French composer Charles Chaynes died yesterday, 24 June, aged 90. Born in 1925 in Toulouse, he studied in his home town as well as in Paris with Darius Milhaud and Jean Rivier. He was awarded the Prix de Rome in 1951 for his cantata Et l’homme se vit les portes rouvrir. In 1964 he succeeded Marius Constant as head of the radio station France Musique. From 1975 to 1990 he was the director of musical creation at Radio France. In 2005 he became a member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts.
In addition to five operas, one symphony and chamber works Chaynes composed numerous concertos, etc. for trumpet, violin, piano and organ, and two orchestral concerts. In 1966 he composed a Concerto for organ, string orchestra, timpani and percussion for the organist Marie-Claire Alain. His Piano Concerto was premiered in 1967 by Yvonne Loriod.
