Marie-Catherine Girod (born 19 August 1949) is a French classical pianist.

Biography

Born in

Peyrehorade Peyrehorade (; oc, Pèirahorada) is a commune in the Landes department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises ...

, Girod studied piano at the Conservatoire de musique de

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefect ...

, then 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 ...

where she entered Jules Gentil's class. She then worked with

Paul Badura-Skoda Paul Badura-Skoda (6 October 1927 – 25 September 2019) was an Austrian pianist. Career A student of Edwin Fischer, Badura-Skoda first rose to prominence by winning first prize in the Austrian Music Competition in 1947. In 1949, he perform ...

and

György Sebők György Sebők (November 2, 1922 – November 14, 1999) was a Hungarian-born American pianist and professor at the Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington, Indiana, United States. He was known worldwide as a soloist with major ...

. She is regularly invited to "Mai" festivals in

La Roque-d'Anthéron La Roque-d'Anthéron (; Provençal: ''La Ròca d'Antarron'') is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in Southern France. Part of the Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis, it is located on the de ...

, the "Festival Estival de Paris", the "Chopin Festival" of

Château de Bagatelle The Château de Bagatelle is a small Neoclassical style château with several small formal French gardens, a rose garden, and an ''orangerie''. It is set on 59 acres of gardens in French landscape style in the Bois de Boulogne, which is loca ...

, the , the

Husum Husum (, frr, Hüsem) is the capital of the ''Kreis'' (district) Nordfriesland in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. The town was the birthplace of the novelist Theodor Storm, who coined the epithet "the grey town by the sea". It is also the home o ...

Festival in Germany, the " et ses amis" Festival, the "Moulin d’Andé" Festival (

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

). She performs in recital in Europe and the United States (

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

Festival in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

), in chamber formation and as soloist with various orchestras, including the orchestra of Brittany with which she recorded

Paul Le Flem Marie-Paul Achille Auguste Le Flem (18 March 1881 – 31 July 1984) was a French composer and music critic. Biography Born in Radon, Orne, and living most of his life in Lézardrieux, Le Flem studied at the Schola Cantorum under Vincent d'Ind ...

's ''Fantaisie pour piano et orchestre''. She frequently participates in concerts organized by

Radio France Radio France is the French national public radio broadcaster. Stations Radio France offers seven national networks: * France Inter — Radio France's " generalist" station, featuring entertaining and informative talk mixed with a wide variety o ...

, and in radio broadcasts. An artist with a passionate temperament, an open and curious mind, she is as well at ease in the great classical and romantic repertoire (

Carl Maria von Weber Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber (18 or 19 November 17865 June 1826) was a German composer, conductor, virtuoso pianist, guitarist, and critic who was one of the first significant composers of the Romantic era. Best known for his operas, ...

, Frédéric Chopin, Felix Mendelssohn,) than with Maurice Ravel, Claude Debussy and

Henri Dutilleux Henri Paul Julien Dutilleux (; 22 January 1916 – 22 May 2013) was a French composer active mainly in the second half of the 20th century. His small body of published work, which garnered international acclaim, followed in the tradition of ...

that she likes to interpret. She can also be found in a much rarer repertoire, largely contributing to the rediscovery of composers who are rarely played. Among others, hier recordings of works by

Gabriel Dupont Gabriel Édouard Xavier Dupont (1 March 1878 – 1 August 1914) was a French composer, known for his operas and chamber music. Biography Dupont was born in Caen. Following after his father who was a teacher at the Malherbe secondary school and t ...

, Maurice Emmanuel,

André Jolivet André Jolivet (; 8 August 1905 – 20 December 1974) was a French composer. Known for his devotion to French culture and musical thought, Jolivet drew on his interest in acoustics and atonality, as well as both ancient and modern musical influe ...

Arthur Lourié Arthur-Vincent Lourié, born ''Naum Izrailevich Luria'' (russian: Наум Израилевич Лурья), later changed his name to ''Artur Sergeyevich Luriye'' (russian: Артур Серге́евич Лурье) (14 May 1892 in Propoysk � ...

and

Gustave Samazeuilh __NOTOC__Gustave Marie Victor Fernand Samazeuilh (2 June 1877 in Bordeaux – 4 August 1967 in Paris) was a French composer and writer on music. He studied music with Ernest Chausson until the latter's death in 1899, and then attended the Schol ...

are unanimously acclaimed by critics, and have won her numerous awards. Through her personal choices, her total commitment to bringing music to life, Girod brings to light, through records and concerts, unjustly neglected composers. In addition to her technical mastery, her playing shows great expressiveness, alternately brilliant and intimate, clear, colourful and delicate, using a vast palette of nuances that always seduces the audience. In 2009 she completed a recording cycle of the complete piano work by Felix Mendelssohn. A pedagogue, she directed the Conservatory of

Sucy-en-Brie Sucy-en-Brie (, literally ''Sucy in Brie'') is a commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. Population Transport Sucy-en-Brie is served by Sucy–Bonneuil station on Paris RER line A. Educ ...

