Yann Tiersen
Portrait of Yann Tiersen.
Background information
Birth name	Guillaume Yann Tiersen
Born	23 June 1970 (1970-06-23) (age 39)
Origin	Brest, Brittany, France
Genres	Minimalist, Avant-Garde
Occupations	Musician, Songwriter
Instruments	Piano, Violin, Accordion, Guitar, Toy piano, Voice and various others.
Years active	1995 - Present
Labels	Virgin/EMI
Website	Official website

Guillaume Yann Tiersen (born 23 June 1970) is a French musician and composer known internationally for composing the score to the Jean-Pierre Jeunet movie Amélie.^[1][2] His music is recognized by its use of a large variety of instruments in relatively minimalist compositions, often with a touch of either European classical music or French folk music, using primarily the piano, accordion or violin together with instruments like the melodica, xylophone, toy piano, ondes martenot, harpsichord and typewriter. His musical style is reminiscent of Frédéric Chopin, Erik Satie, Philip Glass and Michael Nyman.

Contents 1 Biography 2 Discography 2.1 Studio albums 2.2 Soundtracks 2.3 Live albums 2.4 Singles 2.5 Collaborations 2.6 Contributions 2.7 DVD 3 References 4 External links

[edit] Biography

Tiersen was born in Brittany, France, in 1970 and received classical training at several musical academies, including those in Rennes, Nantes, and Boulogne.^[3] In the early 1980s as a teenager he was influenced by the post-punk culture of bands like The Stooges and Joy Division.^[4]

Before releasing scores under his own name, Tiersen recorded background music for a number of plays and short films, such as La Vie Rêvée des Anges (1998, Erick Zonca), Alice et Martin (1998, André Téchiné), Qui Plume la Lune? (Christine Carrière, 1999).

He rose to domestic fame upon the release of his third album, Le Phare, but remained relatively unknown outside France until the release of his score for Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain in 2001, which was a mixture of both new and previously released material.

Tiersen favors the piano, accordion, and violin, but is also known for his experimentation and use of obscure and found instruments like the ondes martenot and the typewriter.

Yann Tiersen's list of collaborators continues to grow album after album (see discography below for details). While composing his fifth album, L'absente, Tiersen lent his musical talent to Françoiz Breut and Les Têtes Raides for their own albums. His 2005 album, Les Retrouvailles, featured vocals from Stuart Staples of Tindersticks, Jane Birkin, and Elizabeth Fraser, formerly of Cocteau Twins. Tiersen also played piano on Staples' solo album, Lucky Dog Recordings 03-04. In 2004 he also released a collaborative CD with American singer-songwriter Shannon Wright.

His live performances vary greatly. Sometimes he is accompanied by an orchestra and many guest collaborators, like Dominique A. Others, he offers the more frequent minimalistic sessions, usually accompanied only by a drummer/bassist and a guitarist, with Tiersen switching seamlessly between piano, accordion, and violin for his lighter songs, and electric guitar for his louder pieces (where his Avant-Garde Music meet some rock sonorities).

Yann Tiersen was married to Belgian actress Natacha Régnier, but they have since been divorced. They have a daughter.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Discography

[edit] Studio albums

• La Valse des Monstres (1995)
• Rue des Cascades (1996)
  • featured performer: Claire Pichet.
• Le Phare (1998)
  • featured performers: Claire Pichet, Dominique A.
• Tout est Calme (1999)
  • collaboration with The Married Monk
  • other featured performers: the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Lisa Germano, Neil Hannon (of The Divine Comedy), Dominique A, Françoiz Breut, Têtes Raides, Sacha Toorop (of Zop Hopop), the actress Natacha Regnier, Christian Quermalet (of The Married Monk), Marc Sens (a Serge Tessot-Gay collaborator), Christine Ott and a string quartet.
• L'Absente (2001)
  • featured performers: orchestral group Synaxis, Lisa Germano, Sacha Toorop, Dominique A, Neil Hannon, Natacha Régnier, Têtes Raides
• Les Retrouvailles (2005)
  • featured performers: Stuart Staples of Tindersticks, Jane Birkin, Elizabeth Fraser of Cocteau Twins, Christophe Miossec, Dominique A.

