Gérard Frémy (12 March 1935 – 19 January 2014) was a French pianist, composer, and percussionist.

Biography

A student with Yves Nat 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 ...

, Frémy ended his studies by winning First prize at sixteen. He was designated by

Marcel Dupré Marcel Jean-Jules Dupré () (3 May 1886 – 30 May 1971) was a French organist, composer, and pedagogue. Biography Born in Rouen into a wealthy musical family, Marcel Dupré was a child prodigy. His father Aimable Albert Dupré was titular o ...

and the Association française d’action artistique ( Culturesfrance) as a Soviet government scholarship holder. For three years, he studied at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory of Moscow with

Heinrich Neuhaus Heinrich Gustav Neuhaus ( pl, Henryk (Harry) Neuhaus, russian: Ге́нрих Густа́вович Нейга́уз, Genrikh Gustavovič Nejgauz, 10 October 1964) was a Russian-born pianist and teacher of German and Polish extraction. Part of ...

and then rubbed shoulders with

Sviatoslav Richter Sviatoslav Teofilovich Richter, group= ( – August 1, 1997) was a Soviet classical pianist. He is frequently regarded as one of the greatest pianists of all time, Great Pianists of the 20th Century and has been praised for the "depth of his int ...

Emil Gilels Emil Grigoryevich Gilels ( Russian: Эми́ль Григо́рьевич Ги́лельс; 19 October 1916 – 14 October 1985) was a Russian pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest pianists of all time. Early life and educati ...

, etc. Forty concerts in the USSR and recordings for the state radio will punctuate his stay in Russia. He then performed with equal success in most European countries, the United States and Japan, and participated in some of the most important festivals. He was soloist in ensembles such as Ensemble Ars Nova and Musique Vivante, and played as part of

Stockhausen Karlheinz Stockhausen (; 22 August 1928 – 5 December 2007) was a German composer, widely acknowledged by critics as one of the most important but also controversial composers of the 20th and early 21st centuries. He is known for his groundb ...

's group at

Expo '70 The or Expo 70 was a world's fair held in Suita, Osaka Prefecture, Japan between March 15 and September 13, 1970. Its theme was "Progress and Harmony for Mankind." In Japanese, Expo '70 is often referred to as . It was the first world's fair ...

in Osaka (1970). His extensive repertoire extended from

J.S. Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the ''Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wor ...

to Éliane Radigue. Gérard Frémy was perhaps the closest French performer to John Cage's universe, known, in particular, for his interpretation of the '' Sonatas and Interludes'' and ''

Music of Changes ''Music of Changes'' is a piece for solo piano by John Cage. Composed in 1951 for pianist and friend David Tudor, it is a ground-breaking piece of Indeterminacy (music), indeterminate music. The process of composition involved applying decisions m ...

''. Remarkably familiar with contemporary creation, Frémy gave many world premieres of some of the most important composers of the time, including

Luc Ferrari Luc Ferrari (February 5, 1929 – August 22, 2005) was a French composer of Italian heritage and a pioneer in musique concrète and electroacoustic music. He was a founding member of RTF's Groupe de Recherches Musicales (GRMC), working alongsid ...

's ''Société II'', ''Si le piano était un corps de femme'', and ''Und so weiter'', as well as

's ''Pôle pour deux''. Composer Michèle Bokanowski dedicated ''Pour un pianiste'' to him.pour un pianistr
(YouTube) An important part of Frémy's career has been devoted to pedagogy, teaching at the Conservatoire de Paris and the Conservatoire National de région de Strasbourg, piano, and chamber music classes. Many of his students have won prizes and distinctions in important international competitions. Among his pupils were

Cédric Tiberghien Cédric Tiberghien (born 5 May 1975) is a French classical pianist. Biography Tiberghien started learning to play the piano at age 5 with Michèle Perrier in Noyon, studied at the Conservatoire de Paris with Frédéric Aguessy and Gérard Fré ...

, , Nicolas Horvath, and Nicolas Stavy. Among Frémy's favourite composers were Mozart,

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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

, and

Cage A cage is an enclosure often made of mesh, bars, or wires, used to confine, contain or protect something or someone. A cage can serve many purposes, including keeping an animal or person in captivity, capturing an animal or person, and displayin ...

Some personal compositions

* ''Easyroad'' * ''Duo'' * ''Eine kleine Freundschaftmusik''

References

External links

Official website

Interview
on (4 November 2001)
Hommage à Gérard Frémy
(Conservatoire de Paris) {{DEFAULTSORT:Fremy, Gerard 1935 births 2014 deaths Place of birth missing 20th-century French male classical pianists 20th-century French composers Conservatoire de Paris alumni Academic staff of the Conservatoire de Paris 21st-century French male classical pianists French male composers 21st-century French composers