Wilhem Latchoumia

Wilhem Latchoumia is unique in the field of music. He embraces both new music and classical repertoire with as much success as charisma. The way he creates original programs is therefore seen by many as his signature. In the meantime, he has this strong and jubilant bond with the audience.

In France, he has performed on numerous occasions at the Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord, the Opéra Comique, the Cité de la Musique, the CENTQUATRE, the Théâtre d’Orléans, the Musée d’Orsay Auditorium, Toulouse Capitole, Lyon, Saint-Etienne and Dijon Operas, as well as the Fondation Royaumont. He has also been invited by international festivals such as Printemps des Arts de Monte Carlo, Piano aux Jacobins in Toulouse, La Roque d’Anthéron, Besançon and Aix-en-Provence, and has close relationship with Strasbourg-Musica, the Festival Messian au Pays de la Meije, Musiques en scène Biennale in Lyon (GRAME), Lille Piano(s) Festival and more…

Abroad, audiences enjoy his performances in many festivals and venues such as London Barbican Centre, Liege Philharmonic Hall, Brussels BOZAR and Brugge Concertgebouw, the Institute For Contemporary Performance (Mannes College) in New York City, the Beijing Modern Music Festival and Shanghai Electronik Music Week, as well as Buenos Aires Encuentros Festival, the Retour au Pays Natal festival in Martinique, in Italy (Gubbio Summer Festival and Traiettorie festival in Parma), Berlin (Young Euro Classic Festival), San Sebastian (Quincena musical)…

He will make his debuts at the Wittener Tage für neue Kammermusik next spring.

International tours have taken him to Lebanon, Greece, Turkey, Estonia, Latvia, Belarus, Poland, China, Corea, USA and South America.

As a soloist, Wilhem Latchoumia has performed with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France (Pascal Rophé, Joshua Dos Santos), the Orchestre National de Lille (Paul Polivnik, Benjamin Shwartz, Yann Robin), the Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire (Grieg’s concerto, 2017) and the Orchestre National de Lyon (Peter Rundel) in Unsuk Chin’s piano concerto – which he had premiered in France with the Orchestre National de Lille (Jean Deroyer). He played Strauss’ Burlesque with the Orchestre National d’Ile-de-France (Ainars Rubikis) and Messiaen’s Des Canyons aux étoiles with the Orchestre de Chambre Nouvelle Aquitaine (Jean-François Heisser). He has also performed under the direction of Gilbert Amy, Peter Csaba, with the Rostow Symphony orchestra (Andrei Galanov), Liège (Christian Arming), Seoul and Daejean philharmonic orchestras, as well as Teatro Colon orchestra. Among his partners: the Tokyo Sinfonietta (Yasuaki Itakura), the Ensemble Orchestral Contemporain (Daniel Kawka), Ictus, 2e2m, Accroche Note and Linea ensembles, violist Christophe Desjardins, Diotima and Tana Quartets, pianists Marie Vermeulin, Vanessa Wagner and Cédric Tiberghien…

Wilhem Latchoumia is one of the most sought-after performers: his passion for contemporary music has led him to collaborate with composers such as Pierre Boulez, Philippe Hersant, Gérard Pesson, Gilbert Amy, Pierre Jodlowski, Franck Bedrossian, Samuel Sighicelli, Michael Jarrell, Jonathan Harvey, Oscar Bianchi, Francesco Filidei, Karl Naegelen, José Manuel Lopez-Lopez, Mikel Urquiza… He has inspired and performed a new production supported by the Fondation Royaumont around John Cage’s Daughters of the lonesome Isle, which toured in France and abroad. He loves taking part in choreographic projects; the next one will be Achterland, a production by Rosas / Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker.

“Extase Maxima”, Wilhem Latchoumia’s CD released in 2014, was recorded during a long tour supported by Palazzetto Bru Zane. Devoted to Wagner and his transcribers, it has launched his collaboration with French label La Dolce Volta. Awarded by a Choc (“Classica”) and a Maestro (“Pianiste”), this CD followed two critically-acclaimed recordings: “Piano and Electronic Sounds” (Sisyphe) rewarded by a Choc (“Monde de la Musique”) and “Impressoes” (Sony BMG / RCA), dedicated to Villa-Lobos (a.o.) that won a Choc as well, a Diapason d’or and the Audio Clasica magazine « best recording » award. He joined the Diotima Quartet for a CD devoted to composer Miroslav Srnka, released by naïve in March 2016.

Wilhem Latchoumia’s latest solo recording is devoted to Manuel de Falla’s piano work (La Dolce Volta, 2016), for which he obtained 5 Diapasons, a Maestro from the magazine Pianiste and Télérama’s well-known FFFF.

Wilhem Latchoumia studied at the Conservatoire National de Musique et de Danse in Lyon (Eric Heidsieck’s and Géry Moutier’s classes) where he was awarded the first Prize with unanimous jury congratulations. He completed his training with Géry Moutier in perfection classes. Then he studied with Claude Helffer and benefited from Yvonne Loriod-Messiaen’s and Pierre-Laurent Aimard’s master classes. He holds a bachelor’s degree in musicology and has received several prizes and awards, including the Hewlett-Packard Foundation, the 12th Montsalvatge International Piano Competition, the First prize with Special Distinction Blanche Selva, as well as five other prizes of the 2006 Orléans International Piano Competition.

“His capacity to slip between the different spaces of a music, is combined with the ability to read between the lines of a score. Thus, he delivers Crumb’s Nocturnal Fantasia with clearness that will be the privilege of Liszt’s legacy (Nuages Gris, Funérailles), and the festal flights of fancy of Villa-Lobos (Ciclo Brasileiro)”

Pierre Gervasoni | Le Monde (August 23, 2007)

“The summit is reached with Archipel IV by André Boucourechliev. A contemporary work, reputed to be difficult but which the pianist invites us to devour like a detective novel.”

Olivier Bellamy | Le Parisien (August 19, 2007)

“We can’t resist Latchoumia’s charismatic breath, nor his poetry!”

