EmailBorn in Givet, in the Ardennes, she made her first recordings at the age of 16 and studied at the Paris Conservatoire with Isador Philipp and Marguerite Long. Her training, under Marguerite Long in particular, included a formidable regime of scales in thirds, sixths, octaves and, more intriguingly, fourths, a discipline that by her own admission remained a life-long habit and addiction.
Such unremitting and joyous work gave her a glittering technical foundation, allowing her to celebrate her 21st birthday in style by playing all five Saint-Saens concertos in a single concert (her audience was exhilarated and pelted, so to speak, with a ton of icing sugar) with a radiance and aplomb that have rarely been equalled, let alone excelled. The Opus 111 Toccata by the same composer was among her most celebrated encores, and her recording, made in 1931, remains an avidly-sought collector's item. As late as 1974, Darre delighted her Royal Festival Hall audience with a performance of this same Toccata that had lost little of its legendary lift and dazzle.
She became affectionately known as 'Madame Saint-Saens'. Her American debut in Saint-Saens's Second Concerto (music which is by now indelibly associated with her name) with the Boston Symphony Orchestra under her compatriot Charles Munch led to coast-to-coast tours. Placing a premium on impeccable musicianship, clarity and elegance, Darré left the more speculative corners of the repertoire - the Mozart concertos, late Beethoven and Schubert and so on - to others, remaining unapologetically in love with the major 19th-century Romantics and the French repertoire.
Her recordings include her charismatic traversal of the Saint-Saens concertos and much delectable Chopin and Liszt. These, and a two-CD set taken from recordings which she made between 1922-47, are a testament to her brio and originality. In the best French tradition, her playing was like vintage champagne. She played for Saint-Saens, Faure and Ravel, and it was no surprise to find that Horowitz was her chief pianistic idol and her inspiration. Among pianists of a younger generation, she particularly admired Maurizio Pollini, Martha Argerich and Stephen Kovacevich.
Darré was a professor at the Paris Conservatoire from 1958-75, a Knight of Arts and Letters, a member of the Legion of Honour. She was happy to declare that 'the life of a concert artist is a good one. I love my work.' She married twice, but left no immediate family.
;