Shiraz Claude Vivier

Performed by Les Jeunes Solistes - Rachid Safir / Susan Narucki, soprano; Schönberg Ensemble, ASKO Ensemble - Reinbert de Leeuw / Kristi Becker, piano; Ursula Kneihs, piano. For those real Vivier lovers out there (or those who want a comprehensive introduction), this posting presents an overview of his mature orchestral, chamber, and vocal works.

Claude Vivier (1948-1983) started his life in a Canadian orphanage. His adopting parents destined him for a position in the Catholic church, but he abandoned this vocation and entered the Conservatory of Montreal where Gilles Tremblay was his teacher, he himself a pupil of Messiaen. He moved to Europe where he studied with Stockhausen, Pousseur and Ligeti. Under the influence of the interest in exotic countries and cultures he visited Indonesia, Japan, Thailand, Iran and other countries, in quest of new musical languages and philosophies. His own style, though influenced by other composers, resembles no other, he strived for the ultimate simplicity and truth. In 1983 he was stabbed to death in Paris by a 20-year old man, whom he had picked up in the streets.