Alain Cochard | Concertclassic (April 12, 2007)

“A brilliant young pianist: a dramatic elegance, a pallet of sounds, a supple and franc touch”

Télérama (November 2006)

Alexander Malofeev

“The latest phenomenon of the Russian piano school” (Corriere della Sera), “Alexander Malofeev manifests the piano mastery of the new millennium in itself” (Il Giornale)
Young “Russian genius” (Corriere della Sera) came to international prominence when, in 2014, he won the International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians at age thirteen. “Contrary to what could be expected of a youngster …, he demonstrated not only high technical accuracy but also an incredible maturity. Crystal clear sounds and perfect balance revealed his exceptional ability” (Amadeus).

Malofeev has quickly established himself as one of the most prominent pianists of his generation.
Alexander’s recent and appearances include a Asia tour with the Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala under Riccardo Chailly, with the Orchestra del Teatro Lirico di Cagliari under Mikhail Pletnev, concerts in the UK with Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Kirill Karabits, concerts in the Italy with RAI National Symphony Orchestra и Fabio Luis, performances in Tonhalle Zurich, Conservatorio “Giuseppe Verdi” di Milano, Kleinhans Music Hall (Buffalo, USA), Teatro Petruzzelli (Italy) and Celebrity Series of Boston (USA).
Maestro Riccardo Chailly said about the pianist: “I first heard Malofeev when Valery Gergiev performed with him at the Teatro alla Scala three years ago. He was only 14, and he amazed me with his talent. Because that is not just a child prodigy: he is very young, but already possesses depth and technical abilities, and also musical and mnemonic, which makes him an excellent interpreter of the 3rd Concert of Rachmaninov, which is a problem for many pianists in the world.” (Corriere della Sera, October 2019).

Alexander was born in Moscow in October 2001. The pianist graduated from the Gnessin Moscow Special School of Music in the class of Elena Berezkina. In 2019, Alexander entered the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory. He studied under Professor Sergei Dorensky in 2019-2020. Since 2020, Alexander has been studying with Professor Pavel Nersessian.
Alexander Malofeev performs with the world’s best known orchestras, such as the Philadelphia Orchestra, Orchestra of the National Academy of Santa Cecilia, Lucerne Festival Orchestra, Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala, RAI National Symphony Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra, Russian National Orchestra, State Chamber Orchestra “Moscow Virtuosi”, Tatarstan National Symphony Orchestra, Baltic Sea Philharmonic orchestra, National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia, Orchestre National de Lille and the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra.

Alexander gives concerts in Amsterdam in Concertgebouw, where he opened the 30th anniversary concert of the renowned Meester Pianists series, Teatro alla Scala (Milan), Kurhaus Wiesbaden (Germany), Munich Herkulessaal (Germany), Philharmonie de Paris, Theater of the Champs-Elysees (France), Kurhaus Wiesbaden (Germany), Auditorium Parco della Musica in Roma, Queensland Performing Arts Centre (Australia), Tokyo Bunka Kaikan, Shanghai Oriental Art Center, National Centre for the Performing Arts (China), Kleinhans Music Hall (Buffalo, USA) , Mariinsky Theatre and Great Hall of Moscow Conservatory.

Alexander Malofeev regularly appears with the most distinguished conductors on a stage today, including Riccardo Chailly, Mikhail Pletnev, Myung-Whun Chung, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, JoAnn Falletta, Susanna Mälkki, Lionel Bringuier, Alondra de la Parra, Marcelo Lehninger, Valery Gergiev, Finnegan Downie Dear, Juraj Valcuha, Kazuki Yamada, Gábor Takács-Nagy, Kristjan Jarvi, Kirill Karabits, Vladimir Spivakov, Alexander Sladkovsky, Vladimir Fedoseyev, Vasily Petrenko and others.
Malofeev is a guest of world famous music festivals such as International de Piano de La Roque d’Anthéron Festival, La Folle Journée de Nantes and Chopin Festival in France, Rheingau Music Festival (Germany), Merano Music Festival (Italy), Denis Matsuev’s «Crescendo» Festival, Valery Gergiev’s «Mikkeli Music Festival» (Finland) , Mariinsky International Piano Festival (St. Petersburg), Master Pianist Series (Amsterdam), «Stars on Baikal» International Music Festival, International Winter Festival «Arts Square» directed by Yuri Temirkanov (St. Petersburg), Palermo Classica Festival in Italy, Zaubersee Festival in Switzerland, Eilat Chamber Music Festival in Israel, International Piano Festival of Brescia and Bergamo in Italy, International Piano Series in Switzerland, Celebrity Series of Boston in USA and Stars of the White Nights Festival in Russia.

In addition to his 1st prize at the Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians, he has won numerous awards and prizes at international competitions and festivals, including the Grand Prix of the I International Competition for Young Pianists Grand Piano Competition, the Premio Giovane Talento Musicale dell’anno 2017 and Best Young Musician of 2017. Also in 2017, Alexander became the first Young Yamaha Artist. In 2019, he received a second prize at the I China International Music Competition.

In the spring of 2020, the Sony Classical Label released the “Tchaikovsky 2020” box-set on the 180th anniversary of P. Tchaikovsky with the record of Tchaikovsky 1st Concerto performed by Alexander Malofeev with the Tatarstan National Symphony Orchestra and Alexander Sladkovsky.

This season sees Alexander performs with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and New World Symphony under baton of Michael Tilson Thomas, with the Korean Symphony Orchestra and Finnegan Downie Dear, Pasadena Symphony Orchestra and Rebecca Tong, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and JoAnn Falletta, Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg and Lionel Bringuier, Russian National Orchestra and Vladimir Spivakov.
He performs concerts at Tanglewood Music Center in USA, Orpheum Theater in Canada, Seoul Arts Center and Lotte Concert Hall in Seoul, Royal Opera House Muscat in Oman, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Teatro Malibran in Venice, Grand Auditorium Philharmonie Luxembourg.
Alexander Malofeev participates in international music festivals such Verbier Festival, Aspen Music Festival, Ravinia Festival, Lucens Classique Festival, Riga Jurmala Music Festival.

