A French composer born in 1946 in Neuilly.
Jean-Claude Wolff studied at the École Normale de Musique, then at the Paris Conservatory (1969-1974) with André Jolivet, Maurice Ohana, Henri Dutilleux, Michel Philippot and Ivo Malec. He was also initiated into electro-acoustic composition with Jean-étienne Marie at the Centre International de Recherche Musicale (Cirm) in Nice and he followed the classes of Franco Donatoni at the Chigiana Academy in Sienna. In residence at the Villa Medici (1978-1980), he was also a laureate of the composition competition of the Jeunesses Musicales Internationales (Belgrade, 1979). Jean-Claude Wolff is also interested in the films of Bergman and in the works of the German romantic authors, finding inspiration in their themes. His taste for the other arts is extended by his encounters and collaborations with poets such as Rory Nelson and François Szaba. His works, for solo pieces to symphonies for orchestra, reflect, through his research into melody and harmony, a style that is independent of trends and fashions. His vocal pieces reveal a synergy between text and music, between verbal signification and musical meaning. His compositions include Comme un paysage frôlé (1977), Symphony no 2 (1978), Septet (1987), Symphony for orchestra no 5 (1992), Articulations (1994), Crépuscules (1996), Ruines, Clartés stellaires (2003), Chemins de traverse (2007).
