# Christophe Bertrand

Christophe Louis-Pascal Bertrand (24 April 1981 – 17 September 2010) was a French composer of contemporary classical music.

## Biography

Bertrand, born in Wissembourg, was a French pianist and composer of mainly chamber works born in 1981. After earning gold medals for piano and chamber music at the Conservatoire de Strasbourg, he performed and recorded with the Ensemble "Accroche-Note" and the Ensemble "In Extremis" of which he was a co-founder. He collaborated with composers such as Ivan Fedele and Pascal Dusapin.
He studied composition since 1996, under the supervision of Ivan Fedele at the Strasbourg Conservatoire, obtaining with distinction his diploma in 2000.
His compositions, conducted among others by Pierre Boulez, Jonathan Nott, Hannu Lintu, Marc Albrecht have been performed by several ensembles and soloists such as the Ensemble Intercontemporain, Arditti Quartet and the Orchestre philharmonique de Strasbourg.
His compositions have been played internationally, amongst others in:
* France: Festival Musica, IRCAM, Festival d'Aix-en-Provence, Festival Agora, Centre Georges Pompidou, Salle Olivier Messiaen de la Maison de Radio France, etc.
* Germany: Beethovenfest Bonn, Ultraschall-Festival à Berlin, Internationale Ferienkurse in Darmstadt, Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk
* Switzerland: Lucerne Festival
* Belgium: Ars Musica in Brussels
* Italy: Festival Traiettorie in Parma, Rondo-Milano, Spoleto Festival
* The Netherlands: Gaudeamus Festival in Amsterdam
* The USA (San Francisco), in the United Kingdom (Manchester), in Slovenia (Ljubljana)
French radio channel France Musique provided his compositions airtime (broadcasting).
He died by suicide in September 2010 in Strasbourg, where he also lived.

## Awards

Christophe Bertrand was awarded several awards for
* Prix de la Musique de l'Académie des Marches de l'Est (2001)
* Earplay Prize (2002)
* SACEM Hervé Dugardin prize (2007)
* André Caplet prize (2007)
He was selected by the Académie française in Rome to be in residence at the Villa Médicis in Rome for 18 months.

## Works
### Quatuor II

    2010
    String quartet (11')

### Okhtor

    2010
    Large orchestra (13')

### Ayas

    2010
    Brass and percussion (2')

### Scales

    2008-2009
    Large ensemble (20')

### Haïku

    2008
    Piano (5')

### Satka

    2008
    Ensemble (13')

### Dall'Inferno

    2008
    Flute, viola and harp (10')

### Hendeka

    2007
    Piano trio (13')

### Arashi

    2007
    solo clarinet (6')
    To Thomas Monod
    World premiere : 29/02/2008 - Strasbourg, Mamcs - Thomas Monod

### Vertigo

    2006–2007
    2 pianos and orchestra (20')
    Co-commissioned by French Ministry of Culture and Musica Festival
    World premiere: Musica Festival 2008

### Sanh

    2006
    bass clarinet, cello and piano (11')
    Commissioned by French Ministry of Culture to Armand Angster
    World premiere : 11/10/2007 - Strasbourg, Musica Festival / Accroche-Note

### Quatuor I

    2005–2006
    string quartet (20')
    Co-commissioned by Beethovenfest of Bonn and Peter McBurney
    To the Arditti Quartet
    World premiere: 19/03/2006 - Brussels, Ars Musica Festival - Arditti Quartet
    French premiere: 20/07/2006 - Festival d'Aix-en-Provence - Arditti Quartet
    World premiere of first version: 24/09/2005 - Kunstmuseum Bonn - Mandelring Quartett

### Mana (Bertrand)

    2004–2005
    large orchestra (10')
    Commissioned by Lucerne Festival
    To Pierre Boulez
    World premiere: 09/09/2005 - Lucerne KKL - Lucerne Festival Academy Orchestra, dir. Pierre Boulez
    French premiere: 02/062006 - Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio-France, dir. Hannu Lintu

