Bio (EN)

PHILIPPE CASSARD, piano

Philippe Cassard has established an international reputation as concerto soloist, recitalist and chamber musician since giving a joint recital with Christa Ludwig in Paris in 1985. The same year he was finalist at the Clara Haskil Competition and in 1988 he won the First Prize at the Dublin International Piano Competition.

His concerto appearances include performances with the London Philharmonic, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic and BBC Wales, Orchestre National de France, Hungarian State Opera Orchestra… He has worked with many conductors including Sir Neville Marriner, Sir Jeffrey Tate, Sir Roger Norrington, Yan Pascal Tortelier, Charles Dutoit, Armin Jordan, Marek Janowski, Thomas Hengelbrock, Vladimir Fedosseiv…

His performance of the complete piano works of Debussy (four recitals in a single day) received extremely enthusiastic press and media coverage. He has presented the cycle in London Wigmore Hall, Dublin, Paris, Lisbon, Sydney, Vancouver, Singapore and Tokyo. He also visits China, Australia, South America and Canada regulary.

Philippe plays a huge repertoire of chamber music,  he appearead with such artists as Wolfgang Holzmair, Stéphanie d’Oustrac, Karine Deshayes, Donna Brown, Paul Meyer, Jörg Widmann, Matt Haimovitz, Isabelle Faust, the Ebene, Takacs, Vanbrugh, Danish, Chilingirian string quartets.

In 2012, Philippe becomes soprano Natalie Dessay’s exclusive pianist. They have performed more than 120 times in France, England (Barbican and Wigmore Hall in London), Ireland, Japan, Russia, Austria (Musikverein Vienna), Canada and USA (Carnegie Hall in New York)… The duet has recorded Debussy Songs, a French Mélodies album (Erato), and a Schubert’s Lieder programme (Sony Classical).

Philippe Cassard has been artistic director of the festival « Nuits Romantiques du Lac du Bourget » (1999-2008), and since 2005, he has presented over 700 live weekly programmes on France Musique Radio dedicated to piano interpretation (awarded Prix SCAM in 2007 as “Best radio programme”). His last CD’s releases include Beethoven’s Trios with David Grimal and Anne Gastinel (awarded Diapason d’Or and Choc de Classica), Beethoven’s Symphony n°9 in the transcription for 2 pianos by Liszt, with Cédric Pescia.