Diego Masson

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Diego Masson (born 21 June 1935) is a French

percussionist
.

The son of artist André Masson and brother of the singer and actor Luís Masson, Diego Masson was born in Tossa de Mar, Spain. He studied piano and composition at the Paris Conservatoire. Upon graduation, he joined the Domaine Musical as percussionist and began studying conducting with the group's director, Pierre Boulez. In 1966 he formed Musique Vivante, a group specializing in contemporary music which he still directs.[1] Musique Vivante has introduced many important compositions by French and foreign composers, in particular the music of Boulez and Karlheinz Stockhausen. In 1969 Masson conducted the world première of Stockhausen's Stop, which is dedicated to him, and the group also took part in the premières of "Setz die Segel zur Sonne" from Aus den sieben Tagen and the 1972 version of Momente.[1]

In addition to conducting specialist new-music groups like the

Hong Kong Philharmonic,[2] and the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra.[3]

He is also an acclaimed conductor of opera and ballet. He was music director of the Ballet-Théâtre Contemporain of Amiens from its formation in 1968. In 1972 it moved to Angers, where it was combined with the opera company as the Théâtre Musical d'Angers under Masson's direction. He left in 1975 to become music director of Marseille Opera (until 1981) where, amongst other things, he conducted a

Luigi Nono's Prometeo at the Royal Festival Hall in London on 9 and 10 May 2008.[4]

Masson has also worked extensively with youth orchestras: in the UK regularly at

Juilliard Orchestra; and in Australia with the Australian Youth Orchestra. He held conducting masterclasses every year at Dartington International Summer School
from 1983 to 2010.

His activities as a composer and arranger were mainly from the early part of his career and included film scores composed for Équivoque 1900 (1966), and two

Histoires extraordinaires (1968), and Black Moon (1975), for which he adapted music by Wagner
. He was music director for the latter, as well as for the 1996 French/German television Beethoven biopic La Musique de l'amour: Un amour inachevé.

Sources

  1. ^
    ISBN 9780195170672
    .
  2. ^ "Diego Masson Conductor". Ingpen & Williams. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  3. De Tijd (6 June): 9.
    "Jubileumconcert Gaudeamus". De Telegraaf
    . 6 June 1970.
  4. ^ Finch, Hilary. 2008. "Prometeo". The Times, Features: Times 2 (13 May): 14.
    Norris, Geoffrey. 2008. "Tradition Makes Way for Innocuous Aural Massage". The Daily Telegraph, Features: The Arts (12 May): 26.

Further reading

  • Gousseland, Jack, with Jorge Lavelli and Diego Masson. 1975. "Idoménée: 1º Mettre en scène la musique; 2º Au pied de la lettre" A.T.A.C. informations 66 (March): 32–34.
  • Lyon, Raymond. 1977. "Entretien avec Diego Masson". Le Courrier Musical de France, no. 58:45–48.
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