A French composer born February 27, 1959 in Paris.
After a First Prize for harmony and counterpoint at the Grenoble Regional Conservatory, Frédéric Durieux entered the Paris Conservatory in 1982 in the classes of Betsy Jolas for analysis and Ivo Malec for composition. He then completed his training with Alain Poirier for analysis and with André Boucourechliev for composition. He was invited to join the music research team at Ircam (1985-1986), before his residency at the Villa Medici from 1987 to 1989. Since 1990 he has been teaching at the Paris Conservatory, first analysis, and then composition since 2001.
Aligning himself with the serialist tradition, with the Second Viennese School and Debussy, Frédéric Durieux sets the act of writing at the heart of his work, through a highly structured language and sophisticated blends of tone-colour. He pays particular attention to harmony, to the listening process and perception, and thanks to reminiscences of harmonic cells, weaves throughout his works a veritable network of the memory. His compositions often contain references to poetry, notably that of Yves Bonnefoy and of Emmanuel Hocquart, or to painters such as Gerhard Richter, Barnett Newman.
His works range from solo pieces to works for ensemble, concertante or vocal works, with or without electronics, and they include Exil II (1983), Seuil déployé (1989), Là, au-delà (1991), So schnell, zu früh (1993), Du lieu qui n'est qu'un rêve (1998), Werden - devenir II (2001), Traverses 1, 2 and 3 (2003, 2005 Prize of the Prince Pierre of Monaco Foundation), Here, not there - A tribute to Barnett Newman (2009), Souffler/Frapper (2009), Übersicht I & II (2008-2010), The Possibilities – to Howard Barker (2010), Echappée (2011), and the cycle Etudes en Alternance (2003-2018), work in progress.
