LA FOLLE JOURNEE DE VARSOVIE

After a dazzling conclusion of his studies under the guidance of such renowned professors as Thomas Friedli, Pascal Moraguès, Michel Arrignon and Maurice Bourgue, Jérôme Comte received the prix de virtuosité from the Geneva Conservatory and was unanimously awarded the prize of the Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse de Paris (CNSMDP) after the third year of study. Comte is a laureate of the Meyer Foundation for cultural and artistic development, and of the Entreprise Groupe Banque Populaire. In 2003 Jérôme Comte has received a grant from the famous Académie Charles Cros. He has aroused attention at many international competitions, including the ARD competition in Munich in 1999, the Jean Françaix competition in Paris in 1999 and at the Prague Spring Festival. Since then, the musician has been invited to play at chamber music events and with orchestras, including the orchestra of the Paris Opera, Orchestre de Paris, Orchestre National de France, the London Symphony Orchestra and Ensemble Intercontemporain, where he was appointed as soloist in March 2005 at the age of 25. Comte has performed at numerous festivals in France and abroad with Bertrand Chamayou, Lise Berthaud and with the Diotima Quartet.

Highlights of his career include a month-long tour of major cities in Asia (Tokyo, Hongkong, Bangkok, Manila and Seoul) in 2005 and the performance of Yan Maresz’ Eclipse for solo clarinet and fourteen instruments, with Ensemble Intercontemporain under the direction of Pierre Boulez at the festival in Aix-en-Provence in 2006. Other notable performances include the artist’s participation in Boulez’ Dialogue de l'ombre double, performed in November 2008 as part of the cycle “The Louvre Invites Pierre Boulez” and in Carter’s Concerto performed in March 2009 at the Cité de la Musique in Paris, in Anvers and at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, directed each time by Pierre Boulez.

AC

PIERROT LUNAIRE

Thanks to its avant-garde character combined with a modern sound, Pierrot Lunaire has provided worldwide fame for Schönberg. In the 20^th century it has also inspired such works as Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring and Boulez’ Le marteau sans maître (The Hammer Without a Master). The work achieved instant success. It has since been considered a masterpiece and Roland Manuel has thus expressed his admiration: “The incomparable colour of the music in Pierrot Lunaire, an expressive image of a nightmare unfolds before us, a rending cruelty which switches instantly from irony to sobs, from terror to tenderness, a source of exquisite beauty […].”