One of France’s foremost pianists, Bertrand Chamayou has garnered international recognition for his virtuoso technique, insightful musicianship and striking originality across a vast repertoire.
He has performed at the Théâtre des Champs Elysées and the Philharmonie de Paris, the Lincoln Center New York, London’s Wigmore Hall, the Berlin Philharmonie, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and the Suntory Hall in Tokyo, among other venues, and at major festivals including Lucerne, Mostly Mozart in New York, the Edinburgh International Arts Festival, the Beethovenfest in Bonn and La Roque d’Anthéron.
As soloist, Chamayou’s recital highlights include the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Wigmore Hall, the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, as well as performing as part of the Great Performers concerts at the Lincoln Center New York, and opening the Southbank Centre’s International Piano series in London. He has undertaken several ‘marathon’ recitals of substantial bodies of work, most memorably the complete piano œuvre of Ravel, Liszt’s Etudes and Années de pèlerinage, and Messiaen’s Vingt regards sur l’enfant-Jésus.
Chamayou appears with the world’s finest orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Leipzig’s Gewandhausorchester, the London Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra, the Staatskapelle Berlin, Wiener Symphoniker, Tonhalle Orchestre Zurich, the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, and NHK Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo, among many others. He has had the privilege of sharing the stage with maestros Pierre Boulez and Sir Neville Marriner, and counts among his regular partners at the podium Semyon Bychkov, Charles Dutoit, Mikko Franck, Philippe Herreweghe, Philippe Jordan, Andris Nelsons, François-Xavier Roth, Tugan Sokhiev, Stéphane Denève and Emmanuel Krivine.
‘His musically insightful, technically flawless playing can be confused with no-one else’s.’
– International Record Review
A passionate chamber musician, he can often be heard performing with such partners as cellist Sol Gabetta, violinists Vilde Frang and Renaud Capuçon, pianist Leif Ove Andsnes and clarinetist Sabine Meyer.
Although internationally renowned for his interpretations of Romantic music, Chamayou is equally committed to 20th- and 21st-century works, having collaborated with composers including Henri Dutilleux, Pierre Boulez, Bruno Mantovani, György Kurtág, Thomas Adès and Esa-Pekka Salonen.
Bertrand Chamayou is signed to Erato as an exclusive recording artist. His critically acclaimed double album of Ravel’s complete works for piano (2016) received an ECHO Klassik award and Gramophone Editor’s Choice. His Schubert recital album (2014), also for Erato, was praised by BBC Music Magazine for ‘impressive reserves of articulation and firepower [and] his expressive touch.’ Liszt’s complete Années de pèlerinage, recorded for Naïve, received a Choc (Classica), a Diapason d’Or de l année and Best Album at the Victoires de la Musique Classique.
Bertrand Chamayou was born in Toulouse, where his musical talent was quickly noticed by pianist Jean-François Heisser, who was to become his professor at the Paris Conservatoire. He continued his training with Maria Curcio in London. He has received France’s prestigious Victoires de la Musique Classique prize on four separate occasions. In 2015, he was named Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters.
