Claude Helffer

Claude Helffer ( born June 18, 1922 in Paris, † 27 October 2004 ) was a French pianist.

Life

Helffer played since the age of five and had piano lessons from 1930 to 1939 Robert Casadesus. After attending the École polytechnique, he studied from 1947 harmony and counterpoint with René Leibowitz.

Focus of the repertoire of Helffer were the works of composers of the 20th century. He recorded the complete piano works of Ravel, Debussy and Schoenberg, Bartók also microcosm, the three piano sonatas by Boulez and the piano sonata by Jean Barraqué.

Helffer played the premieres of numerous dedicated to him works, so the Erikhthon by Iannis Xenakis (1972 ), the Piano Concerto by André Boucourechliev (1975 ), the Stances by Betsy Jolas (1978 ), the first piano concerto by Luis de Pablo (1980 ), the play envoi by Gilles Tremblay ( 1982), and the Modifications of Michael Jarrell. Schoenberg's Piano Concerto he performed with both the Vienna and the Berlin Philharmonic. For the Durand Publisher he was Debussy Preludes and Etudes out as Urtext edition.

Since 1976 was Helffer monthly master classes for piano students from around the world between 1985 and 1998 he taught annually three weeks in the Summer Academy of the Mozarteum Salzburg.

For participation in the Resistance during the Second World War Helffer was awarded the Croix de Guerre; He also became a Knight of the Legion of Honour, an Officer of the Ordre national du Mérite and the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres appointed.