Frank Braley (born 4 February 1968) is a French classical pianist.

Biography

Born in

Corbeil-Essonnes Corbeil-Essonnes () on the River Seine is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. Although neighboring Évry is the official seat of the Arrondissement of Évry, the sub-prefecture buildin ...

, Braley began studying the piano at the age of four with his mother. At the age of ten, he gave his first concert with the Orchestre philharmonique de Radio France. He then pursued normal studies and obtained his baccalaureate at the age of seventeen. He subsequently undertook scientific studies at university before opting for music: at the age of eighteen, he joined the

Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), or the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (; CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue Jean Ja ...

where he worked with

Pascal Devoyon Pascal Devoyon (born 6 April 1953) is a French classical pianist. Biography Born in Paris, Devoyon began his studies with Blanche Bascourret de Gueraldi then with Lélia Gousseau at the Conservatoire de Paris where he won first prize in 1971. ...

Christian Ivaldi Christian Ivaldi (born 2 September 1938) is a French pianist. Ivaldi was born in Paris. He studied at the Paris Conservatory with Jacques Février and took a Premier Prix in piano performance, as well as in chamber music, counterpoint, and a ...

and

Jacques Rouvier Jacques Rouvier (born 18 January 1947 in Marseille) is a French pianist. He studied at the Paris Conservatory with Jean Hubeau, Vlado Perlemuter, Pierre Sancan and later on Jean Fassina. He won two Premiers Prix (first prizes): in piano performanc ...

. There he won first prize in piano and

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of Musical instrument, instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a Great chamber, palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music ...

. In 1991, he won the first prize and the public prize of the

Queen Elisabeth Competition The Queen Elisabeth Competition (, ) is an international competition for career-starting musicians held in City of Brussels, Brussels. The competition is named after Elisabeth of Bavaria, Queen of Belgium, Queen Elisabeth of Belgium (1876–1 ...

. From then on, his career was launched. He travels and plays all over the world under the baton of conductors such as

Charles Dutoit Charles Édouard Dutoit is a Swiss conductor. He is the principal guest conductor for the Saint Petersburg Philharmonia. In 2017, he became the 103rd recipient of the Royal Philharmonic Society Gold Medal Award. Dutoit held previous positions ...

Marek Janowski Marek Janowski (born 18 February 1939 in Warsaw) is a Polish-born German conductor. Biography Janowski grew up in Wuppertal, near Cologne, after his mother traveled there at the start of World War II to be with her parents. His father disappear ...

Armin Jordan Armin Jordan (9 April 1932 – 20 September 2006) was a Swiss conductor known for his interpretations of French music, Mozart and Wagner. Armin Jordan was born in Lucerne, Switzerland. "Mr. Jordan was a large man, with a slab of a face and a ful ...

and

Kurt Masur Kurt Masur (; 18 July 192719 December 2015) was a German Conducting, conductor. Called "one of the last old-style maestros", he directed many of the principal orchestras of his era. He had a long career as the Kapellmeister of the Leipzig Gewand ...

. He also performs as a chamber musician or in recitals with artists such as

Éric Le Sage Éric Le Sage (born 15 June 1964 in Aix-en-Provence) is a contemporary French classical pianist. Biography After he finished his studies at the Conservatoire de Paris, Le Sage went to London to improve by Maria Curcio. Éric Le Sage is best ...

Mischa Maisky Mischa Maisky (, , ; born 10 January 1948) is a Soviet-born Israeli cellist. Biography Mischa Maisky was born in 1948 in Riga and is the younger brother of organist, harpsichordist and musicologist Valery Maisky (1942–1981). He was taught by ...

Emmanuel Pahud Emmanuel Pahud (born 27 January 1970) is a Franco-Swiss flautist. He was born in Geneva, Switzerland. His father is of French and Swiss background and his mother is French. The Berlin-based flutistPatrick LamEmmanuel Pahud – The showcase behi ...

and

Maria João Pires Maria João Alexandre Barbosa Pires (; born 23 July 1944) is a Portuguese classical pianist, widely regarded as one of the leading interpreters of the repertoire of the 18th and 19th centuries. Early life and education Pires was born in Lisbon, ...

. Every year, he is the guest of major festivals including the

Festival de La Roque-d'Anthéron A festival is an event celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival constitutes ...

, Périgord Noir, , etc. He is fond of literature and loves

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

. In April 2007, Braley performed Ravel's ''

piano concerto A piano concerto, a type of concerto, is a solo composition in the classical music genre which is composed for piano accompanied by an orchestra or other large ensemble. Piano concertos are typically virtuosic showpieces which require an advance ...

'' with the

Orchestre français des jeunes The Orchestre Français des Jeunes (literal translation: ''French Youth Orchestra'', , OFJ) is the national youth orchestra of France. The OFJ is a member of the European Federation of National Youth Orchestras. History The French Ministry of ...

