(b. 24 July 1955, Domfront, Orne).
French composer of mostly orchestral and chamber works that have been performed throughout the world.
Mr. Hurel studied musicology at the Université de Toulouse from 1974–79 and composition with Betsy Jolas and Ivo Malec at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris from 1980–83. He also studied computer science and music privately with Tristan Murail in Paris in 1983.
Among his honours are a scholarship to stay at the Villa Medici in Rome (1986–88), the Förderpreis der Ernst von Siemens Musikstiftung in Munich (1995, for Six Miniatures en trompe l'il), the Prix de Compositeurs from SACEM (2002), and the Prix de la Meilleure Création de l'Année from SACEM (2003, for Aura). His music has been performed in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Luxembourg, Mexico, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the UK, and the USA.
He is also active in other positions. He worked as a music researcher at IRCAM in Paris in 1985–86 and 1988–89. He founded the ensemble for contemporary music Court-circuit in 1990 and has served as its artistic director since 1990. He served as composer-in-residence to both the concert hall Arsenal in Metz and the Orchestre National de Lorraine from 2000–02.
He taught composition at IRCAM from 1997–2001.
His publishers are Éditions Gérard Billaudot, for music written from 1981–96, and Éditions Henry Lemoine, for music written after 1997.
SELECT LIST OF WORKS
STAGE:
La Célébration des invisibles (melodrama, text by Philippe Raymond-Thimonga, shadow theatre by Michel Rosenmann), mixed chorus, 6 percussion, 1992 (also shorter concert version)
Espèces d'espaces (music-theatre work, text by the composer, after Georges Perec), soprano–female actor, male actor, small orchestra, live electronics (by Alexis Baskind), film (by Evi Kalessis), 2010–11
Les Pigeons d'argile (opera, libretto by Tanguy Viel), 6 soloists, mixed chorus, large orchestra, 2012–13
ORCHESTRAL:
Trames, 11 strings, 1982
Memento pour Marc, 1982–83
Diamants imaginaires, diamant lunaire, small orchestra (22 players), 1984–85
Pour l'image, small orchestra (14 players), 1986–87
Mémoire vive, large orchestra (74 players), 1988–89
Six Miniatures en trompe l'il, small orchestra (14 players), 1990–91
Flash-Back, large orchestra (80 players), 1997–98
Quatre Variations, vibraphone, small orchestra (16 players), 1999–2000
Aura, piano, orchestra, 2001–02 (also version for piano, small orchestra [26 players], 2005–06)
Trois Études mécaniques, small orchestra (17 players), 2003–04
Phonus ou la voix du faune, flute, orchestra (10 winds, 4 French horns, harp, MIDI-keyboard, 2 percussion, strings), 2004
Phasis, tenor saxophone (+ soprano saxophone), small orchestra (14 players), 2007
Tour à Tour I, 'L'Envol', large orchestra, 2008
Præludium, large orchestra, 2010
Tour à Tour III, 'Les Rémanences', large orchestra, 2011–12
Tour à Tour II, 'La Rose des vents', large orchestra, live electronics, 2014–15
CHAMBER MUSIC:
Eolia, flute, 1981
Opcit, tenor saxophone, 1983–84 (also version for clarinet, 1993)
Fragment de lune, 2 flutes, oboe, 2 clarinets, alto saxophone, bassoon, 2 French horns, trumpet, trombone, 2 MIDI-keyboards, 2 percussion, live electronics, 1985–86
Pavino et Sanina, flute, 1990
Rémanences, bass clarinet, tenor saxophone, French horn, tuba, 2 synthesizers (1 player), fixed media (2 tracks), 1991–92
Leçon de choses, flute, clarinet, 2 French horns, harp, violin, viola, cello, double bass, piano, MIDI-keyboard, 2 percussion, live electronics, 1993
Pour Luigi, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, 1994
Kits, 6 percussion, fixed media (2 tracks), 1995 (also version for bass guitar, congas, 6 percussion, 1995)
...à mesure, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, vibraphone, 1996
Tombeau in memoriam Gérard Grisey, piano, percussion, 1999
Loops I, flute, 1999–2000
Figures libres, flute, oboe, clarinet, violin, viola, cello, piano, percussion, 2000–01
Loops II, vibraphone, 2000–02
Loops III, 2 flutes, 2002–03
Ritornello in memoriam Luciano Berio, flute, piano, 2003
Loops IV, marimba, 2004–05
Hors-Jeu, percussion, live electronics, 2006
Step, moving flute, moving clarinet, piano (+ melodica), percussion, 2006–07
D'un trait – Trentemps (qui passe), cello, 2007 (one section may be performed separately: Trentemps)
à bâtons rompus, saxophone, percussion, 2008
Stretta, 2 trombones, organ, 2009
Recueil, viola, percussion, 2009
Localized corrosion, saxophone, electric guitar, piano, percussion, 2009
L'Âme en fête, 2 violins, 2009
Interstices, piano, 3 percussion, 2009
Plein-Jeu, accordion, live electronics, 2010
Trait d'union, violin, cello, 2013
Trait, violin, 2014
Pas à pas, flute, oboe, clarinet, piano, percussion, 2015
Global corrosion, saxophone, electric guitar, piano, percussion, 2015–16
So nah, so fern, flute, clarinet, violin, viola, cello, piano, percussion, 2016
CHORAL:
La Célébration des invisibles (melodrama, text by Philippe Raymond-Thimonga), mixed chorus, 6 percussion, 1992 (shorter concert version of stage work)
Non-Dit, 50 mixed voices, 2005
VOCAL:
Cantus (Hommage à Georges Perec) (text by the composer), soprano, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, percussion, 2006
CARILLON:
Loops V, 2006
DIDACTIC MUSIC:
Musica 2, bassoon, piano, 1984
Altomobile, viola, 1985
Funky Studies, cornet, 1987
Bacasax, alto saxophone, piano, 1990
Première Improvisation (à Raphaële), orchestra, 1990
Deuxième Improvisation (à Thibault), small orchestra (28 players), 1991