Renaud Capuçon (born 27 January 1976) is a French classical

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 ...

ist. Since late 2016 he has been teaching at the Royal Northern College of Music. He is the older brother of cellist Gautier Capuçon.

Biography

Capuçon was born in

Chambéry Chambéry (, , ; Franco-Provençal, Arpitan: ''Chambèri'') is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of the Savoie Departments of France, department in the southeastern ...

on 27 January 1976. He entered the conservatory in his native city at the age of 4, and then the Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse de Paris (CNSMDP) at the age of 14 where he studied under Gérard Poulet and Veda Reynolds.br>
Three years later he completed his studies there, winning first prize in both chamber music and violin. He then entered several international competitions and joined the European Union Youth Orchestra, and then the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra as first violin under the direction of

Claudio Abbado Claudio Abbado (; 26 June 1933 – 20 January 2014) was an Italian conductor who was one of the leading conductors of his generation. He served as music director of the La Scala opera house in Milan, principal conductor of the Berlin Philharm ...

. At the same time he launched his career as a soloist and chamber musician, playing with Nicholas Angelich, Jérôme Ducros, Frank Braley,

Hélène Grimaud Hélène Rose Paule Grimaud (born 7 November 1969) is a French classical pianist and the founder of the Wolf Conservation Center in South Salem, New York. Early life and education Grimaud was born in Aix-en-Provence, France, the daughter of te ...

, Gérard Caussé, as well as with his younger brother Gautier, a cellist. In 1996, he founded an annual festival at

La Ravoire La Ravoire (; Arpitan: ''La Rovouère'' or ''La Ravouère'') is a commune in the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Southeastern France. It is part of Grand Chambéry. Population Twin towns * Teningen, Germany, since 19 ...

near Chambéry, the Rencontres artistiques de Bel-Air, which ended in 2010. It welcomed the most important chamber players including Jean-Pierre Wallez,

Michel Dalberto Michel Dalberto (born 2 June 1955) is a French concert pianist. Biography Dalberto was born in Paris into a non-musical family. He began studying the piano at the age of three and a half. When he was twelve, he was introduced to Vlado Perlemuter ...

Martha Argerich Martha Argerich (; ; born 5 June 1941) is an Argentine classical concert pianist. Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argerich gave her debut concert at the age of eight before receiving further piano training in Europe. At an early age, she won sev ...

, Stephen Kovacevich,

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 ...

, Gérard Caussé, Paul Meyer, Emmanuel Pahud, Katia and Marielle Labèque. In 2013 he began directing an Easter festival in Aix-en-Provence.Rencontre: Renaud Capuçon. '' Diapason'' No.652, December 2016, p38-41. He has recorded chamber works of

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 ...

Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; ; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical period (music), Classical and early Romantic music, Romantic eras. Despite his short life, Schubert left behind a List of compositions ...

, Brahms, as well

concerto A concerto (; plural ''concertos'', or ''concerti'' from the Italian plural) is, from the late Baroque era, mostly understood as an instrumental composition, written for one or more soloists accompanied by an orchestra or other ensemble. The ...

s for violin by

Schumann Robert Schumann (; ; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and music critic of the early Romantic music, Romantic era. He composed in all the main musical genres of the time, writing for solo piano, voice and piano, chamber ...

and

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 period. Mendelssohn's compositions include symphonie ...

under the direction of

Daniel Harding Daniel John Harding (born 31 August 1975) is a British conductor and airplane pilot. Biography Harding was born in Oxford. He studied trumpet at Chetham's School of Music and was a member of the National Youth Orchestra at age 13. At age 17, ...

. After playing a Vuillaume, a Guadagnini, and then a

Stradivarius A Stradivarius is one of the string instruments, such as violins, violas, cellos, and guitars, crafted by members of the Stradivari family, particularly Antonio Stradivari (Latin: Antonius Stradivarius), in Cremona, Italy, during the late 17th ...

, in 2005 the Banque de Suisse Italienne BSI loaned him a

Guarneri The Guarneri (, , ), often referred to in the Latinized form Guarnerius, is the family name of a group of distinguished luthiers from Cremona in Italy in the 17th and 18th centuries, whose standing is considered comparable to those of the Amati ...

us, the "Panette" of 1737 that had belonged to

Isaac Stern Isaac Stern (July 21, 1920 – September 22, 2001) was an American violinist. Born in Ukraine, Stern moved to the United States when he was 14 months old. Stern performed both nationally and internationally, notably touring the Soviet Union a ...

