Composer and pianist François Glorieux has died. His son confirmed he died in his sleep on the night of Friday to Saturday, he was 91. Glorieux is considered one of the greatest Belgian composers of all time and enjoyed international success. Even pop star Michael Jackson was a big fan of his.
Glorieux gained fame as a pianist on national and international stages and is praised for his virtuosity. As a musical jack-of-all-trades, he is at home in many markets: classical music, improvisation, expressionism, jazz and pop and world music. Glorieux is considered a masterful improviser. In his career he gave more than 6,000 concerts and composed about 300 works. His classical education did not prevent him from adapting the music of The Beatles and Michael Jackson. The King of Pop was a big fan of his work.
“I was invited by his lawyer for an interview. When I arrived in California, Branca warned me that the meeting would last no more than three minutes. But I talked to him for three hours,” Glorieux told “Primo.” “Michael turned out to be a huge fan, had all my records and asked me not only about my life, but also to play for him. He had tears in his eyes, especially when I improvised on ‘She’s out of My Life’, one of his favourite songs. I then reworked ‘Bad’, ‘Smooth Criminal’ and ‘Liberian Girl’ for orchestra. We would perform that with the LA Symphony Orchestra with me as conductor.” But that never happened because of his sudden death. “I heard about his death the day before I was supposed to play in Vienna City Hall. I also played that concert with a tribute to him. A tragic end to a tragic life.”
Glorieux continued to perform and compose. Despite his age, the death is unexpected. “He still planned gigs and played the piano at his house every day,” his son said. “Last week, a former student of his came by and played for hours. Music was his life. The fact that he made people happy and put our country on the map is a comfort to us,” concludes Régis Glorieux.
