Léo Ferré (24/08/1916 - 14/07/1993), a Monégasque composer. He is, without doubt, one of the most important figures in French music history. Renowned for his musical compositions, Ferré is also remembered for his astonishing lyrics. Indeed, many would go so far as to call him one of the finest poets of French chanson.
1975 marked a turning-point in Ferré’s career, when the singer/songwriter decided to try his hand at conducting a symphony orchestra. He began working with the Montreux Symphony Orchestra in Switzerland, then in the autumn flew to Belgium with the orchestra to give a concert performance there. Ferré then conducted the same orchestra at the Palais des Congrès in Paris. However, classical music critics were absolutely horrified at the idea of a singer conducting Ravel and Beethoven and they wrote damning which greatly upset Ferré.
Later that same year, following a series of disputes, Ferré quit his record label Barclay. He then signed to CBS who released his next album entitled Ferré muet dirige Ravel et Ferré. This album included recordings of Ferré conducting various symphony orchestras. (Le Concerto pour la main gauche was performed by the Milan Symphonic Orchestra; Muss es sein ? Es muss sein, Love and Requiem by the Orchestre de Liège).
This truly exceptional singer, songwriter and composer changed the face of the French music scene irrevocably. Léo Ferré’s poetry also made a major impact on French literature. As his old friend, the writer and poet Louis Aragon once said - "The literary history of France will have to be re-written a little differently because of the contribution made by Léo Ferré". The same could also be said of French music history.