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

violin The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...

ist. Since late 2016 he has been teaching at the

Royal Northern College of Music The Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) is a conservatoire located in Manchester, England. It is one of four conservatoires associated with the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. In addition to being a centre of music education ...

Biography

Capuçon was born in

Chambéry Chambéry (, , ; Arpitan: ''Chambèri'') is the prefecture of the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of eastern France. The population of the commune of Chambéry was 58,917 as of 2019, while the population of the Chamb ...

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 Gérard (Georges) Poulet (born 12 August 1938) is a French classical violinist. Biography Born in Bayonne the son of conductor Gaston Poulet, Poulet started studying the violin at age five. At 11 he entered the Conservatoire de Paris in André ...

. 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 London Symphony ...

. At the same time he launched his career as a soloist and chamber musician, playing with

Nicholas Angelich Nicholas Michael Angelich (December 14, 1970 – April 18, 2022) was an American pianist. He was noted for performing internationally with ensembles from Europe and North America. Early life Angelich was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on December 1 ...

, Jérôme Ducros, Frank Braley, Hélène Grimaud,

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 Acous ...

, as well as with his younger brother Gautier, a cellist. In 1996, he founded an annual festival at La Ravoire 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 (; Eastern Catalan: �ɾʒəˈɾik born 5 June 1941) is an Argentine classical concert pianist. She is widely considered to be one of the greatest pianists of all time. Early life and education Argerich was born in Buenos A ...

, 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'' wit ...

, Paul Meyer,

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 ...

Katia and Marielle Labèque The Labèque sisters, Katia (born 11 March 1950) and Marielle (born 6 March 1952), are an internationally known French piano duo. Biography Education and first performances Katia and Marielle were both born in Bayonne, on the southwest coast o ...

. 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 along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composers rejected the term. In ...

Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wor ...

Brahms Johannes Brahms (; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped with ...

, 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 typ ...

s for violin by

Schumann Robert Schumann (; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career a ...

and

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

under the direction of

Daniel Harding Daniel John Harding (born 31 August 1975) is a British conductor. 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, Harding assembled ...

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

Stradivarius A Stradivarius is one of the violins, violas, cellos and other string instruments built by members of the Italian family Stradivari, particularly Antonio Stradivari (Latin: Antonius Stradivarius), during the 17th and 18th centuries. They are c ...

, in 2005 the Banque de Suisse Italienne BSI loaned him a Guarnerius, the "Panette" of 1737 that had belonged to

Isaac Stern Isaac Stern (July 21, 1920 – September 22, 2001) was an American violinist. Born in Poland, Stern came to the US when he was 14 months old. Stern performed both nationally and internationally, notably touring the Soviet Union and China, and ...

. 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 secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, f ...

. In 2000, he was named talent of the year by

Victoires de la musique classique The Victoires de la musique classique (; en, "Victories of Classical Music") are an annual French classical music award event founded in 1986. The awards are the classical equivalent of the popular music awards Victoires de la Musique and the Victo ...

, 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, he ...

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 An order of merit is conferred by a state, government or royal family on an individual in recognition of military or civil merit. Order of merit may also refer to: * FIFA Order of Merit, for significant contribution to association football * PDC ...

by the French government and ‘Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur’ in March 2016. He has worked with contemporary composers such as

Nicolas Bacri Nicolas Bacri (born 23 November 1961) is a French composer. He has written works that include seven symphonies, eleven string quartets, eight cantatas, two one-act operas, three piano sonatas, two cello and piano sonatas, four violin and piano s ...

(solo violin sonata, 1999),

Karol Beffa Karol Beffa, born on October 27, 1973 in Paris, is a French and Swiss composer and pianist. Biography Karol Beffa had a general education along with music studies, at the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris, consisting of history, English, phi ...

(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 ''Aufgang'' (''Ascent'') is a violin concerto written by the French composer Pascal Dusapin for Renaud Capuçon between 2008 and 2011. The violinist premièred it in 2013 in Cologne.Bruno Mantovani Bruno Mantovani (born 8 October 1974) is a French composer. He has been awarded first prizes from the Conservatoire de Paris which he joined in 1993. His work has been commissioned by the French government as well as other organizations. In Sep ...

