Alain Lefèvre

Photo credit: Caroline Bergeron.

Alain Lefèvre, OC CQ (born July 23, 1962 in Poitiers, France) is a French Canadian pianist and composer. He is one of the Québécois pianists who have sold the greatest number of musical recordings.

In 2009, he was made a Knight of the National Order of Quebec. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2011.[1]

Hailed as a “hero” (Los Angeles Times), a “smashing” performer (Washington Post), “a pianist who breaks the mold” (International Piano) and “who stands out from the typical trends and artifices offered on the international scene” (Classica), Lefèvre has performed in over forty countries to the most prestigious venues (Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Théatre des Champs-Élysées, Théatre du Châtelet, Salle Pleyel, Teatro Colon, Palacio de Bellas Artes, Herodes Atticus Theatre, Epidaurus Theatre…) and participated to numerous international festivals (Ravinia, Saratoga, Wolf Trap, Athènes, Istanbul, Cervantino…).

His performances were many times described as “unequaled” (Westdeutsche Zeitung) and “unparalleled” (Los Angeles Times, Sacramento Bee). Saluted for his “phenomenal technique”

(The Spectator), his « sparkling playing resulting in fascinating interpretations » (Kölner Stadt Anzeiger), his “sovereign mastery” (Hamburger Abendblatt), Lefèvre has been guest soloist of great orchestras such as the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestre National de France, the Philadelphia Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, National Symphony, the China Philharmonic, the SWR, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, the Moscow Virtuosi, (…) and has collaborated with renowned conductors such as James Conlon, Charles Dutoit, Christoph Eschenbach, JoAnn Falletta, Claus Peter Flor, Lawrence Foster, Jacek Kaspszyk, Jacques Lacombe, Kent Nagano, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Vladimir Spivakov and Long Yu.

Since the beginning of his career, Lefèvre has included, commissioned and battled for the music of our time. Alexander Brott, Walter Boudreau, John Corigliano, François Dompierre, Pierre-Max Dubois, Henri Dutilleux, Alain Payette are but a few of the composers he has added to his core répertoire.  Alain Lefèvre has also championed the music of the forgotten genius, composer and pianist André Mathieu, called the “Canadian Mozart”. He was music director, composer, and pianist for the 2010 motion picture L’Enfant prodige, a film based on André Mathieu’s life, produced by Denise Robert (Cinémaginaire).

His discography covers a vast repertoire, from John Corigliano’s Piano Concerto, considered to be the reference version by BBC Music Magazine, to Chopin’s 24 Preludes, where the critic “celebrates Alain Lefèvre”, placing him alongside with the recordings of the “illustrious” Alicia de Larrocha, Ivan Moravec and Arthur Rubinstein (Fanfare).

Lefèvre has won numerous prizes, amongst them a JUNO, an Opus, ten Felix (ADISQ) and the AIB Award (London), for “International personality of the year - Radio”, saluting his radio program broadcast on ICI Musique/Radio-Canada. He is Officer to the Order of Canada, Chevalier of the National Order of Quebec, Chevalier of the Pléiade Order and Recipient of the Queen Elisabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.

Discography

Concerto for piano (KOCH International Classics), 1994, KIC-3-7250-2 H1 Alain Lefèvre, Carl St-Clair, Pacific Symphony Orchestra

Alain Lefèvre (KOCH International Classics), 1996, KIC-CD-7389 Rameau, Scarlatti, Soler (piano)

Alain Lefèvre (KOCH International Classics), 1996, KIC-3-7411-2 Brahms, Chopin (piano)

Alain Lefèvre, Gino Quilico (KOCH International Classics), 1997, KIC-CD-7412 Duparc, Fauré, Hahn, Payette (baryton, piano)

Alain Lefèvre (KOCH International Classics), 1998, KIC-3-7434-2H1 Alain Payette

Alain Lefèvre (CBC Records), 1999, MVCD 1129 Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin, Debussy, Ravel, Satie, Schubert (piano)

Alain Lefèvre (Audiogram), 1999, ADCD 10131 Champagne, Ginastera, Lefèvre, Mathieu, Rodgers & Hart, Sancan, Satie (piano)

Alain Lefèvre (piano), (Audiogram), original works by Alain Lefèvre, 2002, ADCD 10156

Concerto for piano, No. 23, k. 488, 1999, Réédition ,2002, CBC Records SMCD 5220 Alain Lefèvre, Jean-François Rivest, Orchestre Symphonique de Laval

Alain Lefèvre (Analekta), 2001, FL 2 3122 Moments musicaux, Tableaux d’une Exposition (piano)

Alain Lefèvre, (Analekta), 2002, FL 2 3179

Alain Lefèvre, Yoav Talmi, Orchestre Symphonique de Québec, (Analekta), 2003, AN 2 9814

André Mathieu (composer), Alain Lefèvre, (Analekta), 2005, AN 2 9275

Alain Lefèvre (piano), original works by Alain Lefèvre, 2006, AN 2 9276

Alain Lefèvre, Matthias Bamert, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, (Analekta), 2006, AN 2 9277

Alain Lefèvre, (Analekta), 2007, AN 2 928

Alain Lefèvre (and others), (Analekta), 2007, AN 2 8833

Alain Lefèvre piano, Diane Dufresne voice (Disques Présence), 2007, PRESCD – 7116

Alain Lefèvre (Analekta), 2008, AN 2 9279

Alain Lefèvre, George Hanson, Tucson Symphony Orchestra, (Analekta), 2008, AN 2 9281

Alain Lefèvre piano, David Lefèvre violin, (Analekta), 2009, AN 2 9282

Alain Lefèvre, David Lefèvre (violin), Paul Archibald (trumpeter), London Mozart Players (Analekta), 2009, AN 2 9283

Alain Lefèvre (piano), original works by (Analekta), 2009, AN 2 9279

André Mathieu (composer), Alain Lefèvre (piano) (Analekta), 2010, AN 2 9284-5

New release of Fandango, Ballades, Confidences Poétiques, Cadenza (1996-1999) Alain Lefèvre (piano), (Radio-Canada) 2010, SRCCD4 -2366

Alain Lefèvre (piano), David Lefèvre (violin), Quatuor Alcan (Analekta), 2011, AN 29286

Alain Lefèvre (piano), Quatuor Philippe Dunnigan (Analekta), 2011, AN 29289

Alain Lefèvre, (piano) (Analekta), 2012, AN 2 9292- 3

Alain Lefèvre, Kent Nagano, Montreal Symphony Orchestra (Analekta), 2012, AN 2 9288

Alain Lefèvre, (piano) (Analekta), 2014, AN 2 9287

Alain Lefèvre (piano), original works (Analekta), Release date 17 March 2015

Alain Lefèvre, (piano) (Analekta), 2015, AN 2 9296

Alain Lefèvre (piano), original works (Analekta), Release date, October 2016, AN 2 9297

References

  1. ↑ "Order of Canada: Alain Lefèvre". The Governor General of Canada. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
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