An introduction to Jean-Yves Thibaudet, the stylish French pianist who Gershwin at the 2023 BBC Proms.
Who is Jean-Yves Thibaudet?
Jean-Yves Thibaudet is a world-renowned pianist, originally from France but based today in Los Angeles, US. Though well known to many for his performances and recordings of French music, his repertoire embraces a wide range of composers, not least from his adopted home country.
How old is Jean-Yves Thibaudet?
Thibaudet was born on 7 September 1961.
And where was he born?
He was born in Lyon. His parents were keen musicians and at the age of five he entered the Conservatoire de Lyon to study the piano. He later moved north to study at the Paris Conservatoire, where his teachers included the famous concert pianist Aldo Ciccolini.
When did he make his breakthrough?
In 1981, Thibaudet won the Young Concert Artists Auditions in New York, a prestigious competition whose other famous winners include pianists Murray Perahia and Emanuel Ax, violinist Pinchas Zukerman and soprano Dawn Upshaw. This success particularly helped to boost his career in the US.
When did Thibaudet first play at the BBC Proms?
He first appeared at the BBC Proms in August 1992, playing Rachmaninov’s Third Piano Concerto with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and conductor Tadaaki Otaka. He has gone on to play at the festival on a further 14 occasions, including the Last Night of the Proms in 1998.
Does he play only classical music?
By no means. His recordings include homages to two jazz greats in Reflections on Duke, featuring the music of Duke Ellington, and Conversations with Bill Evans. He also writes his own arrangements of music not originally composed for the piano, such as can be heard on his Aria: Opera Without Words recording of 2007.
What does Jean-Yves Thibaudet wear on stage?
In 2002, Vivienne Westwood asked him if she could design an outfit for him to perform in at the BBC Proms, and the two struck up a partnership.
‘Vivienne is one of the people in my life who has really made an impression,’ he told BBC Music Magazine’s Jeremy Pound in 2010. ‘She knows that for my concerts she can’t be too crazy – so it always has a classic feel but with a twist, whether it’s in the material, in the cut or in the way she prepares it. It’s fascinating, and I feel very privileged that we work together.’
And what car does he drive?
As well as cutting a dash in his Vivienne Westwood suits, Jean-Yves Thibaudet looks equally stylish behind the wheel. His choice of motor is a McLaren 720S, complete with the numberplate PIANO JY.
Jean-Yves Thibaudet: three great recordings
Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue; Piano Concerto in F etc.
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra/Marin Alsop Decca 478 2189
From our review: ‘Clarinet and trumpet certainly set Rhapsody in Blue off in fine style... But the best is Thibaudet’s diamond-bright playing, relaxed and joyful in a way that brushes vexed questions of authenticity aside.’
Aria: Opera Without Words
Piano arrangements of arias by Saint-Saëns, Puccini, Bellini et al Decca E475 7668
From our review: ‘Thibaudet is always poetically refined and plays with delicacy and colour. He is immaculately controlled in Grainger's wonderful Ramble on the Last Love Duet from Der Rosenkavalier, while in music of greater lyrical simplicity he is suave and knowing.’
Saint-Saëns: Piano Concertos Nos 2 & 5
L’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande/Charles Dutoit Decca 475 8764
Awarded five stars in BBC Music Magazine, Thibaudet is in scintillating form – in turns brilliantly light-fingered and masterfully evocative – in this 2007 recording of the French composer’s two best-known piano concertos.