### Madrigal

    2004–2005
    female voice and ensemble (11')
    Commissioned by the André Boucourechliev Foundation to Françoise Kubler and Armand Angster
    World premiere: 30 September 2005 - Strasbourg, Festival Musica - Accroche-Note

### Virya

    2004
    flûte, clarinet (+ bass clarinet), percussions and piano (7')
    Commissioned by Francis Rueff
    To Frédéric Kahn
    World premiere: 19/03/2004 - Espace 110 Illzach - Ensemble In Extremis

### Aus

    2004
    viola, soprano saxophone, clarinet (+ bass clarinet) and piano (8')
    Commissioned b Radio Berlin-Brandeburg
    To Philippe Hurel
    World premiere: 24/01/2004 - Berlin, Ultraschall-Festival - Ensemble Intégrales
    Recording: CD "European Young generation" by Ensemble Intégrales Zeitklang Editions (ez-21019)

### Haos

    2003
    solo piano (10')
    Commissioned by Festival Rendez-vous Musique Nouvelle, Forbach to Laurent Cabasso
    World premiere: 09/11/2003 - Forbach, Festival RVMN - Raoul Jehl, piano

### Iôa

    2003
    8-part female choir (3')
    To Catherine Bolzinger
    World premiere : 23/05/2003 - Strasbourg, Palais du Rhin - Ensemble Vocal Féminin du Conservatoire de Strasbourg, dir. Catherine Bolzinger

### Yet

    2002
    20 musicians (10')
    Commissioned by Ensemble Intercontemporain to Pascal Dusapin
    World premiere : 29/09/2002 - Strasbourg, Musica Festival - Ensemble Intercontemporain; dir : Jonathan Nott

### Full

    2001
    four vibraphones, piano and eight amplified voices (15')
    Commissioned by Les Percussions de Strasbourg
    To Odile Charvet and the Ecole des Percussions de Strasbourg
    World premiere : 20/01/2002 - Strasbourg, La Laiterie for the 40th birthday of Les Percussions de Strasbourg - Matthieu Chardon, Marcel Verrept, Christophe Landoz, Christophe Dietrich (vb); Anne-Cécile Litolf (pno), Choeur de chambre de Strasbourg; dir: Catherine Bolzinger

### Ektra

    2001
    solo flute (5')
    To Olivier Class
    World premiere: 16/06/2001 - Strasbourg, Cercle européen, Académie des Marches de l'Est - Olivier Class, flute

### Dikha

    2000–2001
    clarinet/bass clarinet and electronics (9'30)
    Composed during the "Cursus de composition et d'informatique musicale" at the IRCAM
    To Pierre Dutrieu
    World premiere: 15/06/2002 - Paris, Agora Festival, Espace de Projection de l'IRCAM - Pierre Dutrieu, clarinet

### Treis

    2000
    violin, cello and piano (10')
    Honorable mention at the Gaudeamus Festival 2001/First Prize Earplay 2002
    To Rosalie Adolf, Anne-Cécile Litolf and Godefroy Vujicic
    World premiere: 07/10/2000 - Strasbourg, Musica Festival - Rosalie Adolf (vn), Godefroy Vujicic (vc), Anne-Cécile Litolf (pno)

### La Chute Du Rouge

    2000
    clarinet, cello, vibraphone and piano (11')
    To Ivan Fedele
    World premiere : 11/05/2000 - Strasbourg, Oratoire du Temple-Neuf - Ensemble du Conservatoire de Strasbourg

### Skiaï

    1998–1999
    five instruments (8')
    To Pierre-Yves Meugé
    World premiere: 11/05/1999 - Strasbourg, Musée de l’Œuvre Notre-Dame - Ensemble du Conservatoire de Strasbourg

### Strofa II

    1998
    female voice, violin and piano (5'30)
    World premiere: 11/05/2000 - Strasbourg, Oratoire du Temple-Neuf - Ensemble du Conservatoire de Strasbourg

### Strofa IIb

    1998–2000
    female voice, alto flute (+ flute in C) and piano (5'30)
    World premiere : 02/07/00 - Wangen (67), Vieux Freihof - Aline Metzinger (voice), Olivier Class (fl), Christophe Bertrand (pno)