(94) from 1986 to 2012, she created in 1992 the Concours national de piano of Sucy that she organized until 2005, and has been teaching since October 2011 at 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'' (Eng ...

Prizes

* Grand prix de l’Académie nationale du disque français (piano sonatas: Auric,

Dutilleux Henri Paul Julien Dutilleux (; 22 January 1916 – 22 May 2013) was a French composer active mainly in the second half of the 20th century. His small body of published work, which garnered international acclaim, followed in the tradition of ...

, Jolivet's 1st piano sonata) * Grand prix de l’Académie nationale du disque français (Sonatines by Maurice Emmanuel) * Lauréate du Grand prix International Charles Cros (1991) (

's works for piano)

Distinctions

*1991: Chevalier of the Arts et Lettres *2011: Officier of the National Order of Merit

Selected recordings

Among many recordings, worth mentioning are: * Felix Mendelssohn: Complete work for piano (8 CDs), Éditions Saphir * Sergueï Rachmaninov: 2nd sonata Op.36, 6 moments musicaux Op.16, Éditions Solstice *

: the four sonatas for piano, Éditions Solstice *

York Bowen Edwin York Bowen (22 February 1884 – 23 November 1961) was an English composer and pianist. Bowen's musical career spanned more than fifty years during which time he wrote over 160 works. As well as being a pianist and composer, Bowen was a ...

: 24 Preludes, Nocturnes, Op.78, Rêveries Op.86, Éditions 3DClassics *

Louis Aubert Louis François Marie Aubert (19 February 1877 – 9 January 1968) was a French composer. Biography Born in Paramé, Ille-et-Vilaine, Louis Aubert was a child prodigy. His parents, recognizing their son's musical talent, sent him to Paris to rec ...

/ Abel Decaux and others: Sillages / Clairs de lune / Tombeau de Claude Debussy, Éditions 3DClassics *

: '' / Le chant de la mer'', Éditions 3DClassics *

Pierre-Octave Ferroud Pierre-Octave Calixte Ferroud (6 January 1900 – 17 August 1936)K.S. (2003). was a French composer of classical music. Life Ferroud was born in Chasselay, Rhône, near Lyon. He went to Lyon, to Strasbourg (for military service from 1920-2) ...

: Complete piano music (world premiere recording

Jean-Pierre Thiollet Jean-Pierre Thiollet (; born 9 December 1956) is a French writer and journalist. Primarily living in Paris, he is the author of numerous books and one of the national leaders of the European Confederation of Independent Trade Unions (CEDI), a ...

, ''88 notes pour piano solo'', Neva Editions, 2015, p.174. ) Éditions 3DClassics *

: # ''Fantaisie pour piano et orchestre'' (+ ', Symphonie n°1),

Orchestre National de Bretagne The Orchestre National de Bretagne (ONB) is a French symphony orchestra. Previously named the "Orchestre symphonique de Bretagne", it obtains the national label in October 2019. Before April 2012, it was simply called "Orchestre de Bretagne". ...

, dir.

Claude Schnitzler Claude Schnitzler (born in 1949) is a French organist and conductor. Career Born in Strasbourg, Schnitzler studied music at the Conservatoire de Strasbourg (organ, harpsichord, conducting, and writing) before completing his training as a cond ...

, Éditions Timpani # Works for piano, works for piano and violin, Annick Roussin, violin, Éditions Accord

References

External links

Personal website

Marie-Catherine Girod, virtuose des Gaves

Marie-Catherine Girod
on

France Musique France Musique is a French national public radio channel owned and operated by Radio France. It is devoted to the broadcasting of music, both live and recorded, with particular emphasis on classical music and jazz. History The channel was launch ...

Marie-Catherine Girod
on Société Chopin à Paris
Marie-Catherine Girod, piano , Sonate pour piano, Henri Dutilleux
(YouTube) {{DEFAULTSORT:Girod, Marie-Catherine 20th-century French women classical pianists 21st-century French women classical pianists Academics of the École Normale de Musique de Paris Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Knights of the Ordre national du Mérite People from Landes (department) 1949 births Living people Women music educators