Iddo Bar-Shaï

Born in 1977, Israeli pianist Iddo Bar-Shai trained at the Rubin Academy of Music (Tel-Aviv University) with Bracha Ornan-Margalit and then with Pnina Salzman – a former student of Alfred Cortot at the Ecole Normale de Musique and First Prize in the class of Magda Tagliaferro at the Conservatoire de Paris. He also benefited from the teaching of Alexis Weissenberg. Fellow of the America-Israel Cultural Foundation (1988-1999), he has been the winner of numerous national and international competitions.

He is now pursuing his international career in Europe, Asia, Brazil and the United States, in particular on the prestigious stages of the Wigmore Hall (London), the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées (Paris), the Opera City Hall (Tokyo), Beijing Zhongshan Hall and Fredric R. Mann Auditorium (Tel Aviv).

Partner in chamber music of the Ysaÿe, Aviv, Ebène, Modigliani or American String Quartets, he has been playing with orchestra since the age of twelve, among others with the English Chamber Orchestra, the Philharmonic Orchestra, Israel, the Lille National Orchestra, the Paris Chamber Orchestra, under the direction of Aldo Ceccato, Eliahu Inbal, Sir Lawrence Foster, Jesus Lopez-Cobos, Kaspar Zehnder, Günter Pichler …

Invited by Martha Argerich as part of the Martha Argerich Project in Lugano, Iddo Bar-Shai has been playing every year at the Roque d’Anthéron Festival since 2004. He participated in the Festival and the Verbier Academy, on the Steans Institute program. of the Ravinia Festival (USA), the Meslay Barn Festival, the Menton Festival, the Radio France Music Festival in Montpellier, the international chamber music festival in Jerusalem (in Berlin and Jerusalem) as well as than at the Festival de la Folle Journée in Nantes, Lisbon, Tokyo, Warsaw and Rio de Janeiro.

Iddo Bar-Shaï was selected by “Dominicans of Haute-Alsace” as artist-in-residence during the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons. In this context, he collaborated with the ombromane Philippe Beau to the project “The Wandering Shadows” with keyboard works by François Couperin. This show has been acclaimed by the press and a world tour is planned.

This season is marked by a collaboration with the famous pianist Menahem Pressler, with the performance of Mozart’s double piano concerto and a collaboration with the famous pianist Martha Argerich, with the performance of Bach’s concerto for 4 pianos as well as by chamber music concerts with Alisa Weilerstein, Vilde Frang, Anna Prohaska, Sayaka Shoji …

His concerts have been recorded and broadcast by several European, American and Israeli radio stations. Several concerts have been broadcast on the television channels Mezzo, Arte and NHK. It also appears on the DVD “The Pianos of Tomorrow” (Naïve / Ideal Audience) with the cooperation of channels ARTE and France-3.

His Haydn piano CD, released in 2006 under the Mirare label, won praise from the press. With “5 tuning forks” from Diapason magazine, it has been described as “one of the best recordings ever devoted to Haydn’s piano work” by the World of Music and, by the magazine Piano International, as “an extraordinary record; the acquisition of this CD is de rigueur for all lovers of classical repertoire “and also” This superb recital announces the arrival of a talented pianist who joins his elders, Curzon and Larrocha in Andante, Brendel and Gould for sonatas “by Classica Répertoire. This CD has also been selected and awarded by numerous magazines and radio stations, notably by the magazine International Piano, which has chosen it among the three CDs to receive the “rising star prize for a first recording” as part of the Prize International Piano Festival 2006. In December 2008 his last Chopin mazurkas CD was released by Mirare. He has received unanimous praise in the world with the highest ratings from prestigious newspapers such as Le Figaro and Fonoforum in Germany and has been described as a “magnificent achievement; and confirmation of a new great talent for the current keyboard “(online magazine Classic-news) and” A singular and major record “(Le Devoir). His latest CD released in 2013, entirely devoted to François Couperin’s works, was judged as “a Couperin record as fascinating as the Goldberg Variations by Glenn Gould.”

Opus HD magazine, and “a record that attracts, demonstrating that Couperin’s works are as viable on modern piano, and where Bar Shai does a splendid job. You can not go wrong with such an interpretation, finely nuanced and expressive. Fanfare magazine.

Rafal Blechacz

After thirteen years since the victory in the 15th International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw in 2005 he has achieved a position of the truly world-famous artist. His outstanding talent has been appreciated by the audiences of Europe, America, Asia, by music critics, great conductors and famous symphony orchestras, record producers, managers and artistic agencies organizing concerts in the most famous concert halls and in the largest music centres.
Last ten years of Rafał Blechacz’s career was filled with the solo recitals as well as concerts performed with the symphony orchestras. First of all however, it was time of intensive work on expanding his repertoire. Winning the Grand Prix, the Gold Medal and all of the other awards possible, namely for the best performance of mazurkas, polonaise, concerto, sonata (the latter founded by Krystian Zimerman) and also the audience award he unquestionably has been recognized as his generation’s greatest performer of Chopin’s works.
In such a role the international audiences wanted to hear and know him better as he never lets them down being able to win people over and gain their affection and appreciation. To meet these demands the young artist embarks on numerous and often long artistic tours. After all, the title of the Chopin Piano Competition Winner carries the meaning and importance. Everyone everywhere would like to listen to him and experience a talent of someone who amidst tough rivalry before distinguished jury proved to be the best one. One can only mention here that the young Polish pianist was definitely head and shoulders above the large and strong – as it is always the case in Warsaw – group of competitors. To emphasize his superiority the jury has not awarded the second prize but only the third and subsequent ones.
The aforementioned artist’s intensive work on developing his repertoire refers of course to Chopin but it is hard to imagine that the pianist of such a rank would not perform works by other composers. Therefore his repertoire is being continuously enlarged with works by Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Liszt, Brahms, Debussy and Szymanowski. From among them the programs of the artist’s albums recorded and released by Deutsche Grammophon (currently five) have been selected.
The American Gilmore Artist Award, sometimes called ”the Piano Nobel,” bestowed on Rafal Blechacz in January 2014, is a strong and meaningful acknowledgment that summarizes well the last decade of his artistic activity.

