Roger Muraro
Encyclopedia
Roger Muraro is a French
classical pianist.
, France
in 1959, to parents who came from the Venetia
region of Northeast Italy. He grew up in a village in the Lyons region. Chance had it that, because there was no place for Roger in the local football club, his parents enrolled him in the local band, where he learned the saxophone
. He entered Lyons conservatory at the age of 11, initially studying the saxophone. He began to teach himself the piano, and when this came to the attention of his saxophone professor, the latter enrolled him in the piano classes of Suzy Bossard.
When he was 17 he attempted the entry competition for the Paris Conservatoire. Although unsuccessful, he caught the attention of Yvonne Loriod
, wife and privileged interpreter of the composer Olivier Messiaen
. He joined her class in 1978. He obtained first prizes in chamber music
in 1980 and in piano
in 1981.
He also studied with Éliane Richepain, who helped him prepare for the Tchaikovsky Competition, winning fourth prize in 1986. He was awarded Victoire de la Musique in the category of instrumental soloist.
and the highest critical ratings from Le Monde de la Musique and Telérama
.
Muraro has also recorded the complete piano works of Ravel. These were among the many works plagiarised and issued under the name of Joyce Hatto
. Reviewing them in these plagiarised recordings, Jed Distler wrote "Time and again an unusually turned phrase, unexpected accent, or seemingly strange voicing sent me running to the score, only to discover that the alleged transgressions in fact correspond to Ravel's markings. And without violating the letter, Hatto somehow always manages to leave a fresh, individual imprint upon everything she touches."
Mr Muraro continues to record and give concerts around the world.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
classical pianist.
Career
Roger Muraro was born in LyonsLyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in 1959, to parents who came from the Venetia
Venetia
Venetia is a name used mostly in a historical context for the area of Northeast Italy, corresponding approximately to the present-day Italian administrative regions of the Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia...
region of Northeast Italy. He grew up in a village in the Lyons region. Chance had it that, because there was no place for Roger in the local football club, his parents enrolled him in the local band, where he learned the saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
. He entered Lyons conservatory at the age of 11, initially studying the saxophone. He began to teach himself the piano, and when this came to the attention of his saxophone professor, the latter enrolled him in the piano classes of Suzy Bossard.
When he was 17 he attempted the entry competition for the Paris Conservatoire. Although unsuccessful, he caught the attention of Yvonne Loriod
Yvonne Loriod
Yvonne Loriod was a French pianist, teacher, and composer, and the second wife of composer Olivier Messiaen. Her sister was the Ondes Martenot player Jeanne Loriod.-Life:...
, wife and privileged interpreter of the composer Olivier Messiaen
Olivier Messiaen
Olivier Messiaen was a French composer, organist and ornithologist, one of the major composers of the 20th century. His music is rhythmically complex ; harmonically and melodically it is based on modes of limited transposition, which he abstracted from his early compositions and improvisations...
. He joined her class in 1978. He obtained first prizes in chamber music
Chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
in 1980 and in piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
in 1981.
He also studied with Éliane Richepain, who helped him prepare for the Tchaikovsky Competition, winning fourth prize in 1986. He was awarded Victoire de la Musique in the category of instrumental soloist.
Repertoire and recordings
Muraro achieved early recognition as an interpreter of Messiaen's piano works. Messiaen congratulated him personally after a performance of Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant-Jesus, praising «sa technique éblouissante, sa maîtrise, ses qualités sonores, son émotion, et j’oserai dire sa Foi !… » (his dazzling technique, his mastery, the quality of his tone, his emotion and, I would dare to say, his Faith). He went on to record the complete piano works of Messiaen. These recordings received numerous critic's awards, including a Diapason d'OrDiapason d'Or
The Diapason d'Or is a recommendation of outstanding classical music recordings given by reviewers of Diapason magazine in France, broadly equivalent to "Editor's Choice", "Disc of the Month" in the British Gramophone magazine....
and the highest critical ratings from Le Monde de la Musique and Telérama
Télérama
Télérama is a weekly French magazine owned by Le Monde S.A. Its primary contents are television and radio listings, though the magazine also prints film, theatre, music and book reviews, as well as cover stories and feature articles of cultural interest. The name is a contraction of its earlier...
.
Muraro has also recorded the complete piano works of Ravel. These were among the many works plagiarised and issued under the name of Joyce Hatto
Joyce Hatto
Joyce Hatto was a British pianist and piano teacher. She became famous late in life, when unauthorised copies of commercial recordings made by other pianists were released under her name, earning her high praise from critics. The fraud did not come to light until a few months after her...
. Reviewing them in these plagiarised recordings, Jed Distler wrote "Time and again an unusually turned phrase, unexpected accent, or seemingly strange voicing sent me running to the score, only to discover that the alleged transgressions in fact correspond to Ravel's markings. And without violating the letter, Hatto somehow always manages to leave a fresh, individual imprint upon everything she touches."
Mr Muraro continues to record and give concerts around the world.