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| Concerts | Recordings |
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| Recordings |
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| Couperin: Tic Toc Choc (2007) – Harmonia Mundi HMC 901956 “Precious few notable pianists working today would dare to step publicly on this territory. Alexandre Tharaud, however, sees no reason why the clock should not be turned back and François Couperin’s music played once again on the piano, as it used to be. He is quite right, as he is about assembling his own sequence of 19 mostly miniature pieces. Tharaud plays this music as if it were written for the piano, joyfully and elegantly exploring the full range of colours and employing the sustaining pedal lavishly, enhancing the beguiling, liquid textures of Les Baricades Mistérieuses. He points the way forward to a more explicitly pianistic style by ending with the beautiful La Pothouïn, by Couperin’s successor Jacques Duphly." **** |
| Stephen Pettitt, The Sunday Times, 22nd April 2007 |
| "If you doubt that a concert grand can be as sparkling as a harpsichord listen to Akexandre Tharaud and his selection of 20 Couperin jewels. Try his way with Le Carillon de Clithére and you will never want to hear a harpsichord again. Sleek presentation, clever sleeve notes and high-end sound make this the most beautifully packaged of all the collected releases here." ***Pianist’s Choice*** |
| Marius Dawn, The Pianist, June/July 2007 |
| "A stunning success and arguably Tharaud’s finest disc to date." |
| Julian Haylock, International Piano, May/June 2007 |
| "Alexandre Tharaud’s 2001 disc of Rameau keyboard works (5/02) was a refreshing demonstration that French harpsichord music can be convincingly transferred to the piano, twiddles and all, if its essential character is respected and understood. Now he attempts the seemingly tougher task of doing the same for the more delicate Couperin, and again emerges with honour. Reactions to a disc like this can only be personal, but mine are that, compared to the more “correct” but less colourful Angela Hewitt (Hyperion, 5/03, 5/04), Tharaud’s unapologetically pianistic approach not only yields highly attractive results but also gets closer to Couperin’s true spirit… Poetic wonders such as La muse plantine, Les ombres errantes and the iconic Les barricades mistérieuses are played with tender sensitivity of mind and touch, while Le carillon de Cithére is a glistening vision of a Watteauesque paradise. Elsewhere, Le tic-toc-choc and Les tours de passe-passe are enlivened by off-beat accents, Bruit de guerre thrills with its added drum part, and Muséte de taverni, multi-tracked into a work à 5 mains, rattles away like some delicious movement from L’arlésienne. Tharaud closes with a piece by Duphly, relishing its dark melancholy and, not for the first time on this disc, evoking another great keyboard poet, Robert Schumann. For me though, this is a release which successfully recognises and celebrates Couperin’s genius, and you cannot ask for much more than that." |
| Lindsay Kemp, Gramophone, June 2007 |
| Chopin - Complete Waltzes - Harmonia Mundi HMC 901927 - 2006 |
| "Tharaud’s account of op. 18 is truly imposing, there is more beautiful playing in the sorrowful A minor op. 34 no. 2 and some particulary sensitive inflections to the tempo of op. 42, which is perhaps Chopin’s finest waltz. Again there is much character to his reading of op. 64 no. 3, the middle section of op. 70 no. 1 is performed with great finesse, and there is a sensitive handling of the two right-handed voices of the outer sections of op. 70 no. 3… Tharaud delivers with great charm.." |
| Max Harrison, International Piano, July/August 2006 |
| "Aristocratic and sensuous – a young master of the keyboard delivers Chopin playing in the finest French tradition …Cool, supple and elegant, all his performances are in the beset French tradition; a fine union of sense and sensibility… All these performances suggest a fastidious musical intelligence with an immaculate technique, the music’s character and fragrance made light yet pervasive…these scrupulously modern and sensitive performances are among the finest available." |
| Bryce Morrison, Gramophone – August 2006 |
| "the work acquires a poetic depth that you’d hardly believe possible… Gorgeous sonics and perceptive booklet notes make this charismatic and elegant Chopin experience even more rewarding. Simply divine." |
| David Hurwitz, Classics Today - May 2006 |
| "A sophisticated French pianist with a penchant for harpsichord music and a determination to, in his own words, “run away from the sort of repertoire of which a new recording comes out every month”, Alexandre Tharaud seemed just the sort of musician never to come near Chopin’s waltzes, these slightly hackneyed miniatures redolent of 19th-century ballrooms. Yet his latest CD for Harmonia Mundi features all 19 of them… and with a set of variations by Spanish composer Federico Mompou to please his brainy fans… In the sleeve notes, Tharaud situates Chopin in the lineage of Bach and Couperin and the CD convincingly illustrated his point, with its luminous, transparent touch, sinewy left hand and discreet rubati… if you think it’s time for a cleaner and leaner approach, this recording may well be for you." |
| Marie Dumont, The Bulletin - June 2006 |
| Bach Italian Concertos – 2005 – Harmonia Mundi HMC 901871 |
| "Alexandre Tharaud is a remarkable pianist who has assembled a far-from-conventional program of Bach transcriptions based on Italian concertos, all of which serve to frame scintillating performances of the German composer's own Italian Concerto BWV 971. In this, the major work on the disc, Tharaud's rendition must be accounted one of the most successful available... ideally warm and lucid recorded sound ... one of the finest Baroque keyboard recitals in many years, a masterpiece of programming and execution that will deliver hours and hours of listening pleasure. You will be enchanted." |
| ClassicsToday.com - 10/10 – March 2005 |
| OBSERVER CLASSICAL CD OF THE WEEK |
| "distinguished" |
| Anthony Holden, The Observer – 15 February 2005 |
| "The Italian Concerto itself is superbly done; though the Steinway has plenty of power, Tharaud is adept at simply suggesting great strength held in reserve as he builds up the majestic structures of the piece. Very well recorded, too." |
| Calum MacDonald, Pianist – August/September 2005 |
| "performances are perfection defined."
