Ensemble Contraste

Johan Farjot was born in Saint-Étienne, where he began his musical training at the local regional conservatory. He then continued his studies at the Paris National Conservatory of Music and Dance under professors such as Michaël Levinas, Thierry Escaich, and Zsolt Nagy, among others, and won five awards there (Harmony, Counterpoint, Fugue, Analysis, and Orchestral Conducting).

A holder of the Agrégation in Music, Johan Farjot simultaneously studied chamber music at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Lyon.

A multifaceted composer, Johan Farjot strives never to limit himself to stylistic labels. His work is championed by numerous performers, as evidenced by his recent, critically acclaimed album (Diapason d’Or, Diapason of the Year, France Musique Selection, etc.), released in August 2019 on Outhere—*Fuga Libera, Contemporary Clarinet Concertos*.

This album features, alongside concertos by Lindberg and Hartmann, his triple concerto *Fantasme – Cercles de Mana* for viola (Arnaud Thorette), cello (Antoine Pierlot), clarinet (Jean-Luc Votano), and orchestra (Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of Liège conducted by Christian Arming).

A monograph was also released digitally in May 2020 (with a physical release in September 2020) by Klarthe, titled *Childhood*, featuring chamber music works by Johan Farjot performed by some thirty artists (including the Ensemble Contraste, Geneviève Laurenceau, Jérôme Ducros, Pierre Génisson, and others).

Composer Johan Farjot also explores other styles, as evidenced by the pop book-and-CD set released with the Ensemble Contraste in 2017 by Gallimard, titled *Georgia, Tous mes Rêves chantent* (author: Timothée de Fombelle, illustrator: Benjamin Chaud), in partnership with the SOS Children’s Villages association. Many artists contributed to the project and performed his music (including Alain Chamfort, Emily Loizeau, Albin de la Simone, Marie Oppert, etc.)

In the same vein, a children’s book and CD titled *Siam* will be published by Flammarion in the fall of 2020 – Au fil de l’eau, for which he composed the music (author: Arnaud Thorette, illustrator: Olivier Latyk) and which also features a large number of artists (Gérard Jugnot, François-Xavier Demaison, Juliette, Tim Dup, etc.) in partnership with the association Le Rire médecin.

On a different note, he reimagines Schubert for an album by the Ensemble Contraste alongside folk-influenced singer Rosemary Standley, released by Alpha (Schubert in Love), set for the fall of 2020.

As an arranger, Johan Farjot is constantly offering fresh perspectives on the music he is passionate about. From musical theater (the 2011 album *Song*, released on Naïve, alongside opera singers such as Karine Deshayes, Sandrine Piau, Magali Léger, Alain Buet, Sébastien Droy, Sébastien Guèze, etc.) to J.S. Bach (Transcriptions, Dolce Volta, 2013), and tango (Café 1930, Zig-Zag Territoires, 2009, and Besame Mucho, Aparté, 2017, with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of Liège).

Also worth noting are his explorations at the fringes of jazz with his compositions written for a very specific ensemble (two keyboards with Karol Beffa, Arnaud Thorette on viola, and Raphaël Imbert on saxophone) for an album titled *Miroir(s)*, released in 2013 on Naïve, in which he revisits the great classical themes of the collective imagination.

November 2022