Yvonne Loriod facts for kids
Yvonne Loriod (born January 20, 1924, died May 17, 2010) was a famous French pianist, teacher, and composer. She was also the wife of the well-known composer Olivier Messiaen. Yvonne had a sister named Jeanne Loriod, who played a special musical instrument called the Ondes Martenot.
Her Life and Music
Yvonne Loriod was born in Houilles, France. She started learning piano from her godmother. Later, she went to the Paris Conservatoire, a famous music school. There, she became one of the best students of Olivier Messiaen.
Yvonne became a very successful concert pianist. She was known for playing new music. She performed many of Messiaen's piano pieces for the very first time. Messiaen trusted her so much that he could write very difficult music, knowing she would play it perfectly.
In 1945, Yvonne Loriod played Béla Bartók's Piano Concerto No. 2 in France for the first time. She learned this difficult piece in only eight days!
Yvonne and her sister Jeanne often played together. They were soloists in Messiaen's large orchestral piece, the Turangalîla-Symphonie. Yvonne also helped to arrange part of Messiaen's last orchestral work, Concert à quatre.
In 1961, Yvonne married Olivier Messiaen. She is seen as the most important person to play and understand Messiaen's piano music. Later in their lives, Yvonne and Olivier helped guide another pianist, Pierre-Laurent Aimard. He has also become a great performer of Messiaen's works.
Olivier Messiaen passed away in 1992. Yvonne Loriod lived for 18 more years, passing away in 2010 at the age of 86.
Her Compositions
Yvonne Loriod also wrote her own music. Here are some of her pieces:
- Pièce sur la souffrance, for orchestra
- Mélopées africaines, for Ondes Martenot, piano and flute (1945)
- Grains de cendre, for soprano and chamber orchestra (1946)
Selected Recordings
Yvonne Loriod made many recordings of music. Here are a couple of famous ones:
- Olivier Messiaen: Vingt Regards sur l'enfant-Jésus
- Olivier Messiaen: Turangalîla Symphonie
