Florent Héau (born 1968) is a French classical

clarinet The clarinet is a Single-reed instrument, single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore (wind instruments), bore and a flared bell. Clarinets comprise a Family (musical instruments), family of instrume ...

ist. In addition to his concert work and recordings, he gives courses, mainly at the .

Biography

Héau studied clarinet at the

Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), or 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 Jean Ja ...

in Michel Arrignon's class. He obtained a First Prize before continuing his training in the advanced cycle. In 1991 he won the first Grand Prix of the International Music Competition of

Toulon Toulon (, , ; , , ) is a city in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the French Riviera and the historical Provence, it is the prefecture of the Var (department), Var department. The Commune of Toulon h ...

. His duo with the pianist Patrick Zygmanowski won the first prizes at the Paris International Chamber Music Competitions (1994). After an orchestral activity (clarinet solo of the

Orchestre de chambre de Paris The Orchestre de chambre de Paris (OCP) is a French chamber orchestra based in Paris. The orchestra performs throughout Paris with concerts at the Philharmonie de Paris, where it is a resident ensemble, and also at such venues as the Théâtre des ...

, the

Orchestre Lamoureux The Orchestre Lamoureux () officially known as the Société des Nouveaux-Concerts and also known as the Concerts Lamoureux) is an orchestral concert society which once gave weekly concerts by its own orchestra, founded in Paris by Charles Lamoure ...

and the

Ensemble l'Itinéraire The ''Ensemble l’Itinéraire'' is one of the main European ensembles dedicated to the performance of contemporary music, known in particular for its performances of spectral music works. Spectral music alters “timbres by assembling orchestral m ...

), Héau devotes himself to his concert activity with chamber musicians such as Marielle Nordmann,

Gérard Caussé Gérard Caussé (born 26 June 1948, Toulouse, France) is a French violist. He gave the first performance of the celebrated ''Ainsi la nuit'' quartet by Henri Dutilleux. The first movement of Gérard Grisey's celebrated work, ''Les Espaces Acousti ...

Roland Pidoux Roland Pidoux (born 29 October 1946, in Paris) is a French contemporary cellist and conductor. Biography Roland Pidoux studied at the Conservatoire de Paris until 1966. His masters were André Navarra, Jean Hubeau and Joseph Calvet. He enter ...

Régis Pasquier Régis Pasquier (born 12 October 1945) is a French violinist from a family of musicians. His father Pierre Pasquier (1902–1986), a violist and his uncles Jean (1903), a violinist, and Étienne (1905–1997), a cellist, had founded a string trio, ...

, Patrice Fontanarosa, and

string quartet The term string quartet refers to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two Violin, violini ...

s (

Pražák Quartet The Pražák Quartet (in Czech: Pražákovo kvarteto) is a Czech string quartet established in 1974. It is one of the Czech Republic's premiere chamber ensembles. It was founded while its members were still students at Prague Conservatory (1974� ...

Manfred Quartet ''Manfred: A dramatic poem'' is a closet drama written in 1816–1817 by Lord Byron. It contains supernatural elements, in keeping with the popularity of the ghost story in England at the time. It is a typical example of Gothic fiction. Byro ...

, Parisii Quartet, Ysaÿe Quartet, Enesco Quartet), and as soloist with in particular the European Camerata, the , the Orchestre de chambre de Paris, the , the

Ensemble Orchestral de Paris The Orchestre de chambre de Paris (OCP) is a French chamber orchestra based in Paris. The orchestra performs throughout Paris with concerts at the Philharmonie de Paris, where it is a resident ensemble, and also at such venues as the Théâtre des ...

, the chamber orchestra of the

Polskie Radio The Polish Radio (PR; Polish: ''Polskie Radio'', PR) is a national public-service radio broadcasting organization of Poland, founded in 1925. It is owned by the State Treasury of Poland. On 27 December 2023, the Minister of Culture and Nationa ...

and the Pražský komorní orchestr. Héau performs in numerous French festivals ( Pablo Casals Festival in Prades, ''

La Folle Journée La Folle Journée is a French annual classical music festival held in Nantes. It is the largest classical music festival in France. The festival's name refers to the Pierre Beaumarchais play ''The Marriage of Figaro'', whose alternative title i ...

'' of

Nantes Nantes (, ; ; or ; ) is a city in the Loire-Atlantique department of France on the Loire, from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. The city is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, sixth largest in France, with a pop ...

, the Festival de Pâques de Deauville...) and in different countries (Belgium, China, Japan, Latvia, Poland, Spain, Kosovo, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, Georgia...). In 1997,

Thierry Escaich Thierry Joseph-Louis Escaich (born 8 May 1965) is a French organist and composer. Life Born in Nogent-sur-Marne, Escaich studied organ, improvisation and composition at the Conservatoire de Paris (CNSMDP), where he won eight First Prizes a ...

entrusted him with the creation of the ''Chant des ténèbres'' (concerto for clarinet and orchestra) at the . In 2009, Héau was asked to give works by Ibarrondo, Bacri and Beffa in world creation. In 2011, he premiered

Philippe Hersant Philippe Hersant (born 21 June 1948 in Rome) is a French composer. He studied at the Conservatoire de Paris. Selected works :: Hersant's works are largely published by Éditions Durand. ;Stage * ''Le Château des Carpathes (opera), Le Châtea ...

