Alexandre Tharaud
Biography
Alexandre Tharaud has distinguished himself as one of France's leading pianists. Recognized on the international stage as an artist of unique vision and originality, Alexandre is heralded for his brilliantly-conceived programs and bestselling recordings that range from Bach, Chopin, Rameau, and Ravel to music inspired by Paris cabaret of the 1920's.
This season, his recital tour of North America includes a return to Carnegie Hall, and recitals in Washington, DC, and Montreal. He also continues to appear frequently with Les Violons du Roy--with whom he has recorded Bach and Mozart for Warner Classics-on tour, and in Canada, and in recent seasons made his debuts with the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Atlanta Symphony and returned to the Toronto Symphony. Other recent highlights in North America include appearances at Boston Symphony Hall and at Walt Disney Hall, and recitals in Boston, New York, and at Chicago Symphony Hall. Upcoming highlights include performances with the Cleveland Orchestra, Utah Symphony, and Montreal Symphony. Alexandre has enjoyed working with such conductors as Peter Oundjian, Bernard Labadie, Daniele Gatti, Lionel Bringuier, Stéphane Denève, Vladimir Jurowski, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, and Yannick Nézet-Séguin, among others.
In Europe, Alexandre performs extensively in Germany (Essen and Cologne Philharmonies; Alte Oper Frankfurt; Ludwigsburg Festival), France (Théâtre des Champs-Elysées; Opéra de Versailles), as well as at the Warsaw Philharmonie; Victoria Hall, Geneva; Muziekgebouw and Concertgebouw, Amsterdam; BOZAR ,Brussels; Wigmore Hall and Queen Elizabeth Hall, London; Auditorio Nacional, Madrid; Santa Cecilia, Roma; Tonhalle, Zürich; Casino, Bern; Rudolfinum, Prague and Musikverein, Vienna. His festival appearances include the BBC Proms, Edinburgh International Festival, Gergiev Festival in Rotterdam, Aix-en-Provence, La Roque d'Anthéron, Schleswig-Holstein, Rheingau, Ruhr Piano Festival, Nuits de Décembre de Moscou, Rimini, Domaine Forget and Lanaudière.
Alexandre's next two CDs will both be released during the 2017/2018 season for the ERATO/Warner Classics label, for which he records exclusively. A tribute to one of the greatest French singers of all times, Barbara, presented at the Philharmonie de Paris in October 2017, will be followed by a Brahms CD together with cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras, a regular chamber music partner for 20 years.
Among the performing highlights of the next two seasons: a European tour with the Metropolitan Orchestra and its chief-conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin (Ravel's Left Hand piano concerto); a tour of Japan including a concert with the Tokyo Metropolitan Orchestra (Shostakovich piano concerto no. 2). Further tours will take place across France, Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland together with NDR Radio Philharmonie, Orchestre de la Suisse-Romande, Münchener Kammerorchester, Junge Deutsche Philharmonie, Bayerische Kammerphilharmonie and Orchestra Verdi.
Contemporary music has always featured prominently in Alexandre's activities and January 2016 saw him present the world premiere of Danish composer Hans Abrahamsen's new Piano Concerto for the left hand, Left, Alone, at the Cologne Philharmonie, together with the WDR Sinfonieorchester. Subsequent performances followed with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the DR SymfoniOrkestret and Rotterdam Philharmonisch Orkest, the latter under the baton of Yannick NézetSeguin.
Alexandre's discography reflects his eclectic affinity to many musical styles. His recordings range from Bach, Mozart and Haydn (with Les Violons du Roy) to Le Bœuf sur Le Toit: a homage to the roaring twenties. Other discs for ERATO include Autograph, Scarlatti, Journal Intime (Chopin) and the major release of 2016: Bach's Goldberg Variations. His latest recording features Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No.2, together with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.
In 2014, he published his first book, Piano Intime, which was followed in early 2017 by a more personal narrative view on his career: Montrez-moi vos mains. Alexandre Tharaud is also featured in a film directed by Michael Haneke (Amour), and Swiss film maker Raphaëlle Aellig-Régnier, Le Temps Dérobé, and has completed a new edition of Maurice Ravel's complete solo piano works for the German publisher Bärenreiter.