"Simply put, Tharaud gets Bach He knows how to get all the voices working together like a Swiss watch; he draws just the right attention to just the right voice at just the right time; he ornaments a line in a way that’s never vulgar or self-conscious; and he gets a supple lyricism from the piano that’s uniquely impressive. "The Italian Concerto, the most well-known of those included here, prospers from Tharaud’s handiwork, and his light, clear, French—for lack of a better word—style. From the majestic opening chords to the sprightly finale, Tharaud’s unfailing entertaining. He lets the work unfold gracefully and doesn’t mess around with phrases or get bogged down. The middle movement practically sings as Tharaud unfurls the melody above the rocking bass line. The other concertos—the D minor, BWV974, C minor, BWV 981 and G major, BWV 973—all have similar revelations." |
| Chicago Time Out – 2005 |
| "Young French pianist Alexandre Tharaud plays piano transcriptions of Bach's keyboard transcriptions of works by Vivaldi, Marcello, and Torelli. In the tradition of Glenn Gould, Angela Hewitt, and Murray Perahia, Tharaud performs these classic pieces with warmth and sensitivity on a Steinway grand. A delightful, charming CD" |
| Frenchculture.org |
| Ravel - Complete Piano Works - Harmonia Mundi - 2003 - HMC 901811.12 |
| "this is beautifully detailed playing throughout. And a fine balance of just that clarity and colour, elegance and lyricism, that I was talking about right at the beginning. That’s why, of these three excellent new recordings, this is the one I would personally buy." |
| Edward Blakeman, CD Review – 17 January 2004 |
| "On the evidence of this newly released set, Tharaud is a major keyboard personality. Clearly, Tharaud is searching for values and manners that were lost in the internationalization of post-World War II France. The result is an adventurous, expansive, individualistic approach that yields a Gaspard de la Nuit as sexy as (but more tasteful than) Ivo Pogorelich's on DG. The resonant sound, which gives Ravel's colors needed breathing room, is a relief to those who have tired of airless, digitized piano recordings. Other Tharaud recordings indicate that while this Ravel set is his best recording so far, it's no fluke." |
| Stereophile - February 2004 |
| "His rhythmic control is pristine, his phrasing formal and stately, and he makes a goal, almost a fetish, of textural clarity, bringing out each voice and strand in Ravel's music with pitiless distinctness. |
| San Francisco Chronicle - 7 December 2003 |
| "Interpretations of extreme clarity and highest elegance, with a pearl-like sound and great refinement." |
| Diario de Sevilla - 30 November 2003 |
| "Of all recent recordings of integral works, this is certainly the only one that has something to say to us. And it is not the very short Menuet or the surprising Parade, both unedited, that would justify this undertaking if the pianist did not show such unique personality and individuality in every single moment. From the very first notes of Noctuelles, Alexandre Tharaud draws us into an incredible narrative adventure where each musical phrase unfolds its emotional weight, or its picturesque content." |
| Classica - October 2003 |
| "These shreds of polyphony, the colours, floating and merging into one another, the piano-orchestra, the tender and sensual languor in La Vallée des cloches and of the lady staged in l'Alborada del gracioso, and the tragic waves of Une Barque sur l'océan, all project this interpretation into an imaginary world from which the pianist's attention to himself is taken away… For his Tombeau de Couperin, lively and slender, Tharaud refuses again to play in a brilliant manner 'à la Saint-Saëns'. To achieve such clarity in the very depths of the keyboard is magical… With regard to Scarbo, there are phrases that echo, push away, clink against one another, only to reconstitute themselves in an eminently pearlescent way that fascinates like Arrau…" |
| Diapason - October 2003 |
| "Recording Ravel seems almost like a logical outcome of Alexandre Tharaud's recent career in CDs… It is probably his familiarity with the French tradition that explains the absolute success of this integral recording." |
| Répertoire - October 2003 |
| "Whether it is in Miroirs, in the Sonatine, or the Valses nobles et sentimentales - he always finds the right tone… Tharaud, romantic and carried away in Scarbo, is serenity itself in Le Tombeau de Couperin. In each moment the pianist proves his subtlety, and intelligence of sonority and nuances in this exemplary integral recording." |