Rafał Blechacz was born in 1985 in Nakło nad Notecią. He started playing piano at the age of five. He studied in the Artur Rubinstein State Primary School of Music in Bydgoszcz under the supervision of Professor Jacek Polański. In 2007 he completed the piano studies in the Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz in class of Professor Katarzyna Popowa-Zydroń. Still a student, he received many awards and honours such as the 1st Prize and Grand Prix in the 13th Johann Sebastian Bach National Competition in Gorzów Wielkopolski (1996), the 2nd Prize in the 5th Artur Rubinstein International Competition for Young Pianists in Bydgoszcz (2002), the victory in the 5th International Piano Competition in Hamamatsu, Japan (2003).
As the winner of the Grand Prix of the 15th Chopin Piano Competition he started concertizing in the most prestigious venues such as Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Musikverein in Vienna, Berliner Philharmonie, Alte Oper in Frankfurt, Herkulessaal in Munich, Salle Pleyel in Paris, the Royal Festival Hall as well as the Wigmore Hall in London, Tonhalle in Zurich, La Scala in Milan, among others. He is being invited to the best music festivals such as Salzburg, Verbier in Switzerland, La Roque-d’Anthéron (France), Klavier-Festival Ruhr in Germany as well as The Gilmore Festival in the USA. He plays with numerous symphony orchestras, cooperating with outstanding conductors like Charles Dutoit, Valery Gergiev, Daniel Harding, Pavo Järvi, Fabio Luisi, Kent Nagono, Andris Nelsons, Victor Pablo Perez, Trevor Pinnock, Mikhail Pletnev, Jerzy Semkow, Antoni Wit and Dawid Zinman. In 2006 he signed an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon, the German record company. He is the second in history, after Krystian Zimerman, Polish pianist signed up by this prestigious label.
Rafal Blechacz’s first album with Fryderyk Chopin’s Preludes appeared in 2007. In Poland it obtained the platinum status just in the second week of sale. It has been honoured with many awards, among others by German Echo Klassik and French Diapason d’Or. The next album, this time with sonatas of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, was released one year later and again it was received very well. After the success of the two first albums the artist celebrated the Chopin’s Year of 2010 with the recording of both Chopin’s Piano Concerts conducted by Jerzy Semkow and legendary Concertgebouw Orchestra, proclaimed in 2009 by the British magazine Gramophone the best orchestra of the world. This time the already third album of Rafał Blechacz was honoured with Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik, the prestigious award of critics from Germany, Austria and Switzerland. In Poland it obtained the double platinum status in the short period of time. The next recording with works by Debussy and Szymanowski, due to a thoughtful selection of the repertoire, as well as masterful performance, gained significant publicity and recognition among the international music critics. In 2012 the Deutsche Phono Akademie awarded Blechacz the Echo Klassik prize in category of the Best Solo Album of the Year (19th and 20th century). Furthermore, this same recording was honoured as the Album of the Month by the British magazine Gramophone. It was also recognized with the Polish phonographic Fryderyk Award as the best classical music album of 2013. In the fall of 2013 Rafał Blechacz returned to Chopin’s repertoire recording his seven grand polonaises. This album obtained the gold record status on the first day of sale. Soon after, it was honoured with Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik as the best album in the category Piano music (2013).
In July 2010 Rafał Blechacz received the Premio Internazionale Accademia Musicale Chigiana (Siena) award for his overall artistic achievements bestowed on him by the international jury of music critics. In January 2014 in New York he was pronounced the winner of The Gilmore 2014 award, highly valued in the piano world, conferred every four years on the most outstanding artist to provide financial support for advancing his/her artistic career.
On February 24, 2015 in Warsaw during the concert in the Warsaw Philharmonic Rafal Blechacz received the President of the Republic of Poland’s medal Cavalier’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta awarded during the concert at the National Philharmonic.

In February 2017 was released his album with works by Johann Sebastian Bach ‘ . . [a] superb Bach collection mostly of well known works including the “Italian Concerto” and the Hess arrangement of “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring”. Exquisite, crystalline pianism, and impeccable performances. This is an outstanding addition to Blechacz’s discography’ – Robert E. Benson, Classicalcdreview.com / 01. March 2017

François Dumont

Born in Lyon, France pianist François Dumont’s international career was launched by his prize-winning successes at the Chopin, Queen Elisabeth, Clara Haskil, and Monte Carlo Piano Masters competitions. At the age of fourteen, he entered the Paris Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique and studied with Bruno Rigutto. He subsequently studied at the prestigious International Piano Academy Lake Como with artists such as Dmitri Bashkirov, Leon Fleisher, William Grant Naboré, Murray Perahia, Menahem Pressler, and Andreas Staier. He studied as a Theo Lieven Scholar in the Lugano Conservatory.

Mr. Dumont has appeared as soloist with orchestras around the world such as the Mariinsky Theater Orchestra, Warsaw National Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Tokyo Symphony, Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, Orchestre National d’Ile de France, Orchestre National de Lyon, Orchestre National de Lille, Orchestre National de Lorraine, the Orquesta Nacional de Colombia, and the Wuhan Philharmonic with conductors such as Christoph Altstaedt, Arie van Beek, Philippe Bender, Grant Llewellyn, Jesùs Lopez-Cobos, David Reiland, François-Xavier Roth, Stefan Sanderling, Alexander Sladkovsky, Leonard Slatkin, Ransom Wilson, and Antoni Wit. He also regularly appears at festivals such as Festival International de la Roque d’Anthéron, the ‘Piano aux Jacobins’ Festival in Toulouse, Chopin Festival in Nohant, Radio-France Montpellier Festival, Chopin à Paris Bagatelle Festival, “Chopin and his Europe” Festival in Warsaw, Nuits du Suquet in Cannes, Journées Ravel in Montfort l’Amaury, Round Top Festival, and the Ljubljana Festival.

