Claire Chevallier

Category:solist, docent, muzikant, oude muziek, repertoire
1969
Genre(s):20ste eeuw, romantiek, classicisme
Instrument(s):klavecimbel, pianoforte, piano

Biography

French pianist Claire Chevallier  is much in demand across Europe for solo recitals, chamber music and concertos. Highly acclaimed for her concerts and award winning recordings, Claire specializes in period performance particularly from the classical to the French masters of the 20th Century. Claire also brings the unique sound world of her pianos to theatre productions.

As musician-researcher, she began her own collection of French-Russian historical keyboards, which has grown in the meantime to 6 instruments covering the time span 1842-1920.

Claire combined the study of the piano at the musical academies of Nancy, Strasbourg (Hélène Boschi) and Paris (Bruno Rigutto) with her traditional studies in mathematics and physics.

She then continued her musical education at the Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles with Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden and Guy Van Waas, where she was awarded first prize in piano and chamber music. She became fascinated with the fortepiano during her studies via a master class given by Jos van Immerseel. She began to concentrate on the historical background and the evolution in the “construction” of the fortepiano, and for a number of years studied the specific characteristics and maintenance requirements (tuning, strings, etc) of the instrument completely on her own. She thus developed extensive expertise in historical keyboards as fortepiano specialist and as pianist.

In 1996, Claire Chevallier was invited by the renowned dance company Rosas to work with the Anima Eterna Brugge orchestra in presenting the music for a dance and music performance around concert arias by Mozart. This production played in all the major European venues including London’s Royal Festival Hall, La Monnaie in Brussels and the Dresden Staatsschauspiel.

Since then she has appeared regularly as soloist or chambriste in Cité de la Musique in Paris, Salle Pleyel, Opéra de Dijon, Opéra de Bordeaux, Académies musicales de Saintes, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Vredenburg Utrecht, Netwerk Oude Muziek Utrecht, Musikfestspiele Potsdam Sanssouci, Brühl Schloss Konzerte, Musikfestspiele Bremen, Salzburg Mozarteum, Kölner Fest für alte Musik, Alte Oper Frankfurt, Concentus Moraviae… In Belgium, she was invited by among others BOZAR and Kaaitheater in Brussels, Concertgebouw Bruges, MA Festival Bruges, the Festival of Flanders Ghent, AMUZ and deSingel in Antwerp…

In 2008-2009, Concertgebouw Brugge makes her ‘Friend in Music’, and from the end of 2009, she is in residence for three years by AMUZ Antwerp.

Since 2004, she has been teaching fortepiano at the Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles. She is also considered as a excellent tuner on historical keyboards.

For the 2007 and 2010 edition, she was member of the jury of the International Fortepiano Competition, organised by the MA Festival in Bruges. In 2014 she was member of the jury of the Liszt Competition Utrecht. In 2018, she is member of the jury of the First International Chopin Competition on historical instruments in Warsaw.

Her solo recordings are dedicated to Satie ( Zig-Zag Outhere 2008), Liszt
( Dolce Volta, HM 2011) and Moussorgsky ( Cyprès-records, Outhere 2016). In duo two piano’s with Jos van Immerseel, she recorded ‘ Pièces à deux pianos’
( Saint-Saëns, Poulenc, Franck, Infante), ‘Suites’ by Rachmaninoff, four-hands works by Schubert in the box ‘Schubertiade’ ( Alpha-Outhere), four-hands works by Brahms/Grieg/Dvorak ( Alpha-Outhere). As a soloist she recorded also the ‘Concerto pour ma main gauche’ by Ravel, and the ‘Concerto pour deux pianos’ by Poulenc, with Anima Eterna orchestra.

Her experience in and taste for interdisciplinary projects (dance, theatre, film) has led to various collaborations with fellow artists like Wayn Traub, Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker/ Rosas, David Claerbout, Benoît Van Innis, Josse de Pauw, Jan Decorte, Jan Lauwers/ Needcompany.
In music- theater discipline, for ‘Façade: the final days of Mata-Hari’, she collaborated with Claron Mac Fadden, soprano en Josse de Pauw, actor (production Muziektheater Transparant 2017).

Since 2013, Claire has made some research on Russian pianomusic and instruments. She plays Moussorgsky’s solo works on a Becker piano ( 1875, St Petersburg), and Tchaïkowsky chamber music with Sergei Istomin (cello).

Her last DEBUSSY solo recording was made trough the journey of her collaboration with dancer Lisbeth Gruwez/ Voetvolk. ‘Piano works Debussy’ has toured in many countries since 2020 and still continues.

Selective discography

Dvorák Grieg Brahms - Music for piano four handsDvorák Grieg Brahms - Music for piano four hands (2017)
romanticism
Jos van Immerseel, Antonín Dvořák, Claire Chevallier, Johannes Brahms, Edvard Grieg
Franz Liszt - feverFranz Liszt - fever (2011)
romanticism
Claire Chevallier
Francis PoulencFrancis Poulenc (2011)
20th century
Anima Eterna Brugge, Françis Poulenc, Jos van Immerseel, Jos van Immerseel, Claire Chevallier, Katerina Chrobokova
Satie ErikSatie Erik (2008)
20th century
Claire Chevallier, Erik Satie
Saint-Saëns / Franck / Infante / PoulencSaint-Saëns / Franck / Infante / Poulenc (2007)
20th century
Jos van Immerseel, Claire Chevallier, Camille Saint-Saëns, César Franck, Manuel Infante, Françis Poulenc
Rachmaninov, suites pour pianosRachmaninov, suites pour pianos (2006)
20th century
Jos van Immerseel, Claire Chevallier, Sergei Rachmaninov
Ravel MauriceRavel Maurice (2006)
20th century
Claire Chevallier, Anima Eterna Brugge, Gunter Carlier, Maurice Ravel, Jos van Immerseel
Schumann Robert - Liederkreis op. 25 - Lieder und Gesänge op. 107 & 142Schumann Robert - Liederkreis op. 25 - Lieder und Gesänge op. 107 & 142 (2003)
romanticism
Claire Chevallier, Jan Van Elsacker
Meesterlijk - pianoMeesterlijk - piano (2002)
classical
Robert Groslot, Eliane Rodrigues, Levente Kende, Claire Chevallier, Peter van der Koelen, Pascal Sigrist, Jozef De Beenhouwer, Ludwig Van Beethoven (...)
Anima Eterna BruggeAnima Eterna Brugge
romanticism, 20th century
Anima Eterna Brugge, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Jos van Immerseel, Franz Schubert, Jos van Immerseel, Dietrich Buxtehude, Collegium Vocale Gent, Ludwig Van Beethoven (...)

Author of

Matière et Musique - The cluny encounterMatière et Musique - The cluny encounter (2000)
classicisme, barok, oude muziek
Jos van Immerseel, Claire Chevallier

Selectieve discografie als medewerker

Dvorák Grieg Brahms - Music for piano four handsDvorák Grieg Brahms - Music for piano four hands (2017)
romanticism
Jos van Immerseel, Antonín Dvořák, Claire Chevallier, Johannes Brahms, Edvard Grieg
SchubertiadeSchubertiade (2015)
romanticism
Anima Eterna Brugge, Franz Schubert, Jos van Immerseel
Klara op cd - Wagner °1813Klara op cd - Wagner °1813 (2003)
20th century, romanticism, Baroque
Georg Philipp Telemann, Diverse uitvoerders, Joseph Jongen, Robert Schumann, Peter Knockaert, Flor Peeters