GMG Classical Music Forum

QuotePhilippe Manoury was born in Tulle. His first composition studies were at the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris, with Gérard Condé and Max Deutsch. He continued his studies from 1974 to 1978 at the Conservatoire de Paris with Michel Philippot, Ivo Malec, and Claude Ballif.[1] From 1975 he undertook studies in computer assisted composition with Pierre Barbaud. He joined IRCAM in 1980. He is currently on the composition faculty at the University of California, San Diego where he teaches courses in composition, real-time signal processing, and musical analysis.

Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippe_Manoury)

Official Website (http://www.philippemanoury.com/)

Another one that I've like quite a bit since the late 90s, especially Jupiter and Partition du ciel et de l'enfer. I've been eyeing the new release on Kairos with Fragments pour un portrait and Partita No. 1, first impressions of which are good.

Manoury's music is entertaining, but I can't help but feel like Manoury makes an initial application of new technology to classical composition, but then it takes a more talented composer to create something truly great. If I compare the MIDI flute part in Boulez's ...explosante-fixe... to Jupiter for instance, the latter seems such going through the motions without much imagination.

That said, Zeitlauf, in spite of its rubbish libretto, has some wacky sonorities resulting from the mixture of voice and electronics that I don't much hear anywhere else. I'm also hoping to get that recent Kairos disc, as well as the opera on Naxos that seems to have been pressed in very limited quantities.

Does anyone know whether his Aleph has been recorded?

There's an LP with the Ardittis playing an SQ (w/Dusapin).

I am interested in hearing from this one, but the discography isn't really much, is it?

Quote from: snyprrr on April 18, 2010, 05:26:22 PM
There's an LP with the Ardittis playing an SQ (w/Dusapin).

I am interested in hearing from this one, but the discography isn't really much, is it?

Are you sure you're not thinking of Dutilleux?

Quote from: CRCulver on April 18, 2010, 05:34:44 PM
Are you sure you're not thinking of Dutilleux?

Yes,... that's the Montaigne cd, which I have; but, there is an old LP somewhere, a very early Arditti release, with Manoury/Dusapin. The Dusapin piece is his String Trio (Visions Fugitives???).

Quote from: snyprrr on April 19, 2010, 10:41:25 AM
Yes,... that's the Montaigne cd, which I have; but, there is an old LP somewhere, a very early Arditti release, with Manoury/Dusapin. The Dusapin piece is his String Trio (Visions Fugitives???).

Indeed there is: http://www.musicstack.com/item.cgi?item=52049015

Nice. Is the piece on the LP early Manoury, before he discovered electronics and established his mature style?

Incidentally, for fans of Manoury, there's an entertaining analysis of Jupiter and the opera K... in Analytical Methods of Electroacoustic Music (http://"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0415976294?ie=UTF8&tag=3636363-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0415976294") ed. Simoni. The accompanying CD-ROM includes video files of scenes from the opera.

Quote from: CRCulver on April 19, 2010, 12:49:26 PM
Nice. Is the piece on the LP early Manoury, before he discovered electronics and established his mature style?

Looks like it is. There is only one string quartet in his catalogue and it is op. 6, dating from 1978.

Has anyone heard Le Livre des claviers? I have only heard the movement for marimba duo in live performance, and it's quite a thrilling work. Manoury is definitely a composer I would like to explore further, and this thread has given me some nice hints.

Also, first post! I'm glad to be in a place with such great resources on new music.

The Guardian had a rave review of Manoury's Le temps mode d'emploi for two pianos and electronics, so I hunted it down on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/v/T_5OiYgWNcw

It does seem very indebted to Boulez's sur Incises, but not without interest. I find it a bit grittier sounding than what I'm used to from Manoury, which is no bad thing. I'm assuming the title is a Perec reference.

College de France lectures here

https://archive.org/details/podcast_cration-artistique-2016-2017_01-musiques-sons-et-signes_1000382642370

and no doubt on the CdF webside too. First impressions are that he's a clear analytic thinker.

Listening to his Veränderungen.  It's really good, a real sense of large scale form.

Has this sonata ever been commercially recorded and released?


https://www.philippemanoury.com/veranderungen-deuxieme-sonate-pour-piano/