. The prizes he has won include the 1992 first in chamber music and 1993 first in violin at CNSMD de Paris, then in 1995, the prize of the Berlin

Academy of Arts An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

. In 2000, he was named talent of the year by Victoires de la musique classique, which in 2005 awarded him the title "instrumental soloist of the year". In 2006 he received the Georges Enescu violin prize from the Société des auteurs, compositeurs et éditeurs de musique. On 25 May 2009, he participated in the film '' 7.57 am-pm'' directed by Simon Lelouch, in which he performed the ''Melody of Orpheus'' by

Gluck Christoph Willibald ( Ritter von) Gluck (; ; 2 July 1714 – 15 November 1787) was a composer of Italian and French opera in the early classical period. Born in the Upper Palatinate and raised in Bohemia, both part of the Holy Roman Empire at ...

on his Guarnerius in the middle of a crowd of commuters on Line 6 of the Paris Métro, unrecognized and unremarked by the passing crowd. In June 2011, he was appointed ''Chevalier'' of the National Order of Merit by the French government and ‘Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur’ in March 2016. He has worked with contemporary composers such as Nicolas Bacri (solo violin sonata, 1999), Karol Beffa (duet for violin and cello '' Masques'', concerto for violin, string quartet '' Mosaïques''),

Pascal Dusapin Pascal Georges Dusapin (born 29 May 1955) is a French composer. His music is marked by its microtonality, tension, and energy. A pupil of Iannis Xenakis and Franco Donatoni and an admirer of Varèse, Dusapin studied at the University of Pari ...

(concerto for violin - '' Aufgang''), Bruno Mantovani (concerto for violin - ''Jeux d'eau'', 2012) and Wolfgang Rihm (concerto for violin - ''Gedicht des Malers'', 2015). On 4 January 2019, he performed a concert during “Winter at Tantora” music carnival running at

Al-'Ula al-Ula (), officially AlUla, is an ancient Arabian oasis city and governorate located in Medina Province, Saudi Arabia, northwest of the city of Medina. Situated in the Hejaz, a region that features prominently in the history of Islam as well ...

, a

UNESCO World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

in northwestern

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

. On 10 April 2020, during the coronavirus lockdown, Capuçon was one of a handful of people to take part in a

Good Friday Good Friday, also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday, or Friday of the Passion of the Lord, is a solemn Christian holy day commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary (Golgotha). It is observed during ...

service led by Michel Aupetit, Archbishop of Paris, in the Cathedral of

Notre-Dame de Paris Notre-Dame de Paris ( ; meaning "Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris"), often referred to simply as Notre-Dame, is a Medieval architecture, medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité (an island in the River Seine), in the 4th arrondissemen ...

, which was still being rebuilt after the Notre-Dame de Paris fire a year earlier. All wore protective clothing. Capuçon provided the sole musical accompaniment. In 2020, he was named

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

Artist for peace.

Personal life

He has been in a relationship with journalist Laurence Ferrari since 2008, and they married on 3 July 2009. They have a son Elliott born 8 November 2010.Laurence Ferrari a accouché d'un petit Elliott
''

Le Parisien ''Le Parisien'' (; ) is a French daily newspaper covering both international and national news, and local news of Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of ...

'', 8 November 2010 His brother is the cellist Gautier Capuçon.

Discography

Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; ; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical period (music), Classical and early Romantic music, Romantic eras. Despite his short life, Schubert left behind a List of compositions ...

: ''Grand duo, Rondo brillant, Fantaisie''. With Jérôme Ducros. CD Virgin Classics, 1999 * ''’Le Bœuf sur le toit’, French pieces for violin and orchestra by Saint-Saëns, Massenet, Ravel, Berlioz, Milhaud''. With the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie, Bremen et Daniel Harding. Virgin Classics, 2001 *

Henri Dutilleux Henri Paul Julien Dutilleux (; 22 January 1916 – 22 May 2013) was a French composer of late 20th-century classical music. Among the leading French composers of his time, his work was rooted in the Impressionistic style of Debussy and R ...

: ''Concerto pour violon L’arbre des songes''. With the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and Myung-Whun Chung. Virgin Classics, 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 ...

: ''Trio avec piano, Sonate pour violon et piano, Sonate pour violon et violoncelle, ‘Sonate posthume’''. With Gautier Capuçon, Frank Braley. Virgin Classics, 2002 * ''’Face à face’, Duos for violin and cello by Kodály, Schulhoff, Haendel, Tanguy…''. With Gautier Capuçon. Virgin Classics, 2003 *

Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

: ''Triple concerto for violin, cello and piano''. With

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 ...

, Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, Alexandre Rabinovitch. EMI Classics, 2004 *

Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (; ; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period (music), Romantic period. His music is noted for its rhythmic vitality and freer treatment of dissonance, oft ...