During the 2018-19 season, Francois Dumont toured Italy with Les Siècles Orchestra conducted by François-Xavier Roth, performing both the Franck and Ravel concertos. He made his debut at the Paris Philharmonie in February 2019 performing Schumann Piano Concerto with the Orchestre Pasdeloup and Christoph Altstaedt, conducting. He also toured cities in France with the Orchestre des Pays de Savoie performing Mozart Piano Concerto No. 9 “Jeunehomme.” Other concerts during the season took him to Taiwan, Luxembourg, Ireland, Belgium and Russia.

François Dumont’ discography includes the complete Mozart Sonatas (for Anima Records) and a Chopin album (for Artalinna) both of which received the “Maestro” award from the French magazine Pianiste. Other solo recordings include a Wagner/Liszt program (Piano Classics) as well as a live double CD that includes all his performances from the Chopin Competition, released by the National Chopin Institute in Warsaw. His recording of the complete piano music of Maurice Ravel (Piano Classics) has received critical acclaim. Two volumes of keyboard works by J.S. Bach called “Looking for B.A.C.H” on the Artalinna label were released in 2015 and 2017, respectively of which the French critic Jacques Drillon wrote “coherence, dignity, richness of affects. One thinks of Edwin Fisher.” His recording of Mozart Concerti K. 271 and K.466 with the Orchestre Symphonique de Bretagne have been praised for their “clarity of elocution”, their “ideal sense of equilibrium” and “delightful classicism”. His collaboration with the Orchestre Symphonique de Bretagne continued with live recordings of Mozart Concerti K.453 and K.488 which he conducted from the keyboard. His latest album, the complete Chopin Nocturnes, was praised by the BBC Music Magazine for his “singing tone” and the International Piano Magazine considers it “a stunning new version that sets him apart”, while the American magazine Fanfare wrote “There are few recent recordings to compare with this one.”

Leonard Slatkin chose Mr. Dumont as the soloist to record a CD of the two Ravel Piano Concerti with the Orchestre National de Lyon, which will be released on the Naxos label in September 2019.

Chamber music is an important part of Mr. Dumont’s musical life and performances. He frequently collaborates with musical partners such as Tabea Zimmerman; Augustin Dumay; Henri Demarquette; Xavier Philipps; the Prazak, Sine Nomine, Talich, Zemlinsky, Voce and Debussy Quartets. He is also a member of the Trio Élégiaque with Virginie Constant and Philippe Aïche, with whom he recorded the complete Beethoven and Schubert Trios.

The 2019-20 season takes him to South America, China, Japan, Poland, Ukraine, Switzerland and Spain, besides recital tours in France.

Critics

Dumont, capace di dominare la materia sonora. Davvero degna di nota la presa del suono. Dinamica precisa, dotata di una sua naturalezza e debita velocità […]

Andrea Bedetti, Music Voce***** 2018

With bell-like melodic lines, Dumont elicits a singing tone from the piano. Emotions are to the fore, without the undue histrionics of many Chopin performances.
(OC) ★★★★ BBC Music Magazine, 2018

[…] the rising French pianist François Dumont with a stunning new version […] a clarity, momentum and coherence that immediately grab the ear. His controlled pianissimos imbue the melodies with tender sweetness.

Michael Johnson, International Piano **** 2018

François Dumont’s first issued recordings included a complete set of Mozart sonatas, certainly an unusual opening set. He has been honored in some of the most prestigious piano competitions. I was amused that he was also awarded the “Prix de la Révélation” from a group of French critics. I am not sure what other revelations he is credited with, but he is a wonderful Chopin player, graceful and coherent, expressive and at the same time rhythmically secure. It’s a matter not of avoiding rubato or other expressive gestures, but of making them fit the whole. I just heard the Nocturne in A♭, op. 32/2, and note the beautifully rounded ending of the work, pause and all. He plays the Nocturne, op. 48/1, with the utmost sobriety: It’s a dark-toned work and Dumont renders its particular drama, with its occasional near explosiveness and tenderness, remarkably. His performance of the posthumous Nocturne in C♯ Minor begins in almost otherworldly fashion: There are few recent recordings to compare with this one. He also plays the more forthright Nocturne in C Minor, also posthumous, equally is clearly and warmly recorded.

Fanfare 2018

Duo Jatekok

Leading an international career as a piano duo, the Jatekok have been performing on the most prestigious stages for over ten years.
They are one of the most dynamic duos of their generation, regularly called upon for ever more innovative and daring projects, like the opening-act for the metal band Rammstein.
A collaboration that started in 2017 and that will lead the woman duo to release an original and crossover album ” Jatekok plays Rammstein ” for Universal music.
Since their 1st album “Danses” released by the label Mirare which offers a colorful and expressive musical mix, they like to take up challenges and build bridges between different musical domains.
Their second album “Les Boys” released by the label Alpha Classics on the theme of jazz, offers a modern program, originated in a meeting with pianist Baptiste Trotignon.
The Jatekok have an undeniably lively presence that fill their audience with enthusiasm, and their open-mindedness seduces many artists from different fields.
They regularly play with the greatest orchestras such as the BBC Scottish Orchestra, the Belgium National Orchestra, the Chamber Orchestra of Geneva, the Guatemalan Symphony Orchestra, and have recorded their 3rd album “Carnaval” with the National Orchestra of Lille and famous comedian Alex Vizorek.

Naïri Badal and Adélaïde Panaget have conquered an audience that recognizes their sincerity, their complicity and their talent.

Till Fellner

Austrian pianist Till Fellner’s international career was launched in 1993 when he won First Prize at the renowned Clara Haskil Competition in Vevey, Switzerland. Over a period of more than two
decades, he has become a sought-after guest with many of the world’s most important orchestras and at the major music centres of Europe, USA and Japan, as well as numerous festivals.

