Born: 1916, Angers, France

"I often feel great emotion when I read or study a work of art, and that emotion exalts me. Afterwards, under this emotion, I create my own works."

Dutilleux hails from an artistic family; his great-grandfather was a painter in the circle of Delacroix and Corot, and his grandfather was a composer and performer, and a friend of Fauré. The composer recognizes his Piano Sonata, completed in 1948, as his Opus 1; it is a work that shows his move away from tonality, with its modal harmonies. It also demonstrates his debt to Bartók and to German music of the 19th century. He has acknowledged the influence of French author Marcel Proust, whose ideas about time and memory have affected Dutilleux's music both in the way the composer gradually reveals his themes over time and in his recollection of thematic material.

Further listening:

Cello Concerto, "Tout un monde lointain..." (1970)
Mstislav Rostropovich, Orchestre de Paris, Serge Baudo (EMI)

Timbres, espaces, mouvement (1978-91)
BBC Philharmonic, Yan-Pascal Tortelier (Chandos)