Florence Delaage is a French contemporary classical pianist.

Biography

Born in

Dinard Dinard (; br, Dinarzh, ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Dinard'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine Departments of France, department, Brittany (administrative region), Brittany, northwestern France. Dinard is on the Côte d'� ...

of an architect father and a musician mother, Delaage played at a very young age in front of

Alfred Cortot Alfred Denis Cortot (; 26 September 187715 June 1962) was a French pianist, conductor, and teacher who was one of the most renowned classical musicians of the 20th century. A pianist of massive repertory, he was especially valued for his poeti ...

who offered to become her private teacher. Resigning from the

Conservatoire de Paris 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 ...

, where she had just been unanimously received in first position, she followed the teaching of the master, famous co-founder of the

École normale de musique de Paris The École Normale de Musique de Paris "Alfred Cortot" (ENMP) is a leading conservatoire located in Paris, Île-de-France, France. At the time of the school's foundation in 1919 by Auguste Mangeot, Alfred Cortot. The term ''école normale'' (Engl ...

. A friend of

Dino Ciani Dino Ciani (June 16, 1941 – March 28, 1974) was an Italian pianist. Ciani was born in Fiume (now Rijeka in Croatia) and studied piano with Martha Del Vecchio in Genoa. He obtained his diploma at the Conservatory in Rome at the age of 14 an ...

, a young Italian pianist who died prematurely, she also received technical advice from

György Cziffra Christian Georges Cziffra (; born Cziffra Krisztián György; 5 November 192115 January 1994) was a Hungarian-French virtuoso pianist and composer. He is considered to be one of the greatest virtuoso pianists of the twentieth century. Among h ...

, before pursuing a career as an international concert performer. Although she performed in Paris,

salle Gaveau The Salle Gaveau, named after the French piano maker Gaveau, is a classical concert hall in Paris, located at 45-47 rue La Boétie, in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. It is particularly intended for chamber music. Construction The plans for th ...

salle Pleyel The Salle Pleyel (, meaning "Pleyel Hall") is a concert hall in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France, designed by acoustician Gustave Lyon together with architect Jacques Marcel Auburtin, who died in 1926, and the work was completed in 1927 by ...

and at the

Théâtre des Champs-Élysées The Théâtre des Champs-Élysées () is an entertainment venue standing at 15 avenue Montaigne in Paris. It is situated near Avenue des Champs-Élysées, from which it takes its name. Its eponymous main hall may seat up to 1,905 people, while th ...

, she performed mainly and more extensively outside France, in particular in Germany, Austria, Italy, Argentina and the United States, where she regularly gives

masterclass Yanka Industries, Inc., doing business as MasterClass, is an American online education subscription platform on which students can access tutorials and lectures pre-recorded by experts in various fields. The concept for MasterClass was conceiv ...

es. Every year she plays Wagner-Liszt's transcriptions at

Bayreuth Bayreuth (, ; bar, Bareid) is a town in northern Bavaria, Germany, on the Red Main river in a valley between the Franconian Jura and the Fichtelgebirge Mountains. The town's roots date back to 1194. In the 21st century, it is the capital of U ...

. Although for a long time there were few recordings available, a concert she gave in 2001 at the New Theatre of Turin was the subject of a CD, with pieces by Chopin,

Ravel Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 – 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism in music, Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composer ...

and

Debussy (Achille) Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influential composers of the ...

. In addition, several reference CDs were produced in early 2010. This pianist, whom György Cziffra considered an "exceptional artist", is renowned for her great musicality and extreme delicacy. Alfred Cortot bequeathed to her his pianos, after saying of her: "If I had a daughter, she would have been Florence Delaage". On 11 March 2008, she gave a recital in Paris, Salle Gaveau, with works 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 classical ...

, Chopin and

Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...

Liszt Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...

. On the occasion of the disappearance fifty years ago of Alfred Cortot, she gave a concert on 15 June 2012 at the Temple Saint Marcel, in the

5th arrondissement of Paris The 5th arrondissement of Paris (''Ve arrondissement'') is one of the 20 Arrondissements of Paris, arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, this arrondissement is referred to as ''le cinquième''. The arrondissement, als ...

. On 9 April 2014, she performed

Salle Gaveau The Salle Gaveau, named after the French piano maker Gaveau, is a classical concert hall in Paris, located at 45-47 rue La Boétie, in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. It is particularly intended for chamber music. Construction The plans for th ...

in Paris, with works by

Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wor ...

, Liszt and Chopin. By decree of 30 December 2016 of the Presidency of the French Republic, she was appointed, on the report of the Prime Minister, chevalier of the

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

.Légion d'honneur
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Selected discography

* ''Florence Delaage joue sur le piano d'Alfred Cortot'', 2 CDs, Piano Anthology, IndéSens, 2010, INDE020 *

Frédéric Chopin Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; 1 March 181017 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period, who wrote primarily for solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown as a leadin ...

, ''24 Préludes sur le piano d'Alfred Cortot'', Piano Anthology, IndéSens, 2011, INDE031 * ''

, Chopin,

Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...

, The Paris Concert, Hommage à Alfred Cortot'',

Calliope In Greek mythology, Calliope ( ; grc, Καλλιόπη, Kalliópē, beautiful-voiced) is the Muse who presides over eloquence and epic poetry; so called from the ecstatic harmony of her voice. Hesiod and Ovid called her the "Chief of all Muses" ...

, 2013, CAL1316 * ''Endless Wagner'' (Richard Wagner in transcriptions by Liszt and von Bülow), Melism Records, 2017

References

External links

Florence Delaage, musicienne au grand cœur
on ''

Ouest France ''Ouest-France'' ( ; French for "West-France") is a daily French newspaper known for its emphasis on both local and national news. The paper is produced in 47 different editions covering events in different French départments within the régi ...

'' (16 August 2015)
Florence Delaage
on Gaveau, season 2017/2018
Florence Delaage
on AllMusic

Florence DELAAGE - Hommage à Alfred Cortot. Paris, 15 June 2012
on YouTube {{DEFAULTSORT:Delaage, Florence 21st-century French women classical pianists École Normale de Musique de Paris alumni Year of birth missing (living people) Living people People from Ille-et-Vilaine Knights of the Legion of Honour 20th-century French women classical pianists

Biography

Selected discography

See also

References

External links