Christophe Looten

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Christophe Looten

Christophe Looten (born April 5, 1958 in Bergues ) is a French composer .

Life

Looten has been composing since he was seven, at the time when he started studying music with the help of a local organist . As a student at the “ École du Louvre ” he entered the “ Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris ” as the best nominee . He has received numerous prizes and a professorship for analysis and history at the Conservatoire à rayonnement régional (CNR) in Limoges . There he signed up for an aesthetics course at the Faculté des lettres .

In 1987 he was appointed "Pensionnaire de l'Etat" and spent two years in the Casa de Velázquez in Madrid . He then received the "Bourse Lavoisier", which enabled him to stay in the United States , where he obtained several fellowships . As composer in residence at Wellesley College (USA) he received the "Prix Alea" in 1991, as well as the "Prix de composition de Besançon" for his third string quartet . Back in France, he decided to devote himself entirely to composition and received various awards (SACEM, Jolivet, etc.).

The organization of the International Festival of Round-Top (Texas) invited him several times as Compositeur en résidence . Some of his works were premiered there, such as the Chamber Concerto , the Book of Angels and his piano quartet .

In 1998 he returned to the USA as part of the Fulbright program before he was appointed to the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region for 2½ years as Compositeur en résidence . Looten wrote numerous works there that were performed, including Apparition de la Cité d'or , composed as “pièce imposée” for piano, as part of the “concours de médaille d'or”.

In 2000 his First Symphony was performed by Radio France, while his second opera Médée de Thessalonique - based on a text by Frédéric Lenormand - (commissioned by the French Ministry of Culture, under the production of “Clef des Chants” and the co-production of “Ars Nova “), Staged by Vincent Goethals, by the Ensemble Ars Nova, under the direction of Philippe Nahon, at the Théâtre d'Arras. Nicole Kuster sang the title role . In the same year he was honored with the title Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres (2015, Officier des Arts et Lettres).

The organizers of the Beethoven Festival in Bonn commissioned him to compose the litany of God's names for soloists, choir, organ and orchestra. After the successful premiere at the international Beethovenfest in Bonn Minster in September 2002, he received another commission from the Beethovenfest for the Bonn Mass , for 4 soloists, choir, organ and orchestra. This work, which is divided into three parts ( Gloria , Litanei and Sanctus ), was performed together with Beethoven's Missa solemnis on September 23, 2003. Beethoven's Gloria and Sanctus were replaced by those of Looten, and the mass was completed by litanies - following an old custom sung in German. Thomas Neuhoff conducted the choir of the Cologne Bach Society, the Philharmonic Choir of the City of Bonn and the Amadé Chamber Philharmonic.

Further successes were the composition Sind Blitze, are Donner , premiered in Lille , as well as the world premiere of his second cello octet Addio in the Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ in Amsterdam .

Bi-pentatonic mode

1981 Christophe looting developed a bi- pentatonic scale , which he has since anwandte in his compositions. The use of this scale, which can be transposed to the 12 chromatic semitones of an octave , is, according to Looten, an enrichment, both in expression and in structure. Built on 10 tones (the two missing ones are excluded, unless they are inserted for the transition to another key ), it provides the non-tonal composer with all the structural, rhetorical and symbolic possibilities that are also available in tonal language Available.

Works

Christophe Looten's works are published by Universal, Billaudot, Leduc, Durand and, since 2007, by the newly founded Musica-nova publishing house.

Operas

  • Médée de Thessalonique
  • Puccini

Works for orchestra

  • Are lightning, are thunder , Orchester National de Lille (2005)
  • Rejoice greatly , (2004)
  • Première Symphonie , Radio-France (2000)
  • In lumine Lumen , “Luxembourg, Capital of Culture” (1995)
  • Book of Angels , double concerto for violin, cello and orchestra (1994)
  • Les Mains ailées , Second Violin Concerto (1992)
  • Chamber Concert , First Violin Concerto (1991)
  • Triplum , for orchestra
  • Antanaclasis , (1986)
  • Regards , for double choir and large orchestra (1984)
  • Rite (1981)