's Concerto pour clarinette. Héau is also one of the founding members of the musical theatre company "Les Bons Becs", in which he plays the clarinet, but also the sound blade and the

tap dance Tap dance (or tap) is a form of dance that uses the sounds of tap shoes striking the floor as a form of percussion; it is often accompanied by music. Tap dancing can also be performed with no musical accompaniment; the sound of the taps is its ow ...

. Since 1996, the show ''Tempête sur les anches'', musical and poetic joke for clarinets and percussion, has been performed in France but also in many countries (Spain, Sweden, Italy, Denmark, Portugal, Germany, Belgium). In 2007, "Les Bons Becs" created a new show: ''Les Bons Becs en voyage de notes'' (directed by Caroline Loeb). The show was played in France, but also in Spain and South Korea. Héau was assistant professor of Michel Arrignon at the Conservatoire de Paris from 1999 to 2003, and is currently professor of clarinet at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Paris and at the Haute Ecole de Musique de Lausanne. He is regularly invited to Europe and Asia to give

master class ''Master Class'' is a 1995 play by American playwright Terrence McNally, presented as a fictional master class by opera singer Maria Callas near the end of her life, in the 1970s. The play features incidental vocal music by Giuseppe Verdi, Giac ...

es.

Discography

* 2010:

Carlos Guastavino Carlos Guastavino (5 April 1912 – 29 October 2000) was an Argentine composer, considered one of the foremost composers of his country. His production amounted to over 500 works, most of them songs for piano and voice, many still unpublished. Hi ...

's ''Melodias argentinas'' with Marcela Roggeri * 2009: Mozart's

Clarinet Concerto A clarinet concerto is a concerto for clarinet; that is, a musical composition for solo clarinet together with a large ensemble (such as an orchestra or concert band). Albert Rice has identified a work by Giuseppe Antonio Paganelli as possibly th ...

K622 - Sinfonia Concertante for Four Winds K297b with the Pražský komorní orchestr, with Nora Cismondi (

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double-reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common type of oboe, the soprano oboe pitched in C, ...

), Gilbert Audin (

bassoon The bassoon is a musical instrument in the woodwind family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuosity ...

) and Mischa CliquennoisMischa Cliquennois
/ref> (French horn), live recording (Transart Live). * 2008: Mozart's

Clarinet Quintet Traditionally a clarinet quintet is a chamber musical ensemble made up of one clarinet, plus the standard string quartet of two violins, one viola, and one cello. Now the term clarinet quintet can refer to any combination of instruments in the c ...

K581 - with the Manfred Quartet * 2007: Brahms' Sonatas for clarinet and piano * 2006:

Robert Schumann Robert Schumann (; ; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and music critic of the early Romantic music, Romantic era. He composed in all the main musical genres of the time, writing for solo piano, voice and piano, chamber ...

's Pieces for viola, piano and clarinet * 2005: Beethoven's Trios for piano, clarinet and cello * 2004:

's ''Chorus : Scènes de Bal - Nocturne - Jeux de doubles - La Ronde - Nocturne'' with Claire-Marie Le Guay * 2004:

Nicolas Bacri Nicolas Bacri (born 23 November 1961) is a French composer who has written more than one hundred works, including symphonies, string quartets, and violin concertos. Career Nicolas Bacri was born in Paris, France. His musical studies began wit ...

's ''Pieces for clarinet'' with the European Camerata ensemble * 2003: Johannes Brahms and

Max Reger Johann Baptist Joseph Maximilian Reger (19 March 187311 May 1916) was a German composer, pianist, organist, conductor, and academic teacher. He worked as a concert pianist, a musical director at the Paulinerkirche, Leipzig, Leipzig University Chu ...

's Sonatas for clarinet and piano - Sonatas for clarinet and piano, Op. 49 N°1 and N°2 - Sonatas for clarinet and piano, Op. 120 N°1 and N°2 * 2002: Stravinsky's ''

L'Histoire du soldat ', or ''Tale of the Soldier'' (as it was first published), is an hour-long 1918 theatrical work to be "read, played and danced ''()''" by three actors, one or more dancers, and a septet of instruments. Its music is by Igor Stravinsky, its libret ...

'' and Bartók's '' Contrasts - Sonatas for violin and piano * 2000: ''Musique française'' for clarinet and piano

References

External links

Official website

The Bons Becs official website

Florent Héau, Clarinette

Discography
(

Discogs Discogs ( ; short for " discographies") is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. Database contents are user-generated, and described in ''T ...

)
Masterclass de Florent Héau - 3 pièces de Stravinsky - Pièce n°1
(YouTube) {{DEFAULTSORT:Heau, Florent 1968 births Living people French classical clarinetists Conservatoire de Paris alumni 21st-century French clarinetists