Eric Le Sage

Known especially for his sensitive and vivid interpretations of French music and of Schumann, Éric Le Sage has established a reputation for his poetic pianism as both soloist and responsive chamber partner. Born in 1964 in Aix-en-Provence, France, he made his first recordings—chamber collaborations with, among others, the flutist Emmanuel Pahud—in the early ’90s. His predilection for French chamber music was already evident, which culminated in later recordings of Fauré, including superbly idiomatic accounts of the Piano Quintets with the Quatuor Ébène (2012). Le Sage’s Poulenc, both solo piano and chamber works, has a compelling balance of insouciance and intensity, while his recordings with Les Vents Français include an outstanding Hindemith collection (Wind Sonatas, 2021). Perhaps the highlight of his playing on disc is the 2006-10 survey of the complete solo piano music and the complete chamber works with piano by Schumann, which reveals Le Sage’s supple technique and poetic phrasing in music-making that teems with interior life and energy.