Alexandre Tharaud

Alexandre Tharaud is a French pianist of wide interests who has made his reputation in music ranging from the Baroque to ‘20s Parisian cabaret. Born in Paris in 1968 to an artistic family, he entered the city’s Conservatory at the age of 14. His earliest recordings were of 20th-century French masters—Chabrier, Milhaud, Poulenc—but Tharaud’s breakthrough recording came in 2001 with Rameau: Nouvelles Suites de Pièces de clavecin, 1728, which was a huge success in France and began a new trend of playing this genre of music on the piano. In 2007, Couperin: Tic Toc Choc confirmed Tharaud’s sensitivity and imagination in the French Baroque repertoire. As well as acknowledging the influence of harpsichordists Blandine Verlet and Christophe Rousset, Tharaud cites Marcelle Meyer—who also recorded Rameau on the piano in the ‘50s—as his idol. Well-received recordings of Bach, Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin, and Ravel followed, while his albums of jazz-inspired swing (Le Boeuf sur le toit, 2012) and the French singer/songwriter-indebted Barbara (2017) reveal the adventurous spirit and eclectic taste of this highly individual musician.