With an extraordinary discography of over 25 solo albums, most of which have received major awards from the international music press, Alexandre Tharaud’s repertoire spans from Couperin, Bach, and Scarlatti to Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin, Brahms, and Rachmaninov, extending to the major French composers of the 20th century. His artistic range is further demonstrated through collaborations with theatre directors, dancers, choreographers, writers, film makers, singer-songwriters and musicians from beyond the classical world.

A highly sought-after soloist, Alexandre performs regularly with many of the world’s leading orchestras. This season, he appears with the Orchestre Symphonique de Québec and the Slovenian Philharmonic in performances of Beethoven, makes his debut with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra playing Ravel, collaborates with Angélique Kidjo at the London Jazz Festival, and embarks on a European and Asian tour with long-time musical partner Jean-Guihen Queyras, celebrating 30 years of their collaboration. The duo will also give a premiere of the Oscar Strasnoy Double Concerto with Orchestre Philharmonique du Strasbourg in the Spring, followed by further performances with PhilZuid.

As a recitalist, Alexandre is a frequent guest at the world’s most prestigious venues. Highlights of the current season include solo appearances at Wigmore Hall, Philharmonie de Paris, Musikverein Wien, Bozar Brussels, Concertgebouw Bruges, Salle Bourgie, and Opéra de Lyon, among others.

Last season, Alexandre Tharaud celebrated the 150th anniversary of Ravel’s birth with performances alongside leading ensembles including the Aurora Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Aarhus Symphony, Orchestre National de Montpellier, Beethoven Orchester Bonn, and Orchestre National de Belgique. He also made his debut with the San Francisco Symphony, performing the world premiere of Nico Muhly’s Piano Concerto. Additional concerto highlights included appearances with the Orchestre Métropolitain, George Enescu Philharmonic, Brno Philharmonic, and PhilZuid, among others. As a recitalist, he performed at Wigmore Hall, the Philharmonie de Paris, Palau de la Música Catalana, Klavier-Festival Ruhr, Salle Bourgie in Montreal, and the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, and toured extensively throughout Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Korea.

Alexandre is an exclusive recording artist with Warner Classics. His forthcoming album Pianosong, dedicated to the French chanson, is set for release later this year. Among his recent recordings is a critically acclaimed album of Ravel’s Piano Concertos with the Orchestre National de France under Louis Langrée. Over the course of his career, he has recorded an extensive and diverse repertoire, including works by Rameau, Scarlatti, Bach’s Goldberg Variations and Italian Concerto, Beethoven’s final three sonatas, Chopin’s 24 Preludes, and the complete piano works of Ravel.

In 2024, Alexandre Tharaud featured on the soundtrack of Boléro, a biopic about the creation of Maurice Ravel’s celebrated work of the same name. For the film, which stars Raphaël Personnaz as Ravel, he recorded several of the composer’s piano pieces and appeared on screen as music critic Pierre Lalo. He is also the subject of the documentary Alexandre Tharaud, Le Temps Dérobé, directed by Swiss filmmaker Raphaëlle Aellig-Régnier, and played the role of the pianist “Alexandre” in Michael Haneke’s acclaimed 2012 film Amour.

In addition to his screen appearances, Alexandre has published two books: Montrez-moi vos mains (2017), an introspective and engaging account of daily life as a pianist, and Piano Intime, co-authored with journalist Nicolas Southon.

Season 25-26 / This biography should not be edited without permission.