Brigitte Engerer (; 27 October 1952 – 23 June 2012) was a French pianist.

Biography

Born in

Tunis ''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois , population_note = , population_urban = , population_metro = 2658816 , population_density_km2 = , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 ...

French Tunisia The French protectorate of Tunisia (french: Protectorat français de Tunisie; ar, الحماية الفرنسية في تونس '), commonly referred to as simply French Tunisia, was established in 1881, during the French colonial Empire era, ...

, Engerer started piano lessons at the age of four, and by the age of six was performing in public. When she was 11 her family moved to France and she entered the

Paris Conservatoire The Conservatoire de Paris (), also known as the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue ...

to study under

Lucette Descaves Lucette Descaves (1 April 1906 – 15 April 1993) was a French pianist and teacher, whose pupils included Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Geneviève Joy, Brigitte Engerer, Pascal Rogé, and Katia and Marielle Labèque. Biography Born in Paris, daughter o ...

. In 1968, aged 15, she was unanimously awarded a first prize in piano, and the following year she won the Concours International Marguerite Long-Jacques Thibaud. Engerer was subsequently invited to undertake further training at the

Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory The Moscow Conservatory, also officially Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory (russian: Московская государственная консерватория им. П. И. Чайковского, link=no) is a musical educational inst ...

where she joined the class of Stanislav Neuhaus, who said she was "one of the most brilliant and most original pianists of her generation". Though her scholarship was originally for one year, she loved Russia so much that she studied there for nine years. In 1980, her career took a decisive turn when

Herbert von Karajan Herbert von Karajan (; born Heribert Ritter von Karajan; 5 April 1908 – 16 July 1989) was an Austrian conductor. He was principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic for 34 years. During the Nazi era, he debuted at the Salzburg Festival, wit ...

invited her to play with the

Berlin Philharmonic The Berlin Philharmonic (german: Berliner Philharmoniker, links=no, italic=no) is a German orchestra based in Berlin. It is one of the most popular, acclaimed and well-respected orchestras in the world. History The Berlin Philharmonic was fo ...

. She subsequently received engagements with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...

and the

Orchestre de Paris The Orchestre de Paris () is a French orchestra based in Paris. The orchestra currently performs most of its concerts at the Philharmonie de Paris. History In 1967, following the dissolution of the Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du ...

under Daniel Barenboim, and she was a favourite of conductors such as Mstislav Rostropovich and

Zubin Mehta Zubin Mehta (born 29 April 1936) is an Indian conductor of Western classical music. He is music director emeritus of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) and conductor emeritus of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Mehta's father was the fou ...

. Her subsequent career was divided between giving recitals and teaching at the Paris Conservatoire. Her last concert took place on 12 June 2012 at the prestigious Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, 50 years after playing there for the first time. The performance featured the work of Schumann. She died less than two weeks later, on 23 June, after a several year struggle against cancer. She was 59 years of age. She had been married to the writer

Yann Queffélec Yann Queffélec (born 4 September 1949 in Paris) is a French author who won the Prix Goncourt in 1985 for his novel '' Les Noces barbares'', translated into English as '' The Wedding''. He is the former husband of the late pianist Brigitte Engere ...

, with whom she had a daughter, Leonore. She later married Xavier Fourteau, and together they had a son, Harold Fourteau.

Selected discography

Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most popu ...

Piano Concerto No. 1 and

Schumann Robert Schumann (; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career a ...

Piano Concerto in A minor with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/

Emmanuel Krivine Emmanuel Krivine (born 7 May 1947, Grenoble) is a French conductor. Biography The son of a Polish mother and a Russian father, Krivine studied the violin as a youth. He was a winner of the ''Premier Prix'' at the Paris Conservatoire, at age 16. ...

* The Complete

Nocturnes A nocturne is a musical composition that is inspired by, or evocative of, the night. History The term ''nocturne'' (from French ''nocturne'' 'of the night') was first applied to musical pieces in the 18th century, when it indicated an ensembl ...

by Frédéric Chopin * Sonatas by

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...

