Today Belgian composer, concert pianist and conductor François Glorieux turns 90. The native of Kortrijk is known for his musical versatility. From jazz to classical and from pop to world music, Glorieux is at home in many genres. As a composer, he has written a fine oeuvre of more than 300 works. For his contribution to the Belgian music scene, Glorieux was made a knight.
François Glorieux (°1932) began his musical journey at a young age. As a little boy he soon found his way to the piano. He improvised on the instrument and wrote his first compositions. At the age of seventeen, Glorieux left his hometown of Kortrijk and moved to Ghent to continue his music studies at the Conservatory there. There he took piano lessons with Marcel Gazelle and composition lessons with George Lonque.
Glorieux made a name for himself as a concert pianist on both national and international stages. He enjoyed the support of, among others, the Belgian conductor André Cluytens, as well as the respect of other pianists such as Arthur Rubinstein and Yves Nat.
Glorieux's compositional style was strongly influenced by his chance encounter with the American big band pioneer Stan Kenton. After their meeting, Glorieux was fascinated by the warm sound of brass players. As a concert pianist he travelled the world and came into contact with various musical cultures. Latin American and Caribbean music in particular piqued his interest. Glorieux also studied works by, among others, Paul Hindemith, Igor Stravinsky and Ralph Vaughan Williams. He assimilated all these influences into what became his characteristic rich musical language.
Several of his works are therefore characterised by non-classical styles. Manhattan Op. 20 (1974) shows jazz influences, his ragtime elements are incorporated in Hello Mister Joplin (1982), and The Legend of Bruce Lee (1982) makes use of Chinese instruments.
But amid all these different influences, Glorieux does not forget his Belgian roots. He used instruments such as the vibraphone and glockenspiel to evoke the Belgian coast in The Ostend Fisherman Wharf by Night (1988). His most recent work, Antwerp Hymn (2021) for string ensemble, was an ode to the city where he has lived since 1965. The work premiered during Klassiek aan de Schelde and was performed by the Great Globe Orchestra under the direction of Robert Groslot.
Throughout his career, Glorieux regularly worked with dance companies and choreographers. Among the production houses he collaborated with are the Royal Ballet of Flanders (now Opera Ballet Vlaanderen), the Netherlands Dance Theatre in The Hague and the National Ballet in Amsterdam. His first collaboration was the expressionist Mouvements – Contrastes pour piano, cuivres et percussion (1962) together with the Ballet van de XXste Eeuw.
Glorieux also worked with pop and jazz artists. His best-known collaboration was perhaps the one with Michael Jackson. In 1989 Glorieux travelled to Los Angeles to record symphonic versions of MJ hits with Jackson. One of Glorieux's most successful recordings was his album François Glorieux plays the Beatles, on which he improvised on well-known Beatles tunes. With the LP he managed to achieve gold status in Japan.
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Glorieux also dedicates himself to getting younger generations enthusiastic about different genres of music. Since 1977 he has been a chamber music teacher at the Royal Conservatory of Ghent. In addition, Glorieux gave school concerts in Europe, America and Japan, was a visiting professor at Yale University for a short period, and conducted numerous masterclasses.
François Glorieux's contributions to classical music have been recognised and rewarded on many occasions. He is an honorary citizen of Kortrijk, Zoersel and Stabroek. In 2012 he received the "Give Soul to Europe" prize awarded by the European Commission. As the icing on the cake, he was made a Knight of the Order of Leopold II in 2015.
François, heartfelt congratulations on behalf of all KC-ers!