Henri Pousseur

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Pousseur was born in Malmedy and studied at the Academies of Music in Liège and in Brussels from 1947 to 1952, where he joined the group called Variations associated with Pierre Froidebise. It was in this group that he first became familiar with the music of Anton Webern and other 20th-century composers. During his period of military service in 1952–53 at Malines, he maintained close contact with André Souris. He encountered Pierre Boulez in 1951 at Royaumont, and this contact inspired his Trois chants sacrés, composed that same year. In 1953, he met Karlheinz Stockhausen, and in 1956 Luciano Berio (Decroupet 2009). A less-well-known influence from his early years was the powerful impression of listening to the music of Anton Bruckner, and he maintained a lifelong interest in medieval and Renaissance music, as well as in extra-European music and their practices (Bartholomée 2009, 68).
 
In 1954, Pousseur married Théa Schoonbrood, with whom he had four children: Isabelle (1957), Denis (1958), Marianne [fr] (1961), and Hélène (1965) (Whiting 2009).
 
Beginning in 1960, he collaborated with Michel Butor on a number of projects, most notably the opera Votre Faust (1960–68) (Decroupet 2009).
 
Pousseur taught in Cologne, Basel, and in the United States at SUNY Buffalo, as well as in his native Belgium. From 1970 until his retirement in 1988, he taught at the University and Conservatory of Liège, where he also founded the Centre de recherches et de formation musicales de Wallonie, in 2010 renamed as Centre Henri Pousseur. He died in Brussels, aged 79, on the morning of 6 March 2009, of bronchial pneumonia (Machart 2009).
Ordered by year. Most recent works appears first

Chamber Ensemble (5 - 9 instruments)

Auguri per i lustri futuri per ensemble (2007)
Cortege des belles tenebreuses au jardin boreal per 6 esecutori (1984)

Voices and Instruments

L antre de la nymphe per voce femminile e cinque strumenti. Testo di M. Butor (2006)
Metamorphoses de marie-madeleine per coro misto, due percussioni e pianoforte su testi del compositore (1999)
Dichterliebesreigentraum per soprano, baritono, due pianoforti, coro da camera e orchestra da camera su testo di H. Pousseur da H. Heine (1992)
Traverser la foret Cantata per recitante, due solisti, coro misto e 12 strumentisti (1987)
Arcs en ciel de remparts per orchestra ad organico variabile ed ensemble vocale facoltativo su testi di M. Butor (1986)

Solo Instrument

Huit petites geometries per violino. Dicte par n. 3 (2006)

Orchestral Music

Il sogno di Leporello ( Parade 2) per orchestra (2005)
Contes et farandoles per orchestra di studenti (2003)
Danseurs gnidiens cherchant la perle clementine ( Acquarius memorial III) per orchestra (1998)
Suite du massacre des innocents per orchestra di fiati e percussioni (1996)
Caprices de saxicare Mobile concertant per saxofono, orchestra d archi e percussione (1994)
Un jardin de passacailles per orchestra da camera (1987)
Nacht der nachte ( NUIT DES NUITS) der die sehende Schlaflosigkeit des Herrn Goldberg per orchestra (1985)
Trajets dans arpents du ciel per solista e orchestra (1983)
La seconde apotheose de rameau per orchestra da camera (1981)
Chroniques illustrees : Petite chronique illustree per orchestra (1976)
Quatrieme vue sur les jardins interdits per orchestra (1974)
L effacement du prince igor per orchestra (1971)
Les ephemerides d'icare 2 per solista principale, concertino e concerto grosso (1970)
Couleurs croisees per orchestra (1967)
Rimes pour différentes sources sonores per orchestra e nastro magnetico (1959)

Ensemble (10 - 19 instruments)

Aiguillages (AU CARREFOUR DES IMMORTELS) per 16 musicisti (2002)

Large Ensemble (20 - 35 instruments)

Icare aux jardins du verseau per pianoforte, percussione e sei gruppi di sei strumenti (1999)

Other Orchestral Ensembles

Caprices de saxicare Mobile concertant per saxofono, orchestra d archi e percussione (1994)
Un jardin de passacailles per orchestra da camera (1987)
La seconde apotheose de rameau per orchestra da camera (1981)
Rimes pour différentes sources sonores per orchestra e nastro magnetico (1959)

Choral Ensemble

Missa brevis per coro misto (1951)
Aiguillages (AU CARREFOUR DES IMMORTELS) per 16 musicisti (2002)
Arcs en ciel de remparts per orchestra ad organico variabile ed ensemble vocale facoltativo su testi di M. Butor (1986)
Auguri per i lustri futuri per ensemble (2007)
Caprices de saxicare Mobile concertant per saxofono, orchestra d archi e percussione (1994)
Chroniques illustrees : Petite chronique illustree per orchestra (1976)
Contes et farandoles per orchestra di studenti (2003)
Cortege des belles tenebreuses au jardin boreal per 6 esecutori (1984)
Couleurs croisees per orchestra (1967)
Danseurs gnidiens cherchant la perle clementine ( Acquarius memorial III) per orchestra (1998)
Dichterliebesreigentraum per soprano, baritono, due pianoforti, coro da camera e orchestra da camera su testo di H. Pousseur da H. Heine (1992)
Huit petites geometries per violino. Dicte par n. 3 (2006)
Icare aux jardins du verseau per pianoforte, percussione e sei gruppi di sei strumenti (1999)
Il sogno di Leporello ( Parade 2) per orchestra (2005)
L antre de la nymphe per voce femminile e cinque strumenti. Testo di M. Butor (2006)
L effacement du prince igor per orchestra (1971)
La seconde apotheose de rameau per orchestra da camera (1981)
Les ephemerides d'icare 2 per solista principale, concertino e concerto grosso (1970)
Metamorphoses de marie-madeleine per coro misto, due percussioni e pianoforte su testi del compositore (1999)
Missa brevis per coro misto (1951)
Nacht der nachte ( NUIT DES NUITS) der die sehende Schlaflosigkeit des Herrn Goldberg per orchestra (1985)
Quatrieme vue sur les jardins interdits per orchestra (1974)
Rimes pour différentes sources sonores per orchestra e nastro magnetico (1959)
Suite du massacre des innocents per orchestra di fiati e percussioni (1996)
Trajets dans arpents du ciel per solista e orchestra (1983)
Traverser la foret Cantata per recitante, due solisti, coro misto e 12 strumentisti (1987)
Un jardin de passacailles per orchestra da camera (1987)