, under

Jean-Claude Casadesus Jean-Claude Probst (born 7 December 1935), known professionally as Jean-Claude Casadesus, is a French Conducting, conductor. Biography Casadesus was born in Paris on 7 December 1935, the son of actress Gisèle Casadesus and her husband Lucien Pa ...

's direction, at the Auditorium de Dijon,

Théâtre des Champs-Élysées The Théâtre des Champs-Élysées () is an entertainment venue standing at 15 avenue Montaigne in Paris. It is situated near Avenue des Champs-Élysées, from which it takes its name. Its eponymous main hall may seat up to 1,905 people, while th ...

in Paris, at

La Rochelle La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle'') is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime Departments of France, department. Wi ...

() and the Opéra de Vichy. Braley most often plays chamber music with

Renaud Renaud Pierre Manuel Séchan (; born 11 May 1952 in Paris), known as Renaud, is a French singer-songwriter. With twenty-six albums to his credit, selling nearly twenty million copies, he is one of France's most popular singers. Several of h ...

and

Gautier Capuçon Gautier Capuçon (born 3 September 1981) is a French cellist. He is the younger brother of violinist Renaud Capuçon. Biography Gautier Capuçon was born in Chambéry, Savoie, the youngest of three siblings. His brother is the violinist Rena ...

. A recording of Beethoven's ''Ten sonatas for violin and piano'' was issued in 2010. Since September 2011, Braley has been a professor at the Conservatoire de Paris. At the end of 2012, the

Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie The Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie () is a Belgian chamber orchestra based in Mons. History The Orchestra was founded in 1958 by the violinist Lola Bobesco and its leadership was entrusted successively to the concertmasters Philippe Hirsc ...

announced that he will succeed

Augustin Dumay Augustin Dumay (born 17 January 1949) is a French violinist and conductor from Paris. Biography Dumay was invited as a soloist to appear with Yo-Yo Ma in Paris by Herbert von Karajan. Later on, he performed Béla Bartók's ''Second Concerto'' with ...

as music director of this orchestra during the 2013–14 season. Not only does he intend to conduct keyboards in piano concerti for which he will assume the soloist part, but he will also take over much of the orchestral conducting and explore chamber music with the soloists of each pulpit during his mandate. In May–June 2013, he was a member of the jury during the entire session (from the eliminatory to the final rounds) of the Queen Elisabeth Competition at

Le Flagey The Flagey Building (; ), also known as the Radio House (; ), is a building located in Ixelles, a municipality of Brussels, Belgium, housing the Flagey cultural centre. It is located on the south-western corner of the Place Eugène Flagey/Eug ...

and the

Centre for Fine Arts, Brussels The Centre for Fine Arts (, ; , ) is a multi-purpose cultural venue in the Royal Quarter of Brussels, Belgium. It is often referred to as BOZAR (a homophone of ''Beaux-arts'') in French or by its initials PSK in Dutch. This multidisciplinary ...

. Since January 2014, Braley has been

music director A music director, musical director or director of music is a person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert ...

of the Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie. In October 2015, he was a member of the jury for the

Long-Thibaud-Crespin Competition The Long–Thibaud–Crespin Competition is an international classical music competition for pianists, violinists and singers that has been held in France since 1943. (A Jacques Thibaud Competition was held the year before in Bordeaux: Jacques ...

Discography

;1996 * Franz Schubert's ''Sonata in A major, D. 959'' - 3 ''Klavierstücke D946'' - (Harmonia mundi-serie "les nouveaux interprète" ) out of stock and not reissued. ;1998 *

Richard Strauss Richard Georg Strauss (; ; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer and conductor best known for his Tone poems (Strauss), tone poems and List of operas by Richard Strauss, operas. Considered a leading composer of the late Roman ...

's ''Pieces for piano'' Op. 3 (Harmonia Mundi) ;2002 *

Maurice Ravel Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 – 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism in music, Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composer ...

's ''Sonatas and trios'' Virgin Classics) ;2004 * Franz Schubert's ''

Trout Quintet The ''Trout Quintet'' (''Forellenquintett'') is the popular name for the Piano Quintet in A major, D. 667, by Franz Schubert. The piano quintet was composed in 1819, when he was 22 years old; it was not published, however, until 1829, a year af ...

'' with Gautier Capuçon, cellist and Renaud Capuçon,

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

Gérard Caussé Gérard Caussé (born 26 June 1948, Toulouse, France) is a French violist. He gave the first performance of the celebrated ''Ainsi la nuit'' quartet by Henri Dutilleux. The first movement of Gérard Grisey's celebrated work, ''Les Espaces Acousti ...

viola The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...

and Aloïs Posch,Aloïs Posch
on AllMusic

double bass The double bass (), also known as the upright bass, the acoustic bass, the bull fiddle, or simply the bass, is the largest and lowest-pitched string instrument, chordophone in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding rare additions ...

(Virgin Classics) ;2005 * ''Récital'', works by Schubert (Harmonia Mundi) *

George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned jazz, popular music, popular and classical music. Among his best-known works are the songs "Swan ...

