Michel Béroff

Michel Béroff, a French pianist born in Épinal on 9 May 1950, was a leading figure of the piano in France during the second half of the twentieth century. His early training attracted the attention of Olivier Messiaen, who helped him enter the Paris Conservatoire while still very young, where he studied with Yvonne Loriod.

Before turning twenty he had already built an international reputation, initially associated above all with the music of Messiaen and, over time, with a broader twentieth-century repertoire. Those who have described his playing highlight his expressive drive, his rhythmic precision and a notable ability to master the nuances of resonance.

His success has been especially notable in composers such as Bartók, Stravinsky, Prokofiev, and Boulez, with whom he worked on Éclat/Multiples under the direction of the composer, and once again Messiaen. By contrast, he has devoted relatively little attention to literature predating 1900, with some exceptions: Mozart's sonatas, on whose interpretation opinions are divided, and Liszt's concertos, which he recorded.

In 1989 he was appointed a professor at the Paris Conservatoire, an institution where his teaching complements a career centred on modern and contemporary music.