François Sarhan (born 30 September 1972) is a French composer, installation artist, visual artist and writer.

Biography

Born in Rouen, Sarhan studied composition with Guy Reibel,

Philippe Manoury Philippe Manoury (born 19 June 1952) is a French composer. Biography Manoury was born in Tulle and began composition studies at the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris with Gérard Condé and Max Deutsch. He continued his studies from 1974 to ...

, Brian Ferneyhough at 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 ...

from 1996 to 2000. Sarhan is known for his mixed and ambiguous works, which cross the accepted artforms, often confronting stop-motion animation, performance, text that he realizes himself. He has achieved international recognition over recent years, thanks to his collaboration with

William Kentridge William Kentridge (born 28 April 1955) is a South African artist best known for his prints, drawings, and animated films, especially noted for a sequence of hand-drawn animated films he produced during the 1990s. The latter are constructed by ...

, and his solo shows like ''Lâchez Tout!''. His works have performed and broadcast in more than 20 countries and he has received commissions from, among others, Percussions de Strasbourg,

Ensemble Modern Ensemble Modern is an international ensemble dedicated to performing and promoting the music of modern composers. Formed in 1980, the group is based in Frankfurt, Germany, and made up variously of about twenty members from numerous countries. Hi ...

, Ensemble Recherche, Donaueschinger Musiktage,

Ensemble Intercontemporain The Ensemble intercontemporain (EIC) is a French music ensemble, based in Paris, that is dedicated to contemporary music. Pierre Boulez founded the EIC in 1976 for this purpose, the first permanent organization of its type in the world. Organi ...

, and The

Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio-France The Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France is a French radio orchestra, affiliated with Radio France. The orchestra performs principally at the auditorium of the Maison de la Radio in Paris, along with several concerts at the Philharmonie de P ...

. His output ranges from instrumental music, which typically employs the voice of the performer and electronic elements, to video installations, movies and shows, like ''The Last Lighthouse Keepers'' (2013). Other works of particular note include ''l'Nfer'' (2005–2006), written a narrator and 8 musicians, based on an autobiographic narrative written by Sarhan; the ''Encyclopaedia'' (2008–2014), a multimedia and long-term project which aims to build an alternative scientific description of the world, via collages, stop motion animation, music and books. He was the resident composer at Arsenal concert hall, Metz, (2005–2006), in Orléans (2008–2011). Since 2014 he has taught composition at the UDK, Berlin. He currently lives in Berlin.

Awards and honours

Sarhan refuses all awards and honours, because "music and art has nothing to do with this monkey business"

Compositions

* ''The Right Ear'',

music theatre Music theatre is a performance genre that emerged over the course of the 20th century, in opposition to more conventional genres like opera and musical theatre. The term came to prominence in the 1960s and 1970s to describe an avant-garde approac ...

show, for six musicians, with video, 2020 (60') * ''Situations'', 35 pieces for 1 to 4 performers, 2008-2020 * ''Log Book'', electroacoustic, 2019- (120') * ''The end of the story'', for 2 musicians and video, 2019 (13') * ''Nacht bis Acht'', music theatre for children, 2019 (50') * ''Potence à Paratonnerre'', for 12 musicians, 2017 (40') * ''One Shot Train'',

show, for 5 musicians, 2017 (90') * ''Fingers and MOuth'', for keyboard and video, 2015 (12') * ''Talea 3'', for five musicians, 2017, for five musicians (17') * ''Commodity Music'',

show, for four electric guitars and 24 loudspeakers, 2016 (60') * ''La Philosophie dans le Boudoir'',

show, for six voices, 2015 (60') * ''Talea 2'', for 11 musicians and electronics, 2015 (60') * ''Wandering Rocks'', for four electric guitars and 24 loudspeakers, 2014 (40') * ''Zentral Park'', for 8 musicians and electronics, 2014 (30') * ''The Last Lighthouse Keepers'',

show, for 4 performers and electronics, 2013 (40') * ''Lâchez Tout!'',

show, including a feature movie, 5 musicians, 2013–2014 (70') * ''Encyclopaedia'', 2008–2014,

, multimedia, various lengths and formats * ''Homework'', for six musicians, 2009 (60') * ''The Name of the song'', for 7 musicians, 2007 (13') * ''L'Nfer'', for 8 musicians, 2005–2006 (65') * ''Nuit sans Date'', for mezzo and electronics, text by

Jacques Roubaud Jacques Roubaud (; born 5 December 1932 in Caluire-et-Cuire, Rhône) is a French poet, writer and mathematician Life and career Jacques Roubaud taught Mathematics at University of Paris X Nanterre and Poetry at EHESS. A member of the Oulipo gr ...

2001 (7') * ''Such is Life'', for four solo voices, text by Edward Lear 2000 (6')

Collaborations

* ''J Svankmajer's magnetic Fields'',

show, based on 4

Jan Svankmajer Jan, JaN or JAN may refer to: Acronyms * Jackson, Mississippi (Amtrak station), US, Amtrak station code JAN * Jackson-Evers International Airport, Mississippi, US, IATA code * Jabhat al-Nusra (JaN), a Syrian militant group * Japanese Article Numb ...

's short movies, 2013 (65') * ''A King Lear'', chamber opera, libretto by

, 2010 (90') * ''Telegrams from the Nose'',

show, with

(video and staging) for 5 musicians, 2008-2020 (60') * ''Set'', music for dance, with François Raffinot (dance, video and staging) for tape, 2006 (60') * ''Kyrielle du Sentiment des Choses'', chamber opera, libretto by

2002 (65')

Video works

* ''Der Koffer'' (the Suitcase) featured film (2017-2019) * ''Prague'', short (25mn), 2019 * ''Lâchez tout'', featured film, 2013 * ''Corps aveugle'', short (2012) * ''La vie des bêtes'', animal mockumentary (2011) * ''l'Orgue Accord'', stop motion animation (2008) * ''Interludio Erotico'', stop motion animation (2008) * ''Joséphine'', stop motion animation (2008)

Installations

* ''La Musique au chateau de Chambord'', (2014) * ''Wandering Rocks'', for four electric guitars and 24 loudspeakers, 2014 (40') * ''Glaçon in Oslo'' (2011) * ''Le Grand Crwth'', (2002)

Discography

* ''François Sarhan: Wandering Rocks'' – performed by Zwerm guitar quartet. Lamuse Records, 2014 * ''François Sarhan: Pop Up – l'Nfer and Orloff'' performed by Ictus Ensemble. Sismal Records, 2012 * ''François Sarhan: Hell (a small detail)'' – pieces performed by ensemble Sic, the

Rosamonde Quartet The Rosamonde Quartet is a French string quartet ensemble established in 1981. It takes its name from ''Rosamunde'', a 1823 composition of incidental music by Franz Schubert, from which he reused a theme in his 13th quartet, nicknamed ''Rosamun ...

. Zig Zag Records, 2013

External links / references

*
filmed interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sarhan, Francois French composers French male composers French scenic designers 1972 births Living people Artists from Rouen Conservatoire de Paris alumni Musicians from Rouen