Éliane Radigue, composer and one of the major figures in 20th Century experimental music, has died at the age of 94.
The news was broken by INA GRM, the Paris-based experimental music institute on Instagram. “It’s with immense sadness that we learn of the passing of Éliane Radigue,” they wrote.
“A major figure in musical creation has left us. She pursued an exciting musical life, moving from electroacoustic feedback to electronic music (with the help of her inseparable ARP 2500) and finally reinventing herself through fruitful collaborations with numerous instrumentalists.”
Radigue was born in 1932 and whilst she learned piano as a child, her interest was piqued by hearing the musique concrete compositions of Pierre Schaeffer. Later she worked as an assistant to Schaeffer and another key figure in early electronic music, Pierre Henry.
In an interview with the Guardian in 2011, she recalled that time, saying: “I was just cutting, splicing and editing tape. Of course, at that time the universe of electronic music was totally male, but I was pleased to do anything they asked of me. I was there to learn, and I was learning by doing, like an apprentice.”
In the early 1970s her focus switched to synthesizers. The ARP 2500 modular synth became especially key to her work and was used to create pieces such as Adnos I – III and Trilogie De La Mort.
Though she was well into her tenth decade of music-making, Radigue was active right until the very end. Indeed, she had been due to play a show at Amsterdam’s Paradiso club this coming weekend.
“She carved out her own path with unparalleled freedom and vision,” INA GRM said in tribute to Radigue. “Our thoughts are with her family, friends and collaborators.”
