Gilbert Amy

Gilbert Amy (born 29 August 1936, Paris) is a French composer and conductor. In 1954 he entered the Conservatoire de Paris, where he was taught and influenced by Olivier Messiaen and Darius Milhaud and studied piano with Yvonne Loriod and fugue with Simone Plé-Caussade. His first compositions (Œil de fumée) date from 1955. In 1957 he met Pierre Boulez, under whose direction he composed his Piano Sonata. A year later Boulez commissioned from him a work called Mouvements, which was performed in Darmstadt by the Orchestre du Domaine Musical, an ensemble with the goal of promoting new music. From 1958 to 1961 he attended the courses given by Karlheinz Stockhausen in Darmstadt.[1]

Career

In 1962 Jean-Louis Barrault named him adjunct music director of the Odéon Theater in Paris. At the same time he undertook a career as conductor in Europe and Argentina. Between 1967 and 1973 he was the director of the Domaine Musical, succeeding Pierre Boulez. From 1973 to 1975 he was music advisor to ORTF and worked to "reform" the music heard on the radio. From 1976 to 1981, he was music director of the Nouvel Orchestre Philharmonique of Radio France. In 1984, Amy succeeded Pierre Cochereau as Director of the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique at Lyon, while continuing to compose music. One of his notable students is composer Micheline Coulombe Saint-Marcoux.

Amy's talent as a composer has won him a number of awards including the Grand Prix National de la Musique in 1979, the Grand Prix of SACEM in 1983, the Grand Prix Musical of the City of Paris in 1986 and the Prix of the President of the Republic from the Academy Charles Cros in 1987.

List of works

Title Medium Date of composition Publisher
Variations Flute, clarinet, cello, and piano 1956 unpublished (Éditions Durand-Salabert, for hire)
Inventions I et II Flute, marimba/vibraphone, harp, and piano/celesta 1961 Heugel
Relais Brass quintet 1969 Heugel
Trois Interludes Violin and two percussionists 1984 Amphion
En trio Clarinet, violin, and piano 1985 Amphion
Posaunen Four trombones 1987 Amphion
Mémoire Cello and piano 1989 Universal Edition
String quartet No. 1 String quartet 1990–92 Amphion
Brèves - String quartet No. 2 String quartet 1995 Amphion
Le Temps du souffle (I) Two clarinets 1993–96 Amphion
Le Temps du souffle (II) Violin, saxophone, and trombone 1993 Amphion
Symphonies pour cinq cuivres Brass quintet 1992 Amphion
Trio Alto Clarinet, percussion, and viola 1994 unpublished
Après Ein...Es Praeludium Cello quartet 2006 unpublished
String quartet No. 3 String quartet 2009 Éditions Durand-Salabert
Épigrammes Solo piano 1961 Heugel
Cahiers d'Épigrammes Solo piano 1964 Heugel
Obliques I Solo piano 1987 Amphion
Obliques II Solo piano 1990 Amphion
Obliques III Solo piano 1989 Amphion
Etude-Variation Solo piano 2001 unpublished
Hai Ku Solo piano 1997–2005 Éditions Henry Lemoine
Sept Bagatelles Solo organ 1976 Amphion
Quasi una toccata Solo organ 1981 Universal Editions
Trois Inventions Solo organ 1993-2001 Éditions Musicales transatiantiques
En-Harmonies Solo harp 1995 Amphion
Quasi scherzando Solo cello 1981 Universal Editions
Petit thèma varié Violin 2002 Éditions Henry Lemoine
6 Duos, for 2 violins Two violins 2002 Éditions Henry Lemoine
D'ombre et lumière Solo viola 2002 unpublished
D'ombre et lumière Version for two violas 2003 unpublished
Trois Études Solo flute 1977 Éditions Musicales transatiantiques
5/16 Flute and one wooden percussion 1986 Éditions Billaudot
Jeux One or four oboes 1970 Universal Editions
La Stravinskienne Solo marimba 1996 François Dhalmann Editions
Cycle Percussion sextet 1966 Heugel
Seven Sites Chamber ensemble 1975 Universal Editions
Echos XIII French horn, trombone, harp, piano, and ensemble 1976 Universal Editions
Écrits sur toiles Narrator and ensemble 1983 Amphion
La Variation ajoutée Tape and 17 instruments 1984 Amphion
La temps du souffle III French horn and ensemble 2001 Amphion
Cors et Cris Ensemble and electronics 2011 Éditions Durand-Salabert (for hire)
Trajectoires Violin and orchestra 1966 Heugel
Chant Orchestra 1968 Heugel
Refrains Orchestra 1972 Universal Editions
Adagio et stretto Orchestra 1978 Universal Editions
Orchestrahl Orchestra 1985–89 Amphion
Trois Scènes Orchestra 1994–95 Amphion
Concerto Cello and orchestra 1999-2000 Amphion
Concerto Piano and orchestra 2003–05 Éditions Durand-Salabert (for hire)
L'espace du souffle Orchestra 2007 Éditions Durand-Salabert (for hire)
Après...Ein 'Es praeludium' Two horns and string orchestra 2008 Éditions Durand-Salabert (for hire)
Oeil de fumée Voice and piano 1955 Amphion
Oeil de fumée Voice and orchestra 1957 Amphion
Strophe Soprano and orchestra 1965–66 Amphion
Cette étoile enseigne à s'incliner Men's voices, two pianos, instruments, and tape 1970 Heugel
Recitatif, air et variation Twelve voices 1970 Universal Editions
D'un désastre obscur Mezzo-soprano and clarinet 1971 Universal Editions
D'un espace déployé Soprano, two pianos, and two orchestral groups 1972–73 Universal Editions
Après... D’un désastre obscur Mezzo-soprano and ensemble 1976 Universal Editions
Shin'Anim Sha'Ananim Mezzo-soprano, cello, clarinet, and ensemble 1979 Universal Editions
Une Saison en enfer Soprano, piano, percussion, and tape 1980 Éditions Durand-Salabert (for hire)
Missa cum jubilo Vocal quartet, children's choir, mixed choir, and orchestra 1981–83 Universal Editions
Choros Contra-tenor, tenor, bass, grand mixed choir, and orchestra 1989 Amphion
Quatre Mélodies Soprano and orchestra 2003-05 Éditions Durand-Salabert
Trois Mélodies Soprano and piano 2003-04 unpublished
Dessin animé Baritone and cello 2003 unpublished
Litanies pour Ronchamp Two male singers, vocal ensemble, percussion, and string quartet 2004-05 unpublished
Le Premier Cercle Opera in four acts 1996–99 Éditions Durand-Salabert

References

  1. Kennedy, Michael (2006), The Oxford Dictionary of Music, ISBN 0-19-861459-4

External links

Cultural offices
Preceded by
Charles Bruck
Music Directors, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France
19761981
Succeeded by
Marek Janowski