Stéphane Blet (9 March 1969 – 7 January 2022) was a French classical pianist and composer.
Life and career
Born in Paris, France, Blet was a disciple of the great American pianist Byron Janis[1] who discovered an exceptional talent in him and invited him to New York. He was also a young assistant of Vladimir Horowitz.[2] In 1986, he began an international concert career.
His recitals at the Salle Gaveau and at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées earned him the adulation of the public, as during his "Franz Liszt marathon" in February 1987 where he was applauded for more than thirty minutes, which made the music critic Pierre Petit say: "Stéphane Blet is more than just piano, it's the music itself."
At the age of fifteen, he recorded his first album, exclusively devoted to Franz Liszt. He was also a concert performer from the age of fifteen.[3]
One year later he signed with Philips Classics, for whom he recorded two new CDs, still dedicated to the Hungarian composer, including the Piano Sonata in B minor, selection of the meilleurs CD Diapason 1989, who led André Boucourechliev to write: "From his body to body with the work is born a superb architecture, chanted in turn by majesty and the most intense lyricism. And what a sound! We appreciate the true musician and his wonderful understanding of the work... we forget everything to devote ourselves to emotion... it is the state of grace!". As for Carlo Maria Giulini, he emphasized "an amazing technique and the most beautiful piano sound".
In 1993, he created the event by transcribing the monumental Liszt's
Faust Symphony, which earned him several awards, including one from the Franz Liszt Association. He also composed a large cycle of Turkish and Ottoman Rhapsodies and was decorated in 1996 by the Turkish government for this work.
Blet participated to the jury of the École normale de musique de Paris, before being appointed a professor in 2001. He also chaired a large number of international competitions, including the Istanbul International Piano Competition in 2013.
He was also the author of about fifteen musicological works about the works of Frédéric Chopin, Erik Satie, Franz Liszt, and Robert Schumann, ainsi que d'une méthode de piano, Le Voyage Magique (after an American concept) published at éditions Leduc.
For twenty-five years Blet was vice-president of the Académie du disque lyrique [fr][5] and created the "Grand Orphée d'Or Leyla Gencer" prize in 2010, in homage to the great Turkish singer.
He died from a fall on 7 January 2022, at the age of 52.[6]
"Erik Satie, Les mémoires d'un amnésique. Gymnopédies, Gnossiennes, Valzs. With Daniel Prévost. 1 CD Calliope. CAL 1631.
"Trésors du piano russe. Stéphane Blet. Rachmaninoff, Moussorgsky, Scriabin... 1 CD Calliope. CAL 1636.
"Mozart & Beethoven", Sonatas, Fantasies... 1 CD Calliope. CAL 1635
"Karnaval". Stéphane Blet plays Schumann. CD Calliope.
As composer
Hommage à Stéphane Blet, by Morgane Dupuy, Alexander Paley, 1 CD, Marcal, 2008
Jean Muller plays Stéphane Blet, 1 CD, "Polymnie", 2007
Docteur Faust: Stéphane Blet's works for piano vol. 1, by Evelina Borbei, 1 CD, Maguelone, 2002
Insomnies, by Natalia Sitolenko, 1 CD, Marcal Classics, 2004
Fantaisie ottomane et œuvres pour piano seul, by Isabelle Oehmichen and Weiner Chamber Orchestra (conducted by Richard Weninger), 1 CD, Marcal Classics, 2005
Sonata Op. 202 n°.1 "Rosicrucienne" for violin and piano. (Ed. Fertile Plaine)
Klavierstűcke Op. 211, for piano. (Éd. Fertile Plaine)
Perpetuum mobile Op. 212, for piano. (Éd. Fertile Plaine)
Trois Rêves Op. 251, for piano. "A Gulsin Onay". (Éd. Soldano)
Huit Chorals Lunaires Op. 253, for piano. (Éd. Fertile Plaine)
Sonate Op. 254 N° 9 "Re-turn", for piano. (Éd. Soldano)
Sonate Op. 255 N°10 "RésiStances", for piano. (Éd. Soldano)
Sonate Op. 418 N°11 "Horus". (Éd. Soldano)
Transcriptions:
Albinoni-Blet: Adagio, for piano. (Éd. Pierre Lafitan)
Mahler-Blet: Adagietto (excerpts from the 5thSymphonie), for piano. (Éd. Combre-Lemoine)
Liszt-Blet: Faust Symphonie for Piano. (Éd. Combre-Lemoine, "Collection Fac simile)
Cadences:
Cadences pour les concertos pour Piano K 466 et K 466 by W.A.Mozart. (Éd. Combre-Lemoine)
Éditions de travail et Révisions de Stéphane Blet :
Liszt à votre portée, 7 Pièces pour Piano. Œuvres originales annotées et doigtés par Stéphane Blet. (Éd. Combre-Lemoine)
Liszt's Rhapsodie Hongroise n°.2. Nouvelle révision et annotations de Stéphane Blet. (Éd. Combre-Lemoine)
Liszt's Rêve d'Amour, Nocturne n.3 pour piano. Annotations et doigtés par Stéphane Blet. Édition recommandée par l'Association Française Franz Liszt. (Éd. Combre-Lemoine)
Chopin's Valse K I B n.11 (n°.17, in L minor). Annotations et doigtés de Stéphane Blet. (Éd. Combre-Lemoine)
Essays on occultism
Traité herméneutique: Trésors occultes de la Franc-Maçonnerie, 2010, Cap Béar Éditions, ISBN978-2350660738
Sous le voile de l'occultisme, Éd. Amalthée, 2006
Essays on music
Introduction à l'art pianistique, followed by Schumann ou les déchirements de la double personnalité, Zurfluh-Robert Martin [fr] (2006), ISBN2877500985
L'art d'interpréter les mazurkas de Chopin, éditions Jonaphil-Lemoine
La Faust Symphonie de Franz Liszt, histoire d'un chef-d'œuvre négligé, Paris Combre-Lemoine, cop. 2005
L'énigme Satie, éditions Combre-Lemoine
Bibliography
La France maçonnique (Apocalypse France, saison 1), 2015, by Paul-Éric Blanrue.