Michel Fano

Michel Fano (9 December 1929 – 31 August 2026) was a French musician, composer, writer, filmmaker and sound designer.

Life and career Michel Fano was born on 9 December 1929. He developed the concept of to describe the potential for a film's soundtrack to interact with its visual content. During the early 1950s, he was part of a generation of composers associated with the Darmstadt School, and was a lifelong friend of Pierre Boulez. From 1962 until 1975, he regularly collaborated with Alain Robbe-Grillet on cinematic projects, creating (or "sound-scores") for five of Robbe-Grillet's films.

Fano died in Buis-les-Baronnies on 31 August 2026, at the age of 96.

Works Compositions The following are Fano's acknowledged compositions; numerous works of juvenilia and works-in-progress also exist.

Sonate pour deux pianos (1952) Étude XV (Picc. Fl. Ob. Eh. Cl[E♭]. Cl. Bcl. 2Hn. Ptpt. 2Tpt. Sax. 2Vln. 2Va. 2Vlc. Cb) (1954, premiered 2021) La Chambre Secréte (Electronic music with text by Alain Robbe-Grillet) Fab V (piano solo, 1995)

Partitions sonores L'Immortelle (1963, dir. Alain Robbe-Grillet) Trans-Europ-Express (1966, dir. Alain Robbe-Grillet) L'homme qui ment (1968, dir. Alain Robbe-Grillet) L'éden et après (1970, dir. Alain Robbe-Grillet) Glissements progressifs du plaisir (1974, dir. Alain Robbe-Grillet)