, Grieg and Schumann with Olivier Charlier * Work for two pianos and piano duet of

Rachmaninoff Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one o ...

with

Oleg Maisenberg Oleg Maisenberg (born 29 April 1945) is a Soviet-Austrian pianist and teacher. Early life and career Born to a Jewish family in Odessa, Oleg Maisenberg received his first piano lessons from his mother at the age of five. He completed his studi ...

and Boris Berezovsky * '' A German Requiem'' by

Brahms Johannes Brahms (; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped with ...

in a version for two pianos and chorus (London version) with Boris Berezovsky and Accentus Choir conducted by

Laurence Equilbey Laurence Equilbey (born 6 March 1962) is a French conductor, known for her work in the choral repertoire, and more recently as the founder and music director of the Insula Orchestra. Equilbey studied piano and flute in her early life. She under ...

* Schumann's '' Carnaval'' and ''

Scenes from Childhood ' (, "Scenes from Childhood"), Op. 15, by Robert Schumann, is a set of thirteen pieces of music for piano written in 1838. History and description Schumann wrote 30 movements for this work but chose 13 for the final version. The unused mov ...

'' * Concertos by

Clara Clara may refer to: Organizations * CLARA, Latin American academic computer network organization * Clara.Net, a European ISP * Consolidated Land and Rail Australia, a property development consortium People * Clara (given name), a feminine gi ...

and Robert Schumann; Orchestre régional de Cannes-Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur/

Philippe Bender Philippe Bender (born 25 February 1942 in Besançon, France) is a French flautist and conductor. In 1976, he was appointed artistic director and permanent chef of the He is also titular conductor and artistic director of the Orchestre sympho ...

* The works for cello and piano by Chopin; with

Henri Demarquette Henri Demarquette (born 1970) is a French contemporary classical cellist. Life ''"An enthusiastic musician with a multi-faceted personality, Henri Demarquette plays the cello as if setting a deep forest ablaze; not a single stroke of his bow le ...

Modest Mussorgsky Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky ( rus, link=no, Модест Петрович Мусоргский, Modest Petrovich Musorgsky , mɐˈdɛst pʲɪˈtrovʲɪtɕ ˈmusərkskʲɪj, Ru-Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky version.ogg; – ) was a Russian compo ...

: ''

Pictures at an Exhibition ''Pictures at an Exhibition'', french: Tableaux d'une exposition, link=no is a suite of ten piano pieces, plus a recurring, varied Promenade theme, composed by Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky in 1874. The piece is Mussorgsky's most famous pia ...

'' and ''

Night on Bald Mountain ''Night on Bald Mountain'' (russian: Ночь на лысой горе, translit=Noch′ na lysoy gore, links=no), also known as ''Night on the Bare Mountain'', is a series of compositions by Modest Mussorgsky (1839–1881). Inspired by Russian ...

'', Harmonia Mundi, 2006 * ''Childhood memories'' (Russian Music); booklet essay by Yann Queffélec (2007 Mirare) ("Choc" du Monde de la Musique) * ''L'invitation au Voyage'' (French music) with Henry Demarquette ("Choc" du Monde de la Musique) * Camille Saint-Saëns, '' Piano concert n°2 & n°5,'' Brigitte Engerer, piano, Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, conductor Andrea Quin (with concerto n°5). CD Mirare 2008 *'' Liszt: Harmonies poétiques et religieuses'' (2010, Mirare MIR 084)

Filmography

Brigitte Engerer images appear repeatedly in Sophie Laloy's film '' Je te mangerais'' (released 11 March 2009), in which she is admired by Mary, the main character. She also plays the classical piano pieces heard in the film.

International awards and honours

* Competition Marguerite Long-Jacques Thibaud * Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow * Queen Elisabeth Competition of Belgium * Grand Prix du Disque for her recording with Philips of Carnival op. 9 and the Carnival of Vienna Robert Schumann * Corresponding member of the Institut de France, Academy of Fine Arts * Win honor for lifetime achievement, the Victoires de la musique 2011 classic

Decorations

* Chevalier of the Legion of Honour * Commander of the Order of Merit * Commander of Arts and Letters

Quotation

"I need the transparency of the French piano — and, more important, the rationality of French philosophy. But I needed some of the Russian craziness in my playing. I still do."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Engerer, Brigitte 1952 births 2012 deaths Conservatoire de Paris alumni 20th-century French women classical pianists 21st-century French women classical pianists Long-Thibaud-Crespin Competition prize-winners French music educators Piano pedagogues People from Tunis Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Commandeurs of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Commanders of the Ordre national du Mérite Deaths from cancer in France Women music educators