THE LIVING COMPOSERS PROJECT  

François Narboni

(b. 26 July 1963, Paris).

French composer of mostly orchestral, chamber and choral works that have been performed in the Americas, Asia and Europe.

Mr. Narboni studied percussion at the Conservatoire à rayonnement départemental Marcel-Dadi in Créteil, where he graduated with a gold medal in 1984, as well as counterpoint, fugue, harmony, and orchestration with Yvonne Desportes at the Conservatoire à rayonnement départemental Marcel-Dupré in Meudon from 1982–86. He later studied tablā in India in 1988 and analysis and composition with Betsy Jolas, Michaël Levinas and Paul Méfano at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris from 1991–94 and there obtained a premier prix in composition in 1993, a diplôme in jazz in 1993 and a deuxième prix in analysis in 1994.

Among his honours are Deuxième Prix in the competition for music for organ Saint-Rémy-de-Provence (1992, for Paradis), Deuxième Prix in the competition Besançon (1994, for Les Guêpes) and the Prix de l'Académie des Beaux-Arts (2000, for Ko-Ko), as well as scholarships for residencies at the Casa de Velázquez in Madrid (1998), the Villa Medici in New York, New York (1999) and the Instituto Cubano de la Música in Havana (2000).

He is also active in other positions. He performed as a percussionist in ensembles for contemporary music and jazz from 1982–86 and with the ensemble Dicotylédone from 1987–91. He served as director of the Monfort-Théâtre in Paris from 1986–88 and has served as director of Ensemble Stravinsky since 2001.

He taught at the Conservatoire à rayonnement départemental Iannis-Xenakis in Évry from 1994–96, the Conservatoires de la Ville de Paris from 1994–96 and 1996–99 and IRCAM in Paris in 1997–98. He has taught at the Conservatoire à rayonnement régional de Metz since 1999.

In addition to the works listed below, he composed scores for films from 1988–96.

His primary publisher is Éditions Henry Lemoine.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Website: http://www.francois-narboni.com/francois-narboni.com/accueil.html

COMPLETE LIST OF WORKS

STAGE:

Ko-Ko (opéra-spectacle, libretto by Valérie Malfoy), soprano, 2 tenors, 2 basses, flute, oboe, clarinet (+ bass clarinet), bassoon, 2 French horns, trumpet, 2 violins, viola, cello, double bass, sampler, percussion, 1998, revised 2012–

Nuit dantesque (oratorio–music-theatre work, text by Antoine Juliens, after Dante Alighieri), actors, female chorus, recorders (1 player), viola, 2 percussion, improvisational ensemble ad libitum, 2002–03

Le Mystère de la conversion de Paul Claudel, 8 actors, 8 mixed voices, 2 organs, 2004

Jeu de Pomme, jeux de Paul (text by Sugeeta Fribourg), 2 sopranos, 2 baritones, male dancer, flute (+ piccolo, alto flute), trumpet (+ cornet), double bass, accordion, 2005–06

Au Bois lacté (opera, after Dylan Thomas), 2006–08

ORCHESTRAL:

Les Guêpes, orchestra (8 winds, 6 brass, 2 harps, 2 percussion, strings), 1993

Oz, orchestra (8 winds, 8 brass, harp, 2 percussion, strings), 1999

La Noia, large orchestra (16 winds, 8 brass, celesta, 3 percussion, strings), 2002–03

Quatre Études, large orchestra (12 winds, 12 brass, harp, 2 percussion, strings), 2003–04 (version of études 1–3, 5 from Études pour vibraphone, livre 1 [16])

Concerto, violin, large orchestra (13 winds, 12 brass, piano [+ sampler], 3 percussion, strings), 2005

Embarquement pour l'outre-, orchestra (33 players), 2012

CHAMBER MUSIC:

Ti Ta Te Tin Tay, flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon, 1991

Les Trompettes du désert, 6 distant trumpets, 6 distant trombones, 1991

Les Animals, double bass, ensemble (2 clarinets [both + bass clarinet], trumpet, trombone, violin, viola, cello, 2 samplers, percussion), live electronics, 1996