: ''The Trios for piano, violin and cello''. With Gautier Capuçon, Nicholas Angelich. 2CD Virgin Classics, 2004 * Felix Mendelssohn: ''Concerto for violon n°2'', Schumann: ''Concerto for violin''. AWith the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and Daniel Harding. Virgin Classics, 2004 *

Camille Saint-Saëns Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (, , 9October 183516 December 1921) was a French composer, organist, conductor and pianist of the Romantic music, Romantic era. His best-known works include Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (1863), the Piano ...

: ''The Carnival of the Animals, Septet, Fantaisie for violin et harp''. With Emmanuel Pahud, Gautier Capuçon, Paul Meyer, Esther Hoppe,

, Frank Braley, Béatrice Muthelet, David Guerrier, Janne Saksala, Florent Jodelet, Marie-Pierre Langlamet. Virgin Classics, 2004 *

: ''Quintet for piano and strings The Trout, Variations on ‘Trockne Blumen’''. With Gautier Capuçon, Gérard Caussé, Aloïs Posch, Frank Braley. CD Virgin Classics, 2004 * Johannes Brahms : ''The Sonatas for violin and piano, Scherzo from the Sonata FAE''. With Nicholas Angelich. Virgin Classics, 2005 * ''’Inventions’, Duos for violin and cello by Bach, Eisler, Karol Beffa, Bartók, Klein, Kreisle...'' With Gautier Capuçon. Virgin Classics, 2006 * Johannes Brahms: ''Double concerto for violin and cello, Quintet for clarinet and strings''. With Gautier Capuçon, Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra and Myung-Whun Chung, Paul Meyer, Capuçon Quartet. Virgin Classics, 2007 *

: ''Trios for piano, violin and cello, Sonatensatz, Notturno''. With Gautier Capuçon, Frank Braley. 2CD Virgin Classics, 2007 * Johannes Brahms: ''Quartet for piano and strings''. With Gautier Capuçon, Gérard Caussé, Nicholas Angelich. 2CD Virgin Classics, 2008 * ''’Capricio’, 21 virtuoso pieces for violin''. With Jérôme Ducros. Virgin Classics, 2008 *

and Erich Korngold: ''Concertos for violin''. With l’Orchestre Philharmonique de Rotterdam and Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Virgin Classics, 2009 *

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

: ''Concertos for violon 1 and 3, Symphonie concertante''. With Antoine Tamestit, Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Louis Langrée. Virgin Classics, 2009 * Ludwig van Beethoven: ''Sonatas for violin and piano''. With Frank Braley. 3CD Virgin Classics, 2011 *

Gabriel Fauré Gabriel Urbain Fauré (12 May 1845 – 4 November 1924) was a French composer, organist, pianist and teacher. He was one of the foremost French composers of his generation, and his musical style influenced many 20th-century composers. ...

: ''Chamber music for instruments with strings and piano''. With Gautier Capuçon, Gérard Caussé, Quatuor Ebène, Nicholas Angelich,

. 5CD Virgin Classics, 2011 * Johannes Brahms and

Alban Berg Alban Maria Johannes Berg ( ; ; 9 February 1885 – 24 December 1935) was an Austrian composer of the Second Viennese School. His compositional style combined Romantic lyricism with the twelve-tone technique. Although he left a relatively sma ...

: ''Concertos for violin''. With the

Vienna Philharmonic Vienna Philharmonic (VPO; ) is an orchestra that was founded in 1842 and is considered to be one of the finest in the world. The Vienna Philharmonic is based at the Musikverein in Vienna, Austria. Its members are selected from the orchestra of ...

and Daniel Harding. CD Virgin Classics, 2012 * Camille Saint-Saëns, Violin Concerto n°3, Renaud Capuçon, violin, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, conductor Lionel Bringuier. CD Erato 2013 * Karol Beffa: ''Le Roi qui n'aimait pas la musique''. With Edgar Moreau, Paul Meyer and Karol Beffa. Book-CD Galliamrd jeunesse, 2017 *

Béla Bartók Béla Viktor János Bartók (; ; 25 March 1881 – 26 September 1945) was a Hungarian composer, pianist and ethnomusicologist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century; he and Franz Liszt are regarded as Hunga ...

: ''Violin Concertos Nos.1 & 2''. With the

London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...

, conductor

François-Xavier Roth François-Xavier Paul Roth (born 6 November 1971) is a French conductor. Biography Roth is the son of the organist Daniel Roth—the two share the same first name. His brother Vincent is a violist. Before turning to conducting, he was a flauti ...

. CD Erato 2018

References

External links

*
"I want to be better than the day before": A conversation with Aart van der Wal, 2010
also availabl

{{DEFAULTSORT:Capucon, Renaud 1976 births Living people Conservatoire de Paris alumni People from Chambéry 21st-century French violinists 21st-century French male musicians French male classical violinists Knights of the Legion of Honour Knights of the Ordre national du Mérite Officiers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Deutsche Grammophon artists Erato Records artists EMI Classics and Virgin Classics artists