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 20^th 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. Highlights of the 2026/27 season include a tour with Camerata Salzburg performing Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G, and appearances with Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal and Basel Sinfonietta in Thierry Pécou’s Piano Concerto. He also joins Musikkollegium Winterthur for Oscar Strasnoy’s Double Concerto alongside his long-time musical partner, cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras.

Recent seasons have seen Alexandre celebrate 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 Belgian National Orchestra. Additional concerto highlights included his debut with the San Francisco Symphony performing the world premiere of Nico Muhly’s Piano Concerto, and appearances with the Orchestre Métropolitain, George Enescu Philharmonic, Brno Philharmonic, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Slovenian Philharmonic and Orchestre Symphonique de Québec.

Following the 30th anniversary of their celebrated partnership in 2025/26, Alexandre and Jean-Guihen continue their collaboration this season with a major North American tour, including performances in San Francisco, Boston, Princeton, Toronto and New York, alongside further appearances in Strasbourg and Oviedo. Alexandre also undertakes a four-city recital tour of Japan, with performances in Nagoya, Osaka, Tokyo and Yokohama, while European highlights include appearances at the Philharmonie de Paris, Salle Molière in Lyon and the Opéra de Bordeaux. He also joins Quatuor Arod for a series of recitals with appearances at Brucknerhaus Linz and Wiener Konzerthaus.

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.

Alexandre is an exclusive recording artist with Warner Classics. His forthcoming album Mémoire, a collection of 27 works by 27 French composers spanning several centuries. Recent releases include Pianosong, his homage to the great French singers and songwriters of the 20th century, and a critically acclaimed recording 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.

Alexandre is also the author of three books. His latest, Touché, is an intimate and autobiographical reflection on his life in music. It follows Montrez-moi vos mains (2017), an introspective account of daily life as a pianist, and Piano Intime, co-authored with journalist Nicolas Southon.

Season 26-27 / This biography should not be edited without permission.