[edit] Soundtracks

• Amélie Original Soundtrack (2001)
• Good Bye Lenin! Original Soundtrack (2003)
  • featured performer: Claire Pichet.
• Tabarly (2008)

[edit] Live albums

• Black Session: Yann Tiersen (1999)
  • Black Session radio performance
  • featured performers: Neil Hannon (of The Divine Comedy), Bertrand Cantat (of Noir Désir), Françoiz Breut, The Married Monk, Têtes Raides and a string quartet.
• C’était ici (2002)
  • live compilation album
  • featured performers: 35-member orchestral group Synaxis, conducted by Guillaume Bourgogne. Claire Pichet, Christine Ott, Christian Quermalet, Marc Sens, Nicholas Stevens, Jean-François Assy, Renaud Lhoest, Oliver Tilkin, Ronan le bars, Têtes Raides, Dominique A, Lisa Germano.
• On Tour (2006)
  • featured performers: Elizabeth Fraser of Cocteau Twins , Diam's , Katel, DD la Fleur

[edit] Singles

• 3 titres inédits au profit de la FIDH (part of the On Aime, On Aide collection, composed to raise funds for the FIDH, sold exclusively at Fnac) (2003)

[edit] Collaborations

• Bästard (EP) (1999)
  • collaboration with Bästard
• Yann Tiersen & Shannon Wright (2004)
  • collaboration with Shannon Wright.

[edit] Contributions

• One Trip, One Noise (by Noir Désir) (1997)
  • "A ton étoile" (arrangements, strings, vibraphone, bell, mandolin, electric guitar and bass)
• Vingt à Trente Mille Jours (by Françoiz Breut) (2000)
  • "Porsmouth" (vibraphone), "Vingt à trente mille jours" (vibraphone), "L'heure bleue" (violin), "Le verre pilé" (vibraphone); arrangements
• Gratte-poil (by Têtes Raides) (2001)
  • "Cabaret des nues" (violin)
• The Married Monk (by The Married Monk) (2001)
  • "Roma Amor" (strings, vibraphone), "Holidays" (strings) and "Cyro's Request" (vibraphone)
• Les oiseaux de passage (tribute to Georges Brassens)
  • cover of "Le parapluie" with Natacha Régnier
• Absent Friends (by The Divine Comedy) (2004)
  • "Sticks & Stones" (accordion); "Anthem for Bored Youth" (accordion), a track appearing only on the French limited edition
• The Endless Rise of the Sun (by Smooth) (2006)
  • "The Endless Rise of the Sun" (keyboards)
• Raides à la ville (by Katel) (2006)
  • "La Vielle" (violin)
• 13m² (by David Delabrosse) (2006)
  • production and arrangements
• Solitude Nomade (by Christine Ott) (2009)
  • "Pensées sauvages" (violin)
• Finistérien (by Miossec) (2009)
  • music and arrangements

[edit] DVD

• La Traversée (2005) (by Aurélie du Boys, about the recording and composition of Les Retrouvailles in Ouessant)
• On Tour (2006) (by Aurélie du Boys, about the tour)

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Yann Tiersen's official homepage
• Yann Tiersen Free Sheet Music Archive
• Yann Tiersen at the Internet Movie Database
• Concert photos by Laurent Orseau (Black Session)
• Concert photos by Laurent Orseau (La Route du Rock 1998)
• Music Video for La Noyée from the Amelie soundtrack
• Music Video for Comptine d'un autre été: l'après midi from the Amelie soundtrack
• Article on Yann Tiersen at Everything2.com
• Yann Tiersen in Lebanon Event Review