Cecile Lartigau is one of today’s rare ondes Martenot players, internationally recognized for her multifaceted career as a soloist, improviser and performer involved in performing arts. She is fascinated by the John Cage’s philosophy which opens a way toward an emancipation of the performer. Her dedication to creation drives her to collaborate with the most creative artists such as Esa-Pekka Salonen, Romeo Castellucci, Heiner Goebbels.
Known for her technical and interpretive skills, Cecile performs the repertoire for ondes and orchestra (Messiaen’s Turangalîla, Saint François d’Assise, Honegger’s Jeanne d’Arc au bûcher, Dutilleux’ La Fille du diable...) worldwidely, appearing at the world’s most prestigious concert halls and festivals, from Boston Symphony Hall, Berliner Philharmonie Teatro alla Scala di Milano, Elbphilharmonie, Grosses Festspielhaus, Lucerne KKL, Maison Symphonique de Montreal, to Salzburg Festival, Lucerne Festival, Georges Enescu Festival, Diaghilev Festival notably. She has performed with Vienna Philharmonic, Berliner Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Israel Philharmonic, Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal, Filarmonica della Scala, BBC Scottish, Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano, Slovenian Philharmonic, MusicAeterna, sharing the stage with leading conductors as V.Petrenko, A. Nelsons, E-P Salonen, R. Payare, T. Currentzis, A. Gilbert, S. Young (replacing Z. Mehta), M. Wendeberg notably, and pianists J-Y Thibaudet, S. Osborne, B. Chamayou and Y. Wang.
Cecile’s goal is now to introduce to the audience concertos and symphonic poems for ondes and orchestra (Jolivet, Hétu, Levidis, Koechlin...).
Since 2018, Cecile has collaborated with H. Goebbels, touring as an improviser in Everything that happened and would happen, a large-scale production (Manchester, Bochum, New-York, Saint Petersburg, Budapest, Salzburg), and performing with the Mayfield (upcoming CD release).
In April 2023, she created, both as a musician and artistic director, her first scenic performance Il faut cultiver notre jardin, inspired by Candide ou l'Optimisme of the French philosopher Voltaire, with live and recorded music, theater, light design and video projection.
Improvisation, creation and questioning consitute the fertile ground of her numerous activities.
Thanks to her extensive skills and her rigour, she affirms a powerful and recognizable artistic identity.
Cecile balances her orchestral activity with a vast repertoire of challenging and virtuose music from solo recital to collaboration with small ensembles, through chamber music, appearing in Germany, Russia, Italia in festivals such as Diaghilev Festival, AngelicA Festival, Messiaen Festival among other.
In solo recital, she regularly performs original repertoire for onde Martenot by Sylvano Bussotti, Bernard Parmegiani, Tristan Murail, John Cage, Olivier Messiaen in particular, that she can combine with transcriptions of Debussy and Bach. Her commitment in chamber music has led Lartigau to recreate the striking trio piano, ondes Martenot and percussions in collaboration with Paul and Jeremy Gohier. She has also founded the duo Due Voci with Monica Benvenuti around the works of Bussotti and his disciples, as well as another insolite duo with the young composer Margaux Dauby (both on stage). Since 2021, she has collaborated with C. M. Wagner and the E-Mex Ensemble, working on the complex Pièces de Chair II of Bussotti (upcoming release of a Deutschlandfunk recording).
Cecile often premieres news pieces (by M. Suarez, L. Esposito, F. Giomi...).