Alexandre Tharaud
About this Artist
His extraordinary discography of over 25 solo albums—most of which have received major awards from the music press—features repertoire ranging from Couperin, Bach, and Scarlatti through Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin, Brahms, and Rachmaninoff to the major 20th-century French composers. The breadth of his artistic endeavors is also reflected in collaborations with theater makers, dancers, choreographers, writers, and film makers, as well as with singer-songwriters and musicians outside the realm of classical music.
Alexandre is a sought-after soloist, appearing with many of the world’s leading orchestras. Highlights include concerto performances with Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia; National Symphony Orchestra, Taiwan; Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse; and Hong Kong Sinfonietta. Recent concerto engagements include Aurora Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, Les Violons du Roy, São Paulo State Symphony, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Royal Concertgebouworkest, Cleveland and Philadelphia orchestras, Cincinnati Symphony, London Philharmonic, and hr-Sinfonieorchester Frankfurt.
As a recitalist, Tharaud is a regular guest at the world’s most prestigious venues, including the Paris Philharmonie, Wigmore Hall, Frankfurt Alte Oper, Bayreuth, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Casa da Música Porto, Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall, and on extensive tours of Japan, China, and Korea. Alexandre continues his long collaboration with the cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras for an extensive European tour.
Following the critically acclaimed debut of Unstill Life, a collaboration with the choreographer Benjamin Millepied performed in Paris, Lyon, and Spoleto, Alexandre brings this production to Walt Disney Hall in Los Angeles. He also continues his collaboration with the singer Angélique Kidjo. This season, Alexandre is Artist in Residence at Muziekgebouw Amsterdam where, alongside recitals and chamber music, he brings a range of projects including an electronic project with the artist Para One, accompanying a silent film and a meditation on sleep entitled Dodo Tharaud.
Alexandre is an exclusive recording artist of Warner Classics. This season, the release of his highly anticipated recording of the two Ravel concertos with the Orchestre National de France and Louis Langree is timed to celebrate the composer’s birthday anniversary. October 2020 saw the release of Le Poète du Piano, gathering together some of Alexandre’s best-known recordings in one album. His discography reflects an eclectic affinity to many musical styles, with such recordings as Versailles, which pays tribute to composers associated with the courts of the French kings Louis XIV, XV and XVI; a tribute to singer-songwriter Barbara; a Brahms duo album with Jean-Guihen Queyras (a regular chamber music partner for some 20 years); and Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2. Over the course of his career, he has made critically acclaimed recordings of Rameau, Scarlatti, Bach’s Goldberg Variations and Italian Concerto, Beethoven’s three final sonatas, Chopin’s 24 Preludes, and Ravel’s complete piano works.
In 2017, Alexandre published Montrez-moi vos mains, an introspective and engaging account of his daily life as a pianist. He had previously co-authored Piano Intime with journalist Nicolas Southon. He is the subject of a film directed by Swiss film maker Raphaëlle Aellig-Régnier: Alexandre Tharaud, Le Temps Dérobé, and he appeared in the role of the pianist “Alexandre” in Michael Hanneke’s celebrated 2012 film Amour.
In 2021, Alexandre won the Instrumental Soloist of the Year award at the Victoires de la Musique Classique.