Roger Muraro

French pianist Roger Muraro rose to prominence as a leading, near-authoritative exponent of Olivier Messiaen's keyboard works after training under the composer's spouse Yvonne Loriod. He has likewise drawn attention for his readings of Liszt and Ravel, uniting technical brilliance with an intimate, almost intimate rapport with the repertoire.

Born in Lyon, France, on May 13, 1959, to parents originating from the Venice region of Italy, Muraro spent his childhood in a modest community outside Lyon. After failing to secure a place on a local football side, his parents placed him in a band where he began saxophone studies. At age 11 he entered the preparatory program of the Lyon Conservatory as a saxophonist while pursuing piano independently; his saxophone instructor recommended formal instruction. He auditioned for the Paris Conservatory without success in the standard competition, yet Yvonne Loriod took note and admitted him to her class. Muraro advanced swiftly, capturing multiple Conservatory prizes while supporting his studies through saxophone teaching at a neighborhood school. He also worked with Eliane Richepin. After finishing fourth in the 1986 Tchaikovsky Competition, he embarked on an active schedule of recitals and concerto engagements. Initially recognized above all for Messiaen, particularly once the composer himself praised his account of the Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant-Jésus, Muraro has also explored the output of the major Romantic virtuosi—not only Liszt and Ravel, but also Rachmaninov, Schumann, Beethoven, Albéniz, Chopin, Schumann, and Debussy. He has performed as soloist with the Berlin Philharmonic, the London Philharmonic, the San Francisco Symphony, the Gewandhaus Orchestra of Leipzig, and numerous French ensembles. During the 1990s he recorded the Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant-Jésus on two occasions; by the late 2010s he had released roughly twenty albums, chiefly for the Musidisc and Accord labels. One distinctive aspect of his discography is that several of his interpretations were appropriated and released under the name of British pianist Joyce Hatto amid circumstances that remain contested; the performances received favorable critical notice even in that guise. In 2018 Muraro released a disc pairing Debussy's 12 Etudes with a reconstruction of the Messiaen piece Fauvettes de l'Hérault - Concert des garrigues.