Composer-in-residence of 25th MBZ: Tristan Murail

An acclaimed French composer recognized from his ‘spectral’ technique of composition, is coming to Zagreb as composer-in-residence of 25th MBZ'09. His overwhelming interest in harmony, sonority and musical colour places him firmly in the line of great French composers stretching back through Boulez to Messiaen, Ravel and Debussy.

Born on March 11, 1947 in Le Havre, Murail first studied economics together with Classical and North African Arabic. Following that he studied composition with Olivier Messiaen at the Paris Conservatoire from 1967 to 1972. He taught computer music at the Paris Conservatoire and composition at IRCAM in Paris, where he assisted in the development of the PatchWork composition software. In 1973 he was a founding member of the Ensemble l'Itinéraire. Since 1997 he has been a professor of composition at Columbia University in New York City.

Major pieces by Murail include large orchestral pieces such as Gondwana and Time and Again. Other pieces include his Désintégrations for 17 instruments and tape, Ethers, and Vampyr!Murail also composed a set of solo pieces for various instruments in his cycle Random Access Memory, of which the sixth, Vampyr!, is a rare classical piece for electric guitar. Vampyr! is one of several works in Murail's catalogue that does not employ spectral techniques. Rather, in the performance notes, the composer asks the performer to play the piece in the manner of guitarists in the popular and rock traditions, such as Carlos Santana and Eric Clapton.

Mr Murail will stay in Zagreb between 24th and 28th April 2009 as a special guest of 25th MBZ.

Here are 7 pieces and dates with Murail name in a MBZ program:

1) Tristan Murail/Herve Bailly-Basin: Liber Fulguralis; PAUL KLEE Chamber Ensemble; Theatre &TD; 17/04/09; 22:00

2) Tristan Murail: Gondwana; HRT Symphony Orchestra&Niksa Bareza, conductor; Lisinski Hall; 23/04/09; 19:30

3) Tristan Murail: Cloches d'adieu et un sourire; Srdjan Caldarovic, piano; HGZ; 25/04/09; 13:00

4) Tristan Murail: Comme un oeil suspendu et poli par le songe; Srdjan Caldarovic, piano; HGZ; 25/04/09; 13:00

5) Tristan Murail: Mandragore; Srdjan Caldarovic, piano; HGZ; 25/04/09; 13:00

6) Tristan Murail: Seven Lakes Drive; Ensemble UMZE; Lisinski Small Hall; 25/04/09; 22:00

7) Tristan Murail: Unanswered Questions; Roberto Fabbriciani, flute; Society of Croatian Artists; 26/04/09; 16:30