Vocal works

  • Mourning , for alto and string quartet (2008)
  • Missa Mirabilis Dominus , for soprano, mixed choir, organ and choir organ (2007)
  • From year to year , for mixed choir, children's choir and 3 trombones (2005)
  • Threni , for 4 sopranos, 4 altos, 5 trombones and child (speaker) (2004)
  • Bonn Mass , for 4 soloists, choir, large organ and orchestra (2003)
  • God's name litany , for 4 soloists, choir, organ and orchestra (2002)
  • L'Appel de Conakry , for soprano voice, children's voice (speaker) and 15 instruments (2000)
  • Vœux , for 2 children's choirs and 6 percussionists, players (1999)
  • Trois Poèmes de Stéphane Mallarmé , for soprano, 2 flutes, 2 clarinets, string quartet and piano (1997)
  • L'Isle blanche , song cycle (9 songs) for soprano and piano on texts by HD
  • Absalom , sacred cantata for soprano, alto, baritone and 7 instruments (1993)
  • L'Arbre dans l'oreille , for soprano and 7 instruments (1989)
  • Salve Regina , for children's choir and organ (1982)

Vocal works a cappella

  • Audi tellus , for double choir and 4 soloists (2006)
  • Stabat Mater , for 4 a cappella voices (2004)
  • Motet for the Passion Time , for mixed choir a cappella (2002)
  • Fragmentum Libri Apocalypsis , for 4 soloists and six-part choir (1985)
  • Officium tenebrarum , for 11 soloists (1981)

Chamber music

  • Les sept dernières paroles du Christ en croix , for string quartet (2008)
  • Quartet movement , for string quartet (2005)
  • Addio , for 8 cellos (2004)
  • Sextuor à cordes string sextet (1999)
  • Exsultate , trio for flute, viola and piano (1997)
  • Nocturnal , for 8 cellos (1998)
  • 4 Quatuors à cordes , string quartets (1996, 1990, 1989)
  • Quatuor avec piano (1994)
  • Version 2 , for clarinet, violin, cello and percussion (1988)
  • Mémorial , for flute, clarinet, piano and string trio (1998)
  • Trio Pax Tibi Marce Evangelista Meus , for flute, cello and piano (1987)
  • Tombeau (pour cent ans de solitude) , for viola, double bass and percussion (1987)

Works for keyboard instruments

  • Gloires , for organ (2006), "Trois pièces à l'usage des paroisses", Op. 69: Dieu est saint , Dieu est bon et Dieu est grand
  • Oh, how fleeting, oh, how void , Commentaire pour orgue de la Cantate BWV 26 for organ (2006)
  • Visages , 10 variations for piano on “Ah vous dirais-je, Maman?” (1998)
  • Apparition de la Cité d'or , for piano (1998)
  • San Girolamo legente , for piano (1994)
  • Kassope , for flute (1993)
  • Sacra Conversazione , for piano (1992)
  • Ennaratio , for 2 pianos (1991)
  • Langues de feu , for organ for 4 hands (1990)
  • … Incoronato poeta , for piano (1990)
  • Livre pour orgue , 11 pieces for organ (1988)
  • De temps et d'eau , for harpsichord (1988)

Fonts

In addition to his work as a composer, Christophe Looten has written various books and articles that have not yet been translated into German.

  • Dans la tête de Richard Wagner , Editions Fayard (2011)
  • "Bons baisers de Bayreuth", Editions Fayard (2013) (letters)
  • L'important, ce sont les petites notes , recueil de 14 essais sur Wagner, Strauss, Bach, Puccini (Éditions Musica-nova) , 2008
  • Visites à Richard Wagner , préface, présentation et notes de la réédition des Souvenirs de Judith Gautier - Éditions Le Castor Astral, 1992
  • Organizer le chaos , pour l'élaboration d'un système de composition musicale, Mélanges de la Casa de Velázquez, 1987

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Classical Composers Database .
personal data
SURNAME Looten, Christophe
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French composer
DATE OF BIRTH April 5, 1958
PLACE OF BIRTH Bergues