(concerto for violin - ''Jeux d'eau'', 2012) and

Wolfgang Rihm Wolfgang Rihm (born 13 March 1952) is a German composer and academic teacher. He is musical director of the Institute of New Music and Media at the University of Music Karlsruhe and has been composer in residence at the Lucerne Festival and the Sa ...

(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 ( ar, ٱلْعُلَا '), is a city of the Medina Region in north-western Saudi Arabia. Historically located on the incense route, the city lies within the Governorate of 'Ula ( ar, مُحَافَظَة ٱلْعُلَا, Muḥāfathat A ...

, a

UNESCO World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

in northwestern

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the Ara ...

. 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 is a Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary. It is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum. It is also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday (also Holy ...

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

Notre-Dame de Paris Notre-Dame de Paris (; meaning "Our Lady of Paris"), referred to simply as Notre-Dame, is a Middle Ages#Art and architecture, medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité (an island in the Seine River), in the 4th arrondissement of Paris ...

, which was still being rebuilt after the

Notre-Dame de Paris fire On 15 April 2019, just before 18:20 CEST, a fire broke out beneath the roof of the Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris. By the time the structure fire was extinguished, the building's spire had collapsed, most of its roof had been destroyed, an ...

a year earlier. All wore protective clothing. Capuçon provided the sole musical accompaniment.

Personal life

He has been in a relationship with journalist

Laurence Ferrari Laurence Ferrari ( ; born 5 July 1966) is a French journalist, best known as a former anchor of the TF1 weekday evening news ''Le 20H''."À TF1, Laurence Ferrari va remplacer Patrick Poivre d’Arvor", ''Le Monde'', Guy DutheiLemonde.frRetrieved ...

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'' (; French for "The Parisian") is a French daily newspaper covering both international and national news, and local news of Paris and its suburbs. It is owned by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE, better known as LVMH. Histor ...

'', 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 and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wo ...

: ''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: ''Concerto pour violon L’arbre des songes''. With the

Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France The Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France is a French radio orchestra, affiliated with Radio France. The orchestra performs principally at the auditorium of the Maison de la Radio in Paris, along with several concerts at the Philharmonie de Pa ...

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 along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composers rejected the term. In ...

: ''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. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...

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

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

Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped wit ...

: ''The Trios for piano, violin and cello''. With Gautier Capuçon,

. 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 (; 9 October 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 C ...

: ''The Carnival of the Animals, Septet, Fantaisie for violin et harp''. With

, Gautier Capuçon, Paul Meyer, Esther Hoppe,

, Frank Braley, Béatrice Muthelet, David Guerrier, Janne Saksala, Florent Jodelet,

Marie-Pierre Langlamet Marie-Pierre Langlamet (born September 13, 1967) is a French harpist. Early life and career Langlamet was born in Grenoble. She studied at the Conservatory of Nice, Nice Conservatoire and began her career in her teens in the orchestra of the Opér ...

. Virgin Classics, 2004 *

: ''Quintet for piano and strings The Trout, Variations on ‘Trockne Blumen’''. With Gautier Capuçon,

, 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,

, 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 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...

: ''Concertos for violon 1 and 3, Symphonie concertante''. With Antoine Tamestit, Scottish Chamber Orchestra and

Louis Langrée Louis Langrée (born 11 January 1961) is a French conductor. He is the son of organist and theorist Alain Langrée. One of his sisters is an amateur cellist. Biography Early years Langrée studied at the Strasbourg Conservatory, but had no f ...

. 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,

, 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 sm ...

: ''Concertos for violin''. With the

Vienna Philharmonic The Vienna Philharmonic (VPO; german: Wiener Philharmoniker, links=no) 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. It ...

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 Lionel Bringuier (born 24 September 1986), Nice, is a French conductor, cellist and pianist. Bringuier is the fourth child in a family of musicians, including his brother Nicolas Bringuier, a pianist. At age 5, Bringuier began musical studies at ...

. 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

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 male classical violinists Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Knights of the Ordre national du Mérite Officiers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Erato Records artists