Pierre Wissmer

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pierre Wissmer (born October 30, 1915 in Geneva , † November 4, 1992 in Valcros , Provence , France ) was a Swiss-French composer , pianist and piano teacher.

Life

Wissmer came from a family of doctors, his mother was of Russian descent. Two friends of his parents, the painter Stéphanie Guerzoni and the pianist Andrée Hess , inspired him for painting and music, and his musical interest finally prevailed. He took lessons at the Geneva Conservatory and began studying law after graduating from high school. Robert Casadesus encouraged him to concentrate fully on his musical education.

So he went to Paris and, with the support of Jules Gentil and the pianist Jacqueline Blancard , prepared for the entrance exam at the Paris Conservatory . He failed the exam, but was accepted as a guest auditor in his composition class by Jean Roger-Ducasse . He also studied counterpoint with Jean-Yves Daniel-Lesur at the Schola Cantorum and orchestral conducting with Charles Münch at the École Normale de Musique .

In 1937 his first piano concerto with Jacqueline Blancard under the direction of Henri Tomasi was premiered and broadcast on the radio. In the following year, Hermann Scherchen conducted the world premiere of his First Symphony, and in 1939 his ballet Le beau dimanche was created based on a text by Pierre Guérin . During the Second World War, even though he was not yet a French citizen (he did not receive French citizenship until 1958), Wissmer served in a force with motorized heavy artillery in the French army.

Wissmer was present at the world premiere of his First Violin Concerto by the Orchester de la Suisse Romande in Geneva, and in 1944 he became professor at the Geneva Conservatory and director of chamber music at Radio Genève . During this time, in addition to chamber music, works such as the comic opera Marion ou La belle au tricorne and his Second Symphony were created. In 1948 he married the pianist Laure-Anne Étienne, a student of Marguerite Long .

From 1952 to 1957, Wissmer was initially vice program director at Radio Luxembourg and then program director at Télé Luxembourg . Daniel-Lesur brought him to the Paris Schola Cantorum as Vice Director in 1957, where he was director from 1962 to 1963. In addition to teaching at this institution, other great works such as a clarinet, a trumpet and an oboe concert as well as two flute concertos were created. For the oratorio Le quatrième mage he received the Grand Prix Paul Gilson de la Communauté Radiophonique des Programmes de Langue Française in 1965 , and the Grand Prix de la Ville de Paris in 1967 for the Quadrige quartet for flute, violin, cello and piano . His ballet music Christina et les chimères was televised in 1967 in a choreography by Michel Descombey .

In 1969 he was appointed director of the École Nationale de Musique, de Danse et d'Art dramatique du Mans , and in 1973 he was appointed chair of composition and orchestration at the Geneva Conservatory. The city of Geneva honored him with the Grand Prix Musical in 1983 for his commitment to music in Switzerland .

literature

Web links

swell
personal data
SURNAME Wissmer, Pierre
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss-French composer, pianist and music teacher
DATE OF BIRTH October 30, 1915
PLACE OF BIRTH Geneva , Switzerland
DATE OF DEATH 4th November 1992
Place of death Valcros , France