During the 2017-18 season Till Fellner will debut with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Christoph Eschenbach. Other highlights will include concerts with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Le Concert Olympique, Mozarteumorchester Salzburg, and Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra.
Last season Till Fellner amongst others performed with the Symphony Orchestras from Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Montreal, Vienna, with the Deutsches Sinfonie-Orchester Berlin, and the Philharmonia Orchestra London.

Till Fellner has collaborated with Claudio Abbado, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Herbert Blomstedt, Semyon Bychkov, Christoph von Dohnányi, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Sir Charles Mackerras, Kurt Masur, Kent Nagano, Jonathan Nott, Kirill Petrenko, Claudius Traunfellner, and Hans Zender, among many others.

In the field of chamber music Till Fellner regularly collaborates with British tenor Mark Padmore, with whom he premiered a composition by Hans Zender in 2016 and with whom he toured Japan in February 2017. This collaboration will be continued in 2017-18 (amongst others with Lieder recitals in Vienna and Salzburg). Further he regularly performs with the Belcea Quartet.

Over the past few years he has dedicated himself to two milestones of the piano repertoire: The Well-Tempered Clavier of Johann Sebastian Bach and the 32 piano sonatas of Ludwig van Beethoven. He performed the Beethoven cycle from 2008 to 2010 in New York, Washington, Tokyo, London, Paris and Vienna. Furthermore, contemporary music is of great importance to him; he has given the world premieres of works by Kit Armstrong, Harrison Birtwistle, Thomas Larcher, Alexander Stankovski and Hans Zender. From 2017-18 onwards – and stretching over two seasons – Till Fellner will present an all Schubert cycle (four concerts in total) which will be presented at the Schubertiade Festival, in Antwerp, Tokyo and Taipei and other cities.

The ECM label, for whom Till Fellner is an exclusive recording artist, has released the First Book of the Well-Tempered Clavier and the Two & Three-Part Inventions of J. S. Bach, Beethoven’s Piano Concertos Nos. 4 & 5 with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and Kent Nagano and, most recently, a CD of chamber music by Harrison Birtwistle. In autumn 2016 Alpha Classics released the recording of the piano quintet by J. Brahms with the Belcea Quartet, this recording received the “Diapason d’Or de l’Annee”.

In his native Vienna, Till Fellner studied with Helene Sedo-Stadler before going on to study privately with Alfred Brendel, Meira Farkas, Oleg Maisenberg, and Claus-Christian Schuster.

Since autumn 2013, Till Fellner teaches at the Zurich Hochschule der Künste.

Alexandre Kantorow

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Alexandre Kantorow is the winner of the 2024 Gilmore Artist Award, the youngest pianist and the first French artist to receive this accolade. Four years ago, at the age of 22, he was the first French pianist to win the Gold Medal at the Tchaikovsky Competition, also receiving the Grand Prix, previously awarded only three times in the competition’s history. Now in demand at the highest level worldwide, he is applauded for his innate poetic charm, luminous clarity, and stunning virtuosity.

In recital, Mr. Kantorow appears at major concert halls such as the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Queen Elizabeth Hall in London and Philharmonie de Paris, and in 2023 he makes his debut at Carnegie Hall and Tokyo Opera City. He performs regularly at the most prestigious festivals around the globe, including the Ravinia Festival, Verbier Festival and BBC Proms. Chamber music is one of his great pleasures, and he performs with artists such as violinist Renaud Capuçon, violist Antoine Tamestit, cellist Gautier Capuçon, and baritone Matthias Goerne.

Highlights of Mr. Kantorow’s upcoming seasons include concerts with the Pittsburgh Symphony, Berliner Philharmoniker, Orchestre de Paris, Philharmonia, Rotterdam Philharmonic and tours with the Munich Philharmonic and Hong Kong Philharmonic orchestras amongst others, and with conductors including Manfred Honeck, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Jaap van Zweden, Francois-Xavier Roth and Klaus Mäkelä. Past highlights have included performances with the Boston Symphony, Budapest Festival and Israel Philharmonic orchestras, and with conductors such as Sir Antonio Pappano and Valery Gergiev.

Mr. Kantorow records exclusively for BIS, now part of Apple Music. All his recordings have received the highest critical acclaim internationally as well as multiple awards, including several Diapason d’Or, Victoires de la musique Classique and Trophée d’Année and in 2022 he was featured in Gramophone magazine, with a full front-page cover and Editor’s Choice.

Mr Kantorow is a laureate of the Safran Foundation and of the Banque Populaire Foundation. Born in France and of French British heritage, Mr. Kantorow studied with Pierre-Alain Volondat, Igor Lazko, Frank Braley, and Rena Shereshevskaya.

Paul Lay

“Paul Lay is the most brilliant jazz pianist of his generation.” Francis Marmande, Le Monde

IN OCTOBER 2020, PAUL LAY IS AWARDED « INSTRUMENTAL ARTIST » OF THE YEAR BY VICTOIRES DU JAZZ.
IN 2014 , PAUL LAY WON T HE PRESTIGIOUS CHARLE SCROSACAD EMY P RIZE FOR THE BEST INTERNATIONAL JAZZ ALBUM OF THE YEAR WI TH HIS ALBUM MIKADO.
IN 2016 , PAUL LAY RECEIVED THE « DJANGO REINHARDT » PRIZE FOR THE BEST FRENCH JAZZ MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR BY THE FRENCH JAZZ ACADEMY.
IN 2016 , HE WAS ALSO ELECTED BEST YOUNG FRENCH JAZZ TALENT OF THE YEAR BY A POLL OF CRITICS PRODUCED BY JAZZ MAGAZINE.