| Le Monde de la Musique - October 2003 |
| "Ravel never wished his music to be individualised in performance. He believed it was self-sufficient and as such should simply be played as the notes appear on the page. That's all very well, and it's an instruction the French pianist Alexandre Tharaud largely abides by in this cleanly articulated two-disc set of Ravel's piano music. But gladly, too, Tharaud's performances of such popular pieces as Jeux d'eau and Gaspard de la Nuit, and intriguing inclusions of two unpublished works - the gauche Parade and miniature Menuet - are also driven by the urge to interpret. Above all there's a sense of enjoyment and energy that lights up Ravel's acute sense of texture and colour." |
| The Scotsman - 24 October 2003 |
| "Tharaud's Ravel… sounds incredibly spirited, engaged in the romantic sense, but without ever deviating from a modest quality of the noblest effect. This is a Ravel of flesh and blood, solidly crafted, profoundly characterised, and resonating with the whole oeuvre. Tharaud gives drive to the most sophisticated mechanics, and polishes the aggressive eruptions as well as the chants of imagination and sensuality. No 'impressionist' blurredness in this straightforward presentation… Nothing tingling in these nervous phrases… Schooled by Manuel Rosenthal, who was himself taught by the composer, Tharaud's Ravel touches the heart." |
| Libération - 10 October 2003 |
| "This is superb in terms of colour and elegance, of poetry and intelligence: the young French pianist is one of the real masters of tomorrow, and even today." |
| La Libre Belgique - 8 October 2003 |
| Kagel - Rrrrrrr... (1980/1), Ludwig van… (1969), et al. - 2003 - Aeon AE 0311 |
| "But there is something else, which will stop further comments and make an event of this CD : it is Alexandre Tharaud himself. A pianistic prodigy, he does not only content himself with this 'circus' appreciation. His approach of Rameau and Debussy, evoking Rameau, was widely talked about. And here, he is not contenting himself with that recognition. A lavish musician, he is aware of his time and has chosen Kagel to deliver his music to us according to his belief. I.E. a pianistic demonstration of evidence, clear with no affectation, powerful without mannerism, intelligent with no contrived intellectualism. A flux, not a flow, which pulls you in a irresistible manner - 'I will have to write this cliché which, for lack of anything better, I don't even regret'… It seems that even Kagel gains from this superb treatment." |
| Répertoire - June 2003 |
| "This programme brillantly conceived by the pianist Alexandre Tharaud shows a Kagel cleared of suspicion of systematical derision, even cynism….The atmosphere is here re-created with an exemplary faithfulness from a very cultivated timbre by each musician, to start with the host Tharaud, to a spatial reconstitution particularly well cared for….The presence of the pianist is even more rewarding in Rrrrrr….We will appreciate the beautifully shaped phrasing by Tharaud, the refined way with which he implies the presence of quotation marks where Kagel suggests them, and a sort of relentlessness which is, for the composer, a symbol of distant innocence." |
| Le Monde de la Musique - Choc - June 2003 |
| "Alexandre Tharaud and his colleagues put all their heart into this often whimsical music, and get deep under the surface of these frequently ambiguous works." |
| Music Web - May 2003 |
| Schubert - Piano Works Four Hands - With Zhu Xiao Mei - Harmonia Mundi - 2003 - HMC 901773 |
| "Alexandre Tharaud and Zhu Xiao-Mei make a refined, thoughtful partnership, phrasing sensitively, and scrupulously balancing the often rich textures." |
| The Daily Telegraph - May 2003 |
| "Their partnership from every aspect is ideal and right as far as style, gesture and sound are concerned." |
| Le Monde - February 2003 |
| "The interpretation of Alexandre Tharaud and Zhu Xiao-Mei sounds very delicate and colourful, intense and emotional… Their tempo in the Fantasy has got an ideal pace… A CD warmly recommended!" |
| Répertoire - February 2003 - 9 de Répertoire |
| "Here is a Schubert which sings and breathes, with sobriety but nonetheless distinction, with enthusiasm but with no excess, with as much simplicity as charm." |
| Diapason - February 2003 - 4 Diapason |