, ''L’œuvre pour piano'' (Harmonia Mundi) *

Felix Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic music, Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositions inc ...

, ''

Octet Octet may refer to: Music * Octet (music), ensemble consisting of eight instruments or voices, or composition written for such an ensemble ** String octet, a piece of music written for eight string instruments *** Octet (Mendelssohn), 1825 compo ...

'' Op. 20, ''Variations concertantes in D major for cello and piano'' Op. 17, ''Song without words in D major for cello and piano'' Op. 109. and ''Album-leaf in E minor'' Op. 117, with the "Ensemble Explorations" conducted by

Roel Dieltiens Roel Dieltiens (born 1956) is a Belgian cellist and composer. Dieltiens plays both Baroque and modern cello. Dieltiens grew up in a musical family and initially studied piano. At the age of fifteen, just as he was about to give up music, his elde ...

(Harmonia Mundi) ;2007 *

Antonín Dvořák Antonín Leopold Dvořák ( ; ; 8September 18411May 1904) was a Czech composer. He frequently employed rhythms and other aspects of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia, following the Romantic-era nationalist example of his predec ...

, ''Quintet'' Op. 81, ''Bagatelles'' Op. 47, with the "Ensemble Explorations" conducted by Roel Dieltiens (Harmonia Mundi) * Schubert, ''Trios pour piano'' n°1 and 2 with Gautier Capuçon, cellist and Renaud Capuçon, violin (Virgin Classics) *

Franz Liszt Franz Liszt (22 October 1811 – 31 July 1886) was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor and teacher of the Romantic music, Romantic period. With a diverse List of compositions by Franz Liszt, body of work spanning more than six ...

, ''Sonetti di Petrarca'' No 104 and 123 and ''

La lugubre gondola ''La lugubre gondola'', a piano piece, is one of Franz Liszt's most important late works, written in 1882. History Its genesis is well documented in letters from which we know that Liszt was Richard Wagner's guest in the Palazzo Vendramin on th ...

II'',

Debussy Achille Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionism in music, Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influe ...

's ''Neuf préludes des Livres I et II'' and Gershwin's ''

Rhapsody in blue ''Rhapsody in Blue'' is a 1924 musical composition for solo piano and jazz band by George Gershwin. Commissioned by bandleader Paul Whiteman, the work combines elements of classical music with jazz-influenced effects and premiered in a concer ...

'' and ''Prélude'' n° 3, filmed at the festival de La Roque-d'Anthéron (DVD Naïve) ;2011 * Ludwig van Beethoven's sonatas for violin and piano with Renaud Capuçon. 3CD Virgin Classics, 2011 In addition, in 2012, Franck Braley appears as

Alexandre Tharaud Alexandre Tharaud (born 9 December 1968) is a French pianist. He is active on the concert stage and has released a large and diverse discography. Life and career Born in Paris, Tharaud discovered the music scene through his mother who was a danc ...

's partner on the album ''Le Bœuf sur le toît - Swinging Paris'' (Virgin), album paying tribute to the legendary tandem of pianists

Wiener Wiener (from German: "Viennese") may refer to: Food * A Vienna sausage of German origin, in German ''Wiener'', named after the capital of Austria * A hot dog, a cooked sausage, traditionally grilled or steamed and served in a sliced bun * A Po ...

- Doucet. 2013 * Arpeggione: Sonatas for piano and cellos by

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten of Aldeburgh (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, o ...

, Claude Debussy and Robert Schumann, accompanied by Gautier Capuçon as cellist (

Erato In Greek mythology, Erato (; ) is one of the Greek Muses, the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. The name would mean "desired" or "lovely", if derived from the same root as Eros, as Apollonius of Rhodes playfully sugge ...

, series Parlophone at warner music, November 2013)

References

External links

Frank Braley biography
(AllMusic)

(Le Piano Bleu)
Frank Braley
(

France Musique France Musique () is a French national public radio channel owned and operated by Radio France. It is devoted to the broadcasting of music, both live and recorded, with particular emphasis on classical music and jazz. History The channel was lau ...

)
Frank Braley
(Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie)
Frank Braley
(Orchestre philharmonique Royal de Liège)

Louis Vuitton Foundation The Louis Vuitton Foundation ( French: ''Fondation d'entreprise Louis-Vuitton''), previously Louis Vuitton Foundation for Creation (''Fondation Louis-Vuitton pour la création''), is a French art museum and cultural center sponsored by the group L ...

Frank Braley

Frank Braley - Gershwin : Rhapsody in Blue
(YouTube) {{DEFAULTSORT:Braley, Frank 21st-century French male classical pianists 21st-century French classical pianists 1968 births People from Corbeil-Essonnes Living people Conservatoire de Paris alumni Academic staff of the Conservatoire de Paris Prize-winners of the Queen Elisabeth Competition Erato Records artists