Quatuor Debussy & Franck Tortiller
Biographie Quatuor Debussy & Franck Tortiller
Quatuor Debussy
In thirty years of activity, the Debussy String Quartet has been acclaimed throughout the world, continually sharing the same passion in its musical interpretations on the world’s most prestigious stages: Japan, China, United States, Canada, Australia, Russia, Europe, gaining renown through regular tours on all the continents. Thirty years of evolution which have made the Quartet a key player on the international music scene, with numerous awards, including a First Prize in the Evian International String Quartet Competition in 1993 and a Victoire de la musique 1996 (« Best Chamber Music Group”). Today, the professional recognition of the Debussy String Quartet is indisputable.
Driven by values of sharing and a renewal of artistic forms, the Debussy String Quartet strives to surprise and arouse the curiosity of all audiences and of all professionals of their field. By creating bridges with different artistic fields such as dance (Maguy Marin, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, Wayne Mac Gregor, Mourad Merzouki…), theater (Philippe Delaigue, Richard Brunel, Jean Lacornerie…) or even modern music (Yael Naim, Gabriel Kahane, Cocoon, Franck Tortiller, Keren Ann…) and circus (Cie Circa), the Debussy Quartet above all defends a strong, open, and lively vision of « classical » music. Recognized by their peers for the wide variety of their repertoire and their strong taste for artistic encounters, the members of the Quartet have recently continued to pursue original collaborations in the digital arts (David Gauchard) and slam (Mehdi Krüger).
Having chosen from the beginning to focus on exchange and transmission, the Debussy Quartet also holds educational workshops for children and engages in outreach projects for various audiences (the elderly, prisoners, the sick, etc.). Their open concerts and workshops with the public allow the musicians of the Quartet to share their passion for the music of yesterday and today with everyone. From the beginning of their adventure in 1990, the musicians of the Debussy Quartet have been committed to transmitting the knowledge they received from the great masters to young quartets; as instructors in frequent workshops, and during their Summer Academy each July, which is part of the Cordes en ballade chamber music festival they founded in 1999 in France’s Ardèche region.
Having recorded all of the Shostakovich quartets, the Quartet continued to regularly enrich its collection, notably in French music (Bonnal, Caplet, Debussy, Onslow, Ravel, Fauré, Witkowski, Lekeu) and through its explorations and artistic encounters: collaborations with Olivier Mellano, Yael Naim, Jules Matton, Keren Ann, two albums of nursery rhymes for children with Philippe Roussel, the transcription of Mozart’s piano concertos, including their version of Mozart’s famous « Requiem » for string quartet (Decca – Universal Music France). The numerous new recording projects by the Debussy String Quartet include the first recording on the Evidence Classics label, with a project devoted to the ‘Feminine Heroines’ of Schubert and Janacek, and in recent years a recording dedicated to the works of American composer Marc Mellits. Vocalist Keren Ann has also joined them to sign a limited-edition vinyl record. The Quartet has recently recorded several times alongside renowned artists in the jazz world (Jacky Terrasson, Vincent Peirani, Franck Tortiller, Jean-Philippe Collard-Neven …) for Radio France, and for Harmonia Mundi with their critically acclaimed recording in tribute to composer Claude Debussy. The soundtracks of their shows Boxe Boxe, Opus and the new Boxe Boxe Brasil are also available.
Franck Tortiller
(1963) is a French jazz vibraphonist, marimba player, composer and big band leader.
Tortiller studied at the Conservatory of Dijon and then in Paris at the "Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de dance de Paris", where he studied percussion and music theory. In 1989 he won the first prize at the Concours de la Défense as a soloist. His first album in a collaborative trio with the drummer Pascal Vignon and the bassist Yves Rousseau Les Jours De Fête: Hommage à Jacques Tati was released in 1996 (CC Production). Other trio recordings are "Early Dawn" (2005) with drummer David Duteil and bass player Yves Torchinsky and "Impertinance" with Michel Godard (Tuba) and Patrice Héral (percussion). Together with the latter, he currently forms a cooperative trio (2013). Since 2009, he has directed a quartet with Matthieu Michel, Patrice Héral and bassist Antoine Reininger. He also performs solo and in a duo with Héral.
Between 1993 and 2000 he was a member of the Vienna Art Orchestra (recordings "American Rhapsody" with Dee Dee Bridgewater and Shirley Horn, "Duke Ellington and Charles Mingus"). He was also a member of the Quartet of Simon Spang-Hanssen, the sextet of Jean-Marc Padovani (Out of Tribute to Eric Dolphy) and Michel Godard (Cousins Germains, Archangelica, Ivresses) and Christian Muthspiel.
From 2005 to 2008 he was director of the Orchester National de Jazz (albums "Electrique", the Led Zeppelin tribute "Close to Heaven"). For his "Sentimental ¾" program, which was first presented with this orchestra, he received the Django d'Or (France) as the best live music in 2007.
As a composer he wrote commissioned compositions among other things for the Orchester de Massy and Radio France, as well as for his own grandformation.
Tortiller is the founder of the "Jazz à Couches" festival.
