Frank Braley

French pianist Frank Braley is best known for his chamber collaborations with compatriots, including violinist Renaud Capuçon and cellist Gautier Capuçon. His responsive artistry and close musical partnerships give rise to richly detailed interpretations that are by turns intimate and exuberant. Born in 1968 in the southern suburbs of Paris, Braley followed a scientific path before attending the Paris Conservatoire, where he later returned as a professor. Aside from a couple of solo albums, including an idiomatic 2005 Gershwin disc, his recordings have predominantly been of chamber music. With the Capuçon brothers, these include Schubert and Ravel—Braley’s imaginative touches bring life and authority to Ravel’s Piano Trio (1914). His Beethoven recordings include the violin sonatas (with Renaud Capuçon, rec. 2009), cello sonatas (with Gautier Capuçon, rec. 2016), and an album of piano trios (with both, rec. 2019). Perhaps the highlight of Braley’s collaborative work is his 2003 album of Saint-Saëns, including one of the finest renditions of Carnival of the Animals (1886), where with his esteemed colleagues he conveys a graceful airiness and sense of fun.