| "Alexandre Tharaud and Zhu Xiao-Mei show in this dream programme a remarkable sense of breathing and beat. Their playing is solid, alert, contrasted and colourful in the Divertissement à la hongroise. In the Variations in Ab Major, the clarity of ideas, the firmness and quality of the phrase is nuanced by limpidity and flexibility in the changes of atmospheres." |
| Le Monde de la Musique - February 2003 - 4* |
| "Recorded in the warm acoustic of the Lutheran church at La Villette, this disc of Schubert four-hand works is a delight. The excellent Parisian duettists ideally combine luminous melodic line and rhythmic strength-plus-flexibility. They are particularly good in the Divertissement's half-jaunty, half-driven allegretto, and they catch effortlessly the Variation's constantly ambivalent mood: now whimsical, now mysterious. They revel, too, in the rich but never crowded textures of the Fantasy, whose main theme is a classic example of Schubert annexing a model (Barbarina's little F minor song in Figaro) and making it his own. The Grand Duo and A major Rondeau next, please." |
| The Sunday Times - February 2003 - 3* |
| "Their Divertissement à la hongroise is so gently inflected that one is barely aware of any interpretational devices. The F minor Fantasie is never over-egged; its seemingly dramatic changes of mood as natural as breathtaking. Beautifully unegocentric playing." |
| The Independent on Sunday - February 2003 |
| Rameau Nouvelles Suites - Harmonia Mundi - 2001 - HMC 901754 |
| "It is new to play this music on a grand-piano. For some this comes as a shock, for some as a discovery - since this recording radiates an incredible magic as well as crystal-clear transparency." |
| Saison Klaenge - March 2003 |
| "… please more of this! For ten years he has studied Rameaus's Suites; one can almost feel how he has mused on every tiny ornament - the result of this search is simply delightful." |
| Stuttgarter Zeitung - June 2002 |
| "He is a fiery as well as a sensitive and stylish player, and he plays from inside the music and always from the heart." |
| Gramophone - May 2002 |
| "Alexandre Tharaud's recordings of the Rameau Suites of 1728 are a sensation… He delivers the rich embellishment with playful simplicity, which combined with the tonality of the grand piano achieves a maximum amount of spiciness within his hazy, easy style… Without a doubt, in his playing Tharaud unites all the beautiful things that make up delicate French piano-playing." |
| Fono Forum - May 2002 *****Performance, *****Sound |
| "The young French pianist Alexandre Tharaud has recorded Rameau on the piano and it’s fascinating: thoughtfully ornamented, pianistically intelligent readings that shine a new light on the music." |
| Andrew McGregor’s CD Review - BBC Radio 3 – January 2002 |
| "Effectively, the first merit of his recording lays in the awareness of the pianist for his piano in regards to the harpsichord… The danger, because of the opulent sound of the piano, would have been to play excessively fizzingly. But, since the first bars, we bow before an organisation of the different registers, permanently clear, which brings out the audacity of the Dijonnais composer's harmony ; the famous modulations of the Enharmonique in particular. The care/attention brought to the wide melodic lines is also beyond reproach and made possible thanks to a toucher of a great delicacy which seems to be caressing the phrases." |
| Altamusica - December 2001 |
| "As if he were a painter, Alexandre Tharaud obtains a sense of relief, matter, oppositions or fusions of colours. As if he were a magician, he fills his audience with wonder with his fluid gestures, almost invisible…Discrete, refined, coloured but with no affectation, this recording dazzles with excellence." |
| Le Monde de la Musique - Choc - November 2001 |
| "AT has consulted the harpsichordists. He remarkably integrated their model in order to avoid the anachronistic weightinesses and the reef of a restrictive imitation." |
| Diapason - 5 Diapasons - November 2001 |
| "However respectful of most of the ornamentation, subtly phrased, his interpretation is so natural that we forget that this music was not originally the native language of the pianist - nor the piano's." |
| Le Monde - November 2001 |
| "Alexandre Tharaud has recorded a disc that quashes the ‘period instrument’ argument as successfully as Glenn Gould did for Bach." |
| The Compact Collection - November 2001 |