After studying at Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris, Paul Lay releases his first recording in 2010, Unveiling (with Simon Tailleu and Elie Duris) which is highly acclaimed by the critics.
He has won numerous prizes both in national and international competitions : soloist prize at the National Jazz Competition of La Defense, International Piano Jazz Competition of Moscow, Martial Solal International Piano Jazz Competition, Montreux International Piano Jazz Competition, Charles Cros Academy Prize for his second cd release Mikado and Django Reinhardt Prize by the French Jazz Academy.
Paul regularly collaborates with new people to create new and original formats. In 2015 he premieres «Billie Holiday, passionément », a video and musical performance with video maker Olivier Garouste. This performance is given in numerous venues around the globe including Paris Philharmonie, La Roque d’Anthéron Festival and French May Festival in Hong Kong among others.
Paul becomes a sought-after sideman and performs with Riccardo Del Fra, Géraldine Laurent, Eric le Lann and Ping Machine.
In 2017 his double album The Party is released (with Dre Pallemaerts and Clemens Van der Feen) as well as Alcazar Memories (with Isabel Sörling and Simon Tailleu). These very original trios enabled them to perform around the world and give more than 70 concerts.
At the end of 2018, Paul releases « Thanks a Million », a duo with Eric le Lann in a stirring tribute to Louis Armstrong. It is largely acclaimed by the press and the audience.

Regularly invited abroad, Paul Lay performs in New York, Toronto, Berlin, Warsaw. He regularly tours Germany, Russia, Peru, Mexico, Dominican Republic, China and Japan.

Paul also benefits from many sponsorship programs that make him an official representative of French jazz. He performed with Barbara Hendricks at the UNESCO International Jazz Day, during the Marseille European Capital of Culture events in 2013, for The Bridge 2017 with the Mission for the 100th anniversary of WWI. Paul also receives support of the Centre Culturel de Rencontres les Dominicains de Haute-Alsace, where he has regularly been invited as artist in residence since 2015.

Since 2018, BNP Paribas Foundation has been supporting him for his career development. After 10 years of collaboration with Laborie Jazz label and 4 releases (Unveiling 2010, Mikado 2014, The Party and Alcazar Memories 2017), Deep Rivers was released in 2020 to great critical acclaim. The trio performs about fifty concerts in 2020-2021. « Masterpiece, dazzling suite ». Le Monde; « Definitely a pianist and magician to follow… » France Inter

In June 2021, Paul released his first piano solo album with Gazebo label: “Full Solo”, dedicated to original and unique interpretations of Beethoven. The press is enthusiastic and the album reaches the top of Fnac sales in Jazz/Blues category in September 2021.

In September 2022, Paul Lay is appointed professor of jazz piano at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris.

In December 2022 Paul Lay releases his brand new opus “Blue in Green” in tribute to Bill Evans. Recorded live at La Piccola Scala in February 2022, “Blue in Green” is the first jazz album to be released on the Scala Music label, already a favorite at Fnac cd stores.

Denis Matsuev

Since his triumph in the 1998 at the 11th International Tchaikovsky Competition, Denis Matsuev has become a virtuoso in the grandest of Russian pianistic tradition and has quickly established himself as one of the most prominent pianists of his generation.

Mr. Matsuev performs with the world’s best known orchestras, such as the New York Philharmonic and Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestras, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Pittsburg Symphony Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Staatskapella Dresden, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, Orchestre de Paris, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, London Symphony, London Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony, “Philharmonia” Orchestra of London, Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Filarmonica della Scala, Orchestra of Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Vienna Symphony, Israel Philharmonic and Rotterdam Philharmonic, Oslo Symphony, National Orchestra of Belgium, Swiss Romande orchestra, Lucerne Symphony orchestra, Verbier and Budapest Festival Orchestras, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, NHK Symphony, as well as the European Chamber Orchestra. He is continually re-engaged with the legendary Russian orchestras such as the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, the Mariinsky Orchestra and the Russian National Orchestra.

Denis gives recitals in the USA in Boston, Washington and New York in Carnegie Hall (Keyboard Virtuosos series), in London in Royal Festival Hall (International Piano series), Madrid in Auditorio Nacional de Musica, Amsterdam in Concertgebouw (Master Pianists series) and Moscow (the Great Hall of Moscow Conservatory).

Denis Matsuev regularly appears with the most distinguished conductors on a stage today, including Valery Gergiev, Yuri Temirkanov, Mariss Jansons, Zubin Mehta, Ricardo Chailly, Christian Thielemann, Kurt Masur, Lorin Maazel, Paavo Jarvi, Antonio Pappano, Charles Dutoit, Alain Gilbert, Leonard Slatkin, Myung-Whun Chung, Semyon Bychkov, Iván Fischer, Adam Fisher, Gianandrea Noseda, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Manfred Honeck, James Conlon, Vladimir Spivakov, Mikhail Pletnev, Vladimir Fedoseyev, Yury Bashmet, Alexander Sladkovsky, K. Jarvi and others.

Mr. Matsuev is a frequent guest of world famous music festivals such as Verbier Festival and Lucerne Music Festival in Switzerland, BBC Proms and Edinburgh International Festival in Great Britain, Schleswig-Holstein, Rheingau, Festspielhaus Baden-Baden in Germany, Les Chorégies d’Orange and Festival de la Rogue d’Anthéron in France, Ravinia and the Hollywood Bowl in the U.S., Chopin Festival in Poland, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino and Mito Festival in Italy, Montreux Festival in Switzerland, Enescu Festival in Romania, Baltic Sea Festival in Sweden and Stars of the White Nights Festival in Russia.

For 11 consecutive years Denis Matsuev has his original series at The Great Hall of Moscow Conservatory “Denis Matsuev invites…”. Many famous orchestras, prominent conductors, outstanding soloists have taken part in it.

In 2010, in Avery Fisher Hall, the New York Philharmonic gave the orchestra’s 15,000th concert – a number unmatched by any other orchestra. Denis Matsuev was a leading soloist in this unprecedented milestone concert, which was conducted by Maestro Valery Gergiev, and was praised highly by music critics.

