Pierre Fournier
Pierre Fournier (born June 24, 1906 in Paris , † January 8, 1986 in Geneva ) was a French cellist .
Pierre Fournier was particularly known for his vocal cello playing. His recordings of the Suites for Solo Cello by Johann Sebastian Bach are among the most outstanding sound documents in record history.
Life
Fournier was born in Paris in 1906 as the son of a French general. He learned to play the piano from his mother. Due to a mild form of polio , he lost the skill in handling his legs, which made it difficult for him to use the pedals on the piano. So he switched to the cello .
At the age of 17 he graduated from the Paris Conservatory in 1923 . He was celebrated as the cellist of the future and praised for his virtuosity and bowing . He became known in 1925 when he played with the Édouard Colonne Orchestra. He went on tours across Europe and played with all the important musicians of his time. For the BBC he recorded the chamber music works by Johannes Brahms and Franz Schubert on vinyl . The recordings deteriorated before they could be transferred to a more durable medium.
Fournier taught from 1937 to 1949 at the École Normale de Musique and at the Paris Conservatory . During the Second World War he appeared 82 times on "Radio Paris", which in 1949 led to a six-month work ban due to Nazi collaboration. He undertook his first concert tour to the USA in 1948, where he performed with great success in New York and Boston .
In 1956 he moved to Switzerland , but never gave up his French citizenship . In 1963 he became a member of the French Legion of Honor . Fournier gave his last public concerts at the age of 78, two years before his death.
Prizes and awards
Grammy Award for the best chamber music performance :
- 1975: Pierre Fournier, Arthur Rubinstein & Henryk Szeryng for Johannes Brahms: Trios / Robert Schumann: Trio No. 1 in D minor
- 1976: Pierre Fournier, Arthur Rubinstein & Henryk Szeryng for Franz Schubert: Trios No. 1 in B flat major, Op. 99 and No. 2 in E major, Op. 100 (piano trios)
Web links
- Literature by and about Pierre Fournier in the catalog of the German National Library
- Pierre Fournier Award
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- ↑ American Veterans Committee: Blacklisted Musicians and War Criminals, Oct 5, 1949 - Oct 19, 1949 . Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved March 15, 2013.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Fournier, Pierre |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | French cellist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 24, 1906 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Paris |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 8, 1986 |
| Place of death | Geneva |