study for piano - 2007
  • O Loli's dream for 5 strings viola - 2006
  • Courbes d'etoiles I-V for piano - 1996-2004
  • Shinjuku's blues for piano and live electronics - 2003
  • Dolphin tribute (to Eric Dolphy) for bass clarinet (Bb) and live electronics - 2002
  • L'aimer for violin - 1995
  • Le Songe trouble de l'orchidee for cello - 1994
  • First book of 12 Studies for cello - 1994
  • Ajma for violin - 1990
  • Les Ephemerides ininterrompues for piano - 1984

Vocal music :

  • Passio secundum Lucam for soprano, mixed choir, organ an electronics - 2007
  • Cri de blog for 5 singers - 2007
  • Un ciel fait d'herbes I for alto (or contralto), clarinet and piano - 1990
  • Ricciolina, chamber opera - 1985


See also Claude Ledoux, compositeur (in English and French) ; other website : Claude Ledoux (in French) | Free scores of the composer at Ledoux-skynet.be

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