Background
LORIOD, Yvonne was born on January 20, 1924 in Houilles. Daughter of Gaston and Simone (nee Bilhaut) Loriod.
composer music educator pianist university professor
LORIOD, Yvonne was born on January 20, 1924 in Houilles. Daughter of Gaston and Simone (nee Bilhaut) Loriod.
She studied at the Paris Conservatoire and became one of Olivier Messiaen"s most avid pupils. She also studied with Isidor Philipp, Lazare Lévy then Marcel Ciampi.
Her sister was the Ondes Martenot player Jeanne Loriod. At the age of 25, she was appointed professor at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris. She went on to become a nationally acclaimed recording artist and concert pianist, and premiered most of Messiaen"s works for the piano, starting in the 1940s.
Messiaen said that he was able to indulge in "the greatest eccentricities", when writing for piano, knowing that they would be mastered by Loriod.
Loriod also orchestrated part of Messiaen"s final orchestral work, Concert à quatre. She gave the French premiere of Béla Bartók"s Piano Concerto Number.
2 in 1945, having learnt it in only eight days. She is generally considered to be the most important interpreter of Messiaen"s piano works.
Messiaen died in April 1992 in Saint-Denis.
Yvonne Loriod survived him by 18 years, dying on 17 May 2010 in Saint-Denis, Paris, aged 86.
Married Olivier Messiaen in 1961.