Brigitte Engerer

FolleJournée2009 BrigitteEngerer

Brigitte Engerer (French: [ɑ̃ɡəʁɛʁ]; 27 October 1952 – 23 June 2012) was a French pianist.

Biography

Born in Tunis,[1] French Tunisia, Engerer started piano lessons at the age of four, and by the age of six was performing in public. When she was 11 her family moved to France and she entered the Paris Conservatoire to study under Lucette Descaves.[2] In 1968, aged 15, she was awarded unanimously a first prize in piano, and the following year she won the Concours International Marguerite Long-Jacques Thibaud. Engerer was subsequently invited to undertake further training at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory where she joined the class of Stanislav Neuhaus: though her scholarship was originally for one year, she loved Russia so much that she studied there for nine years.[2][3]

In 1980, her career took a decisive turn when Herbert von Karajan invited her to play with the Berlin Philharmonic. She subsequently received engagements with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic and the Orchestre de Paris under Daniel Barenboim.[3] Her subsequent career was divided between giving recitals and teaching at the Paris Conservatoire.

She was married to the writer Yann Queffélec, with whom she had a daughter, Leonore. She later married Xavier Fourteau, and together they had a son, Harold Fourteau. She died of cancer in Paris in 2012.

Selected discography

Filmography

Brigitte Engerer images appear repeatedly in Sophie Laloy's film Je te mangerais (released 11 March 2009), in which she is admired by Mary, the main character.[4] She is also the interpreter of classical pieces for piano used in the film.

International awards and honours

Decorations

References

  1. "French virtuoso pianist Brigitte Engerer dies at 59". France24. 23 June 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Fox, Margalit (29 June 2012). "Brigitte Engerer, Pianist With Singular Style, Dies at 59". The New York Times (New York). Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  3. 3.0 3.1 "Obituary: Brigitte Engerer". Daily Telegraph (London). 25 June 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  4. "Brigitte Engerer - IMDb". Akas.imdb.com. Retrieved 2012-06-24.
  5. "Décret du 13 mai 2011 portant promotion et nomination" (in French). Legifrance. Retrieved 2012-06-24.