France Clidat

France Clidat, a pianist from France, trained under Lazare Levy at the Paris Conservatory and captured first prize in piano during 1950. Her victory at the 1956 Liszt Competition in Budapest opened the door to an international concert career built on authoritative readings of Liszt’s and Satie’s piano music. A Grand Prix du Disque recognized her complete recorded survey of Liszt’s works for the instrument, while additional projects examined music by Satie, Rachmaninov, and Grieg. In 1976 she received the title Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres, followed in 1987 by that of Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Mérite. Clidat later joined the faculty of the École Normale de Musique in Paris and contributed articles on the interpretation of Liszt’s solo piano repertoire.