Heldenplatz, double bass, live electronics, 1998

Le Plérôme des éons, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, 1998

El Gran Masturbador, 2 clarinets (2nd + bass clarinet), alto saxophone, 2 bassoons (2nd + contrabassoon), 2 French horns, trumpet, trombone, tuba, 2 violins, viola, cello, double bass, 2 samplers, 2 percussion, live electronics, 2000

Études pour vibraphone, livre 1 (16), 2000–01 (also version of études 1–3, 5 as Quatre Études, large orchestra [12 winds, 12 brass, harp, 2 percussion, strings])

Neanderthal Fandango, flute, 2001

Styx, 6 percussion, 2002

Recitative, piccolo, trumpet, double bass, 2003

Mink (Yoknapatawpha I), soprano saxophone, 2004

Snopes (Yoknapatawpha II), alto saxophone, 2004

Un Enroulement kaléidoscopique d'ellipses mamelliformes, alto flute, viola, 2004

Quatuor à cordes No. 1, «...nouveau et particulier...», string quartet, 2005

L'Allante Heure, clarinet, string quartet, 2005

Eula (Yoknapatawpha III), tenor saxophone, 2005

Melancolia, vibraphone, 2008

Où vont les lunes, flute, 7 players, 2008

En Stock, 3 percussion, 2008

Variations Millet, accordion, 2009

En Cellule, oboe, piano, 2009

Outrepas, clarinet, trombone, violin, 2009

Fanfare pour Saint-Maximin, French horn, trumpet, trombone, 2010

The Mosellan Psycho, accordion, vibraphone, marimba, 2010

Parzi-fal, 10 percussion, 2011

Ammongea, bassoon, trumpet, piano, 2011

Rigodon, 5 percussion, 2012

Mirroir, mirroir, vibraphone, marimba, 2012

Deliverance, clarinet, accordion, vibraphone, 2012

CHORAL:

Tonalität (text by the composer), 8 sopranos, cello/viola da gamba, harpsichord, 1992

DikêTo on I (text by Parmenides), 4 basses, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, trombone, organ, 2 percussion, 1994

AlètheiaTo on II (text by Parmenides), soprano, 2 harps, 4 violins, 2 violas, 2 cellos, 2 percussion, 1995

DoxaTo on III (text by Parmenides), 12 mixed voices, mixed chorus, small orchestra (8 winds, 7 brass, 2 harps, 4 percussion), 1997

Cri(m)es of New York (texts by Walt Whitman, John Dos Passos, James Ellroy, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Dylan Thomas, W. H. Auden, Edward Lear), 12 mixed voices, 1998

Alpha-Beth, children's chorus, violin, cello, double bass, 2002

Le Stelle, female chorus, harmonium, 2012

Fidelity, mixed chorus, percussion ensemble, 2012

VOCAL:

Impromptu d'Ohio (text by the composer), soprano, double bass, 1994

Les Saisons (texts by Gottfried van Swieten, Antonio Vivaldi, an anonymous source from France, Xavier Delamarre, the Song of Solomon [Latin translation]), soprano, flute (+ piccolo, alto flute, bass flute, recorder ad libitum), clarinet (+ E-flat clarinet, bass clarinet), sampler, percussion, fixed media, 2002 (part for fixed media may be performed separately as a sound installation)

Le Voyage de Babar, male speaker, piano, 2013

PIANO:

Darkness Visible, piano, string quartet ad libitum, 1999

Soon, 2002

Chemins qui ne mènent nulle part, 2012

ORGAN:

Paradis, 1990

HARPSICHORD:

Pandémonium, 1988

ELECTROACOUSTIC:

Étude aux grillons et aux cloches, fixed media, 1991

Tenebræ, fixed media, 1991–92

Les Saisons (sound installation), fixed media, 2002 (part for fixed media of vocal work; may be performed separately)

FILM SCORE (DIRECTOR):

Des enfants qui s'aiment, 2005 (Gilles Volta)

ARRANGEMENTS:

Drei Jiddische Lieder, Op. 53 (Viktor Ullmann), soprano, bass clarinet, mandolin, violin, double bass, celesta, percussion, 1995

Syrinx (Claude Debussy), 3 flutes, 2007

English Canzonettas (Six Original Canzonettas by Franz Joseph Haydn), 2009