# Favorite Recent French Composers



## regenmusic (Oct 23, 2014)

Seems like in the last 50 years, the Americans, Italians, English,
and South Americans have made strong contributions, but I can
only think of two or three recent French composers. What are
some of your favorites?


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## Kivimees (Feb 16, 2013)

I rather like Philippe Chamouard's work:

http://philippechamouard.fr/home.htm


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

Tristan Murail, Gerard Grisey, Pierre Boulez, Hugues Dufourt, Henri Duttileux.


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## dgee (Sep 26, 2013)

For the last 50 years, France is at the very top of the heap for me along with Italy and Austria. I fully endorse CoAG's choices and add Marc-Andre Dalbavie, Pascal Dusapin and Maurice Ohana as some big names


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

Maurice Ohana is one of my very favorite composers, if we're considering the music of the last fifty years he surely deserves to be mentioned.


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## Guest (Dec 9, 2014)

Including some Québécois and Argentinian ex-pats:

Martin Tétreault
Francis Dhomont
Bernard Parmegiani
Robert Normandeau
Christian Calon
Christine Groult
Beatriz Ferreyra
Michèle Bokanowski
Ricardo Mandolini
Cristina Kasem
Emmanuelle Gibello
eRikm
Jérôme Noetinger
Lionel Marchetti
Christian Clozier
Françoise Barrière
Bérangère Maximin
John Oswald
Gilbert Amy
Mark Andre
Luc Ferrari
Jean-Claude Risset
Pierre Henry
Guy Reibel

For starters...


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## ptr (Jan 22, 2013)

Does recent imply born in the last 50 years or active during the period?

Building on the suggestions of CoAG and dgee

*Born*
Raphaël Cendo 
Nicolas Bacri

*Active*
Olivier Mesiaen
Andre Boucourechliev 
Antoine Bonnet 
Philippe Manoury 
Gerard Pesson 
Luc Ferrari 
Gilbert Amy

Here's a more complete list in French!

/ptr


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## OlivierM (Jul 31, 2014)

Edith Canat de Chizy, Michèle Reverdy, Jean-Christophe Feldhandler, Georges Boeuf, Bruno Giner, Denis Cohen, Bertrand Dubetout, Jean-Luc Hervé, Pierre-Yves Macé, Jean Barraqué, Alain Kremski, Michaël Levinas, Brice Pauset, Régis Campo, Philippe Hurel, André Boucourechliev, Pascal Dusapin, René Koering, Gérard Pesson, Bernard Cavanna, Franck Bedrossian, Bruno Mantovani, Marcel Landowski, Laurent Petitgirard, Alain Gaussin, Jacques Lenot, Olivier Greif, Georges Aperghis, Bruno Coulais, Marc André (now germanised in Mark Andre), François Paris, Suzanne Giraud, Philippe Schoeller, Pierre Roulier, Guillaume Connesson, Olivier Mellano, Karol Beffa, Hugues Dufourt, Yan Maresz, Gérard Pape, Philippe Manoury, François-Bernard Mâche, Marc Monnet, Eric Tanguy


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## Guest (Dec 9, 2014)

Many of those would have been on my second list, so good on you, Olivier, for anticipating that. Now I can take a nice nap, instead.

Been a long time since I've seen Gérard. Too long. I've never even been to CCMIX. Such a slacker. Probably too attached to napping....


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## regenmusic (Oct 23, 2014)

What recent French composers are following the line of beatific and innovative melodies, like their
forefathers did? Any rich, majestic harmonies?


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

French music has been awesome for the past 60 years, hasn't it? 

I'm gonna drink more wine. I think that might be the key.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

regenmusic said:


> What recent French composers are following the line of beatific and innovative melodies, like their
> forefathers did? Any rich, majestic harmonies?


That's really up to you to find in their music from a listener's perspective


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## Guest (Dec 9, 2014)

regenmusic said:


> What recent French composers are following the line of beatific and innovative melodies, like their
> forefathers did? Any rich, majestic harmonies?


What happened to the "favorite recent french composers" thread?


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## OlivierM (Jul 31, 2014)

regenmusic said:


> What recent French composers are following the line of beatific and innovative melodies, like their
> forefathers did? Any rich, majestic harmonies?


Edith Canat De Chizy was a student of Maurice Ohana. I really like her music.
Marcel Landowski is quite interesting as well, from an harmonic point of view. There is a 9 cd box on Erato that you should be able to find for a modest price.

You could also try Bruno Coulais' Stabat Mater, it's is more in the contemporary domain, but it has its harmonic moments.

Karol Beffa is a very interesting pianist as well (album Masques with Ensemble Contraste).

Also, not frenchies but belgians, lend an ear to Thierry De Mey and Jean-Luc Fafchamps.


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## Jobis (Jun 13, 2013)

Boulez
Varese
Messiaen

The Priest, Prophet and King (in that order) of modern (French) music. 

Edit:

In the last fifty years, I'd have to substitute Varese with one of the Spectralists, probably Murail.


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

regenmusic said:


> What recent French composers are following the line of beatific and innovative melodies, like their
> forefathers did? Any rich, majestic harmonies?


Most of those named are very much in the same taste and tradition, Boulez, Murail, rich harmonists ala the "Line of French Tradition via Debussy," for sure.

Nothing against, but if your listening habits do not accommodate the later developments in texture and a more highly chromatic vocabulary, that does not mean those later works are at all lacking in the very qualities you named....


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## omega (Mar 13, 2014)

*Messiaen*
*Gérard Grisey* (died in 1998)
Les Espaces Acoustiques

Less known:
*Éric Tanguy*
Have a listen to _Éclipse_, for example!


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