For many years Denis Matsuev has led numerous musical festivals and educational projects which have added to his role as a prominent public figure. Since 2004 he has organized “Stars on Baikal” in Irkutsk, Siberia (in 2009 he was awarded the title of Honorary Citizen of Irkutsk), and since 2005 he has been the artistic director of the music festival “Crescendo” (a series of events held in international cities such as Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Tel Aviv, Kaliningrad, Paris and New York). In 2010 he became the artistic director of Annecy Music Festival in Annecy, France, with the goal to bring together Russian and French music cultures. In 2012 Denis Matsuev became the artistic director of I International “Astana Piano Passion” Festival and Competition as well as the artistic director of International Festival and Competition “Sberbank DEBUT” in Kiev in 2013. In 2016 Denis Matsuev as the artistic director of the Competition and chairman of the Organizing Committee started a new competition for young pianists in Moscow – Grand Piano Competition. Additionally, Mr. Matsuev is the president of the charitable Russian foundation “New Names” that discovers and supports talented children and helps to develop music education in regions of his native Russia. More than 10000 children received monetary grants and/or opportunity to perform at the professional stage.

In 2007, RCA Red Seal released “Unknown Rachmaninoff” featuring Mr. Matsuev. The recording has received strong positive reviews praising his execution and creativity. His Carnegie Hall recital in November 2007 was recorded and released in 2009 as an album entitled “Denis Matsuev – Concert at Carnegie Hall.” The New York Times praised this performance writing “…his poetic instincts held fast in tender moments, with trills as thrillingly precise as one might ever hope to hear.”

Mariinsky Label releases include Rachmaninoff Concerto No. 3, Shostakovich Concertos No. 1, No. 2 and Schedrin’s Fifth with Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orchestra in the famed Mariinsky Concert Hall. Among many awards granted is the Five Star rating of BBC Music Magazine. Norman Lebrecht wrote: “Neither is a virtuoso vehicle and, the composer apart, there is no pianist who has stamped these works decisively as his or her own. Denis Matsuev, a Siberian who made his name in Rachmaninoff is perhaps the first to come close”.

In April 2013 Denis Matsuev presented the record (RCA Red Seal) with S. Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 and Rhapsody in Blue by G. Gershwin, accompanied by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of its music director Alan Gilbert.

In September 2013 the label LSO Live released a new disc with Denis Matsuev and LSO under baton of Valery Gergiev performing Symphonia Concertante by K. Szymanowski.

Gramophone has chosen Denis Matsuev’s recording of Tchaikovsky Concerti Nos. 1 & 2 as their recording of the month in April 2014.

“Matsuev’s Tchaikovsky No 1 is thrilling, the work’s drama excitingly to the fore – a new ‘personal benchmark’, says Jeremy Nicholas. That’s for you to decide, of course, but do hear it.” Gramophone (UK)

In 2018 Mariinsky Label released a disc with the record of two legendary piano concertos – Piano concerto #2 by S. Prokofiev and Piano concerto #2 by S. Rachmaninoff, performed by Denis Matsuev and Mariinsky Theatre orchestra under baton of Valery Gergiev.

For many years Denis Matsuev has collaborated with the Sergei Rachmaninov Foundation, established by Alexander Rachmaninov, the grandson of the composer. Mr. Matsuev was chosen by the Foundation to perform and record Rachmaninov’s unknown pieces on the composer’s own piano at the Rachmaninov house “Villa Senar” in Lucerne. Later, he became the artistic director of the Foundation. To the 145th anniversary of S. Rachmaninoff Denis Matsuev prepared the cycle of all Rachmaninoff’s piano concertos and is ready to perform this cycle during his concerts all over the world.

Denis Matsuev is a laureate of prestigious “Shostakovich’s Prize” in Music as well as the State Prize of Russian Federation in Literature and Arts. He also is a “People’s Artist of Russia.” Denis Matsuev was named Honorary Professor of the Moscow State University. He is a member of The Presidential Council for Culture and Arts, Honored Artist of Russia and was the head of The Public Council under The Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation.

In February 2014 Denis Matsuev was awarded the honour of performing at the official Closing Ceremony of the XXII Winter Olympic games in Sochi and at the same year UNESCO designated Denis Matsuev as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador.

In 2016 Denis Matsuev was announced as 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia ambassador.

Denis Matsuev was awarded with State Order of Honour.

And in 2017 he received Government of Russia Prize in the sphere of Culture for his International Music Festival in Irkutsk “Stars on the Baikal”.

As the Ambassador of FIFA World Cup Russia Denis organized the unique concert with participation of Valery Gergiev, Anna Netrebko, Placido Domingo and other stars of classical music at the Red Square in Moscow on 13th of June 2018.

This season sees Mr. Matsuev perform with New-York Philharmonic, Munich Philharmonic, Mariinsky orchestra under baton of Maestro Gergiev, Israel Philharmonic with Zubin Mehta, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and Christian Thielemann, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra under baton of Mariss Jansons, London Symphony and Chicago Symphony orchestras under baton of Gianandrea Noseda, La Scala Orchestra with Riccardo Chailly, Konzerthausorchester Berlin with Thomas Sanderling, Vienna Symphony Orchestra with Alain Altinoglu, and the London Philharmonia Orchestra with Yuri Temirkanov, Montreal Symphony Orchestra with Kent Nagano, the Orchestra of the Teatro di San Carlo with Neeme Jarvi.

He performs recitals at Carnegie Hall, Victoria Hall in Geneva, Vienna Konzerthaus, Pergola Theatre in Florence, G. Verdi Conservatory in Turin, Tonhalle in Zurich, Tonhalle in Dusseldorf, Berlin Philharmonie, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Tivoli in Copenhagen, Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Smetana Hall in Prague, Gasteig in Munich, Santa Cecilia in Rome, Conservatorio di Musica “Giuseppe Verdi” in Milan and Flagey in Brussels. He also takes part in concerts and tours with Staatskapelle Dresden as this season’s Capel-Virtuos. To celebrate the 145th anniversary of Rachmaninoff’s birth in 2018, Mr. Matsuev performs the composer’s complete piano concerto cycles across the world.

Denis Matsuev participates in international music festivals such as Gstaad Menuhin Festival, Verbier Festival, Hong Kong Arts Festival, Lucerne Festival, Montreux Festival, Stresa Festival and Bucharest Music festival.

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