Frédéric Devreese

Category:componist, hedendaagse componist
Amsterdam, 02.06.1929 - Brussel, 28.09.2020
Genre(s):filmmuziek, 21ste eeuw / hedendaags, 20ste eeuw

Biography

Frédéric Devreese was born on 2 June 1929 in Amsterdam to a very music family. His mother played the violin, as did his father Godfried, who was also a well-known composer and conductor. Devreese took his first lessons in harmony from his father at the conservatory in Mechelen. He later studied at the Brussels conservatory with Marcel Poot (composition) and René Defossez (orchestral conducting). In 1949 he won the composition prize at the international piano competition in Oostende with his first piano concerto, which as a result became the compulsory work in that competition. This led to national attention and grants to study in Rome (composition with Ildebrando Pizzetti and conducting with Previtali) and Vienna (conducting with Hans Swarowski). Devreese rounded off these studies in 1956, returning to Belgium. In 1958 he made television programmes for the then BRT (state broadcaster), where he would later become a director and producer. He also worked for three years at the BRT producing soundtracks, ideal training for his later work as a composer of film music.
Devreese has always taken great interest in young musicians, whom he has sought to stimulate and promote though such initiatives as Tenuto (Belgian national competition for talented musicians under 25), Jong Tenuto (for musicians under 17) and Procemus (centre for promotion and production of young talent). He was also the chief conductor of the Belgian Youth Orchestra and director of the music academy in Overijse. Devreese has won a number of prizes with his work, including the Prix Italia (1963) for his opera Willem van Saefthinghe, written for the BRT, the Georges Delerue Award (1994) for La Partie d’Echecs, and the Joseph Plateau Prize (1988 and 1990) for the film music to L’Oeuvre au Noir and Het Sacrement respectively.

Frédéric Devreese passed away in September 2020.

Selective discography

Marcel Poot - Symphonies 1-7Marcel Poot - Symphonies 1-7 (2021)
20th century
Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, Marcel Poot, Léonce Gras, BRTN Filharmonisch Orkest, Hans Rotman, Moscow Symphony Orchestra, Frédéric Devreese, Omroeporkest N.I.R. (...)
LibraLibra (2011)
21st century / contemporary, 20th century
Wilfried Westerlinck, Frédéric Devreese, Alvaro Casuto, Rudolf Werthen
A retrospective Freddy Arteel & FriendsA retrospective Freddy Arteel & Friends (2009)
Big Band jazz, Baroque, 20th century
Freddy Arteel, Carl Stamitz, Freddy Sunder, Kati Sebestyén, Fernand Terby, Ervin Schiffer, Frédéric Devreese, György Schiffer (...)
Klara top 75 - 2008Klara top 75 - 2008 (2008)
20th century, romanticism, classicism, Baroque, early music, opera
Inge Spinette, Jan Michiels, Anima Eterna Brugge, Symfonieorkest Vlaanderen, Jozef De Beenhouwer, Jos van Immerseel, Frédéric Devreese
Meesterlijk - StrijkersMeesterlijk - Strijkers (2004)
20th century, romanticism, Baroque
Dejan Mijajev, Jerrold Rubenstein, France Springuel, Guido De Neve, Kris Van Severen, Ilja Laporev, Lode Leire, Leo De Neve (...)
Frédéric Devreese - GeminiFrédéric Devreese - Gemini (1999)
20th century
Daniel Blumenthal, Robert Groslot, BRTN Filharmonisch Orkest, Frédéric Devreese, Walter Gillessen, Georges-Elie Octors, Fernand Terby, Frédéric Devreese (...)
August De BoeckAugust De Boeck (1995)
romanticism
Guido De Neve, Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, August de Boeck, Frédéric Devreese
Benoit PeterBenoit Peter (1995)
romanticism
Luc Devos, Gaby Van Riet, Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, Peter Benoit, Frédéric Devreese
Arthur De Greef - Piano Concertos 1 & 2Arthur De Greef - Piano Concertos 1 & 2 (1995)
20th century
Arthur De Greef, Frédéric Devreese, Moscow Symphony Orchestra
Peter Benoit - Piano Concerto & Flute ConcertoPeter Benoit - Piano Concerto & Flute Concerto (1995)
romanticism
Luc Devos, Gaby Van Riet, Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, Peter Benoit, Frédéric Devreese

Selectieve discografie als componist

Guido Gezelle (1830-1899)Guido Gezelle (1830-1899) (1999)
20th century, romanticism
Sylvie De Pauw, Rubio Strijkkwartet, Joost vanmaele, Joseph Ryelandt, Frits Celis, Lucien Posman, Marinus de Jong, Koen Dejonghe (...)
Famous waltzesFamous waltzes (1998)
soundtrack
Catherine Vandevelde, Arco Musicale, Dirk Brossé, Frank Nuyts, Marc Matthys, Frédéric Devreese, Joseph Lanner, Johann Strauss (...)
Vlaamse muziek - Musique Flamande - Flaemische MusikVlaamse muziek - Musique Flamande - Flaemische Musik (1995)
romanticism, 20th century
Gaby Van Riet, Luc Devos, André De Groote, Viviane Spanoghe, Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, BRTN Filharmonisch Orkest, Guido De Neve, Peter Benoit (...)
Belgian Composers from West FlandersBelgian Composers from West Flanders (1994)
20th century
Henry Raudales, Het Nieuw Vlaams Symfonie Orkest, Roland Coryn, Willy Carron, Frédéric Devreese, Dirk Brossé
Frédéric DevreeseFrédéric Devreese (1994)
20th century
BRTN Filharmonisch Orkest, Frédéric Devreese, Frédéric Devreese
La Partie D'EchecsLa Partie D'Echecs (1994)
soundtrack
Paul Hermsen, Frédéric Devreese, Kamerorkest Sinfonia, Frédéric Devreese
Made in BelgiumMade in Belgium (1993)
classical
Beaux-arts Koperkwintet, Jef Maes, Raymond Decancq, Marinus de Jong, Peter Welffens, Raymond Schroyens, Jan Van Der Roost, Frits Celis (...)
Een jong geluidEen jong geluid (1992)
romanticism, 20th century
Dirk Herten, Filip Martens, Peter Verhoyen, Dimitri Baeteman, Steven Kolacny, Piet Van Bockstal, Katrijn Friant, Guido De Neve (...)
Frédéric Devreese - piano ConcertosFrédéric Devreese - piano Concertos (1991)
20th century
Daniel Blumenthal, BRT filharmonisch orkest, Frédéric Devreese, Frédéric Devreese
Virtuoze MiniaturenVirtuoze Miniaturen (1990)
early music, Baroque, 20th century, 21st century / contemporary
Tielman Susato, Koperkwintet Theo Mertens, Anthony Holborne, Claude Le Jeune, Franz Schöggl, Françis Poulenc, Enrique Granados, Béla Bartók (...)

Related Items

News:Frédéric Devreese wordt Maestro Honoris Causa (18.11.2009)
Documents:Contemporary Music in Flanders II (book)
Contemporary Music in Flanders V (book)
External links:Componistenfiche Frédéric Devreese