Philippe Boesmans

Philippe Boesmans
Born(1936-05-17)17 May 1936
Tongeren, Belgium
Died10 April 2022(2022-04-10) (aged 85)
Brussels, Belgium
EducationRoyal Conservatory of Liège
Occupations
  • Pianist
  • Composer
  • Academic teacher
Organizations
AwardsInternational Opera Award

Philippe Boesmans (17 May 1936 – 10 April 2022)[1] was a Belgian pianist, composer and academic teacher. He studied to be a pianist at the Royal Conservatory of Liège, and was self-taught as a composer, influenced by the Liège Group of Henri Pousseur, André Souris, and Célestin Deliège, and by attending the Darmstädter Ferienkurse. He worked for the Radio Télévision Belge de la Communauté Française (RTBF) from 1961, as a producer from 1971.

Boesman became primarily recognised for his operas, with works written for the Royal Opera House La Monnaie in Brussels as composer in residence since 1985. Four operas were written in collaboration with Luc Bondy who adapted plays for him, Schnitzler's La Ronde, Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale, Strindberg's Miss Julie and Iwona, księżniczka Burgunda by Witold Gombrowicz, and who directed the world premieres of the operas. Au monde was honoured with an International Opera Award in 2015. His last opera based on Feydeau's vaudeville 'On purge bébé' had its world premiere at La Monnaie in Brussels in December 2022.[2]

  1. ^ Tobisch, Léopold (11 April 2022). "Le compositeur Philippe Boesmans est mort". Radio France (in French). Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  2. ^ "On purge bébé ! | Philippe Boesmans". 13 December 2022.