Hurel, Philippe

Born in Domfort (France) in 1955, he studied studied composition with Ivo Malec and musical analysis with Betsy Jolas at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris in 1980–83. He also undertook private studies in computer music with Tristan Murail in Paris in 1983–85. He worked as a music researcher at IRCAM in 1985–86 and 1988–89 and taught composition at that institution in 1997–2001.

His honours include the Villa Médicis residency in Rome (1986–88), Förderpreis of the Ernst von Siemens Foundation in Munich (1995, for Six miniatures en trompe l’œil, commissioned by Ensemble intercontemporain), and awards from SACEM (2002 and 2003, for Aura).

With Pierre-André Valade, he founded the new music ensemble Court-circuit in 1990 and has since served as its artistic director. His music has been performed by numerous orchestras and ensembles such as Ensemble intercontemporain, London Sinfonietta, Avanti!, Itinéraire, Ex Nuovo Ensemble, Oslo Sinfonietta, Montreal’s Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, Vienna’s Ensemble des 20. Jahrhunderts, Nieuw Ensemble, Tactus, Toulouse’s National Chamber Orchestra, Les Percussions de Strasbourg, Finnish Radio Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, Melbourne Orchestra, Stockholm Royal Philharmonic, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, and by conductors such as by Pierre Boulez, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Kent Nagano, David Robertson, Ed Spanjaard, Peter Eötvös, Markus Stenz, Arturo Tamayo, Antony Pay, and Lorraine Vaillancourt.

Selected works: Eolia for flute (1982), Trames for strings (1982), Memento pour Marc for orchestra (1982–83), Opcit for tenor saxophone (1984; version for clarinet, 1993), Diamants imaginaires, diamant lunaire for ensemble and electronics (1985–86), Pour l’image for 14 instruments (1986–87), Fragment de lune for ensemble and electronics (1986–87), Mémoire vive for orchestra (1988–89), Rémanences, Six miniatures en trompe l’œil for 14 instruments (1990–1), La célébration des invisibles for shadow theatre, percussion and choir (1992), Leçon des choses for ensemble and electronics (1992–93), Pour Luigi for flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano (1993–94), Kirs for six percussionists and double bass (1996), ...à mesure for flute, clarinet, viola, cella, vibraphone and piano (1997), Flash-Back for orchestra (1997–98), Quatre variations for percussion and chamber ensemble (1999–2000), Figures libres for eight instruments (2000–1), Écart en temps for six percussionists (2001), Aura for piano and orchestra (2001–2), Ritornello in memoriam Luciano Berio for flute and piano (2003), Trois études mécaniques for ensemble (2003–4), Phonus ou la voix du faune for flute and orchestra (2003–4), Hors-jeu for percussion and Max/ MSP electronics (2006), Cantus for soprano, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, percussion and piano to words by the composer (2006), D’un trait for cello (2007), À bâtons rompus for saxophone and percussion (2008), Recueil for viola and percussion (2008), Stretta for two trombones and organ (2009), Localized Corrosion for saxophone, electric guitar, piano and percussion (2009), Præludium for orchestra (2010), Plein-jeu for accordion and electronics (2010), Espèces d’espaces for soprano, actor and ensemble (2011), Tour à tour III – Les rémanences for orchestra (2011), Loops I for electric guitar (2012), Trait d’union for violin and cello (2013), Trait for violin (2014), Les Pigeons d’argile for six voices, choir and orchestra (2014), Tour à tour II – La rose des vents for orchestra and electronics (2015), Pas à pas for flute, oboe, clarinet, piano and percussion (2015).