Gautier Capuçon is a true 21st century ambassador for the cello. Performing internationally with many of the world’s foremost conductors and instrumentalists, he is also founder and leader of the Classe d’Excellence de Violoncelle at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris. A multiple award winner, he is acclaimed for his expressive musicianship, exuberant virtuosity, and for the deep sonority of his 1701 Matteo Goffriller cello “L’Ambassadeur”.
Committed to exploring and expanding the cello repertoire, Capuçon performs an extensive array of works each season and regularly premieres new commissions. His current projects include collaborations with Lera Auerbach, Richard Dubugnon, Danny Elfman and Thierry Escaich.
In the 20/21 season Capuçon appears with, amongst others, the philharmonic orchestras of Czech Republic/Semyon Bychkov and Munich/Valery Gergiev; the symphony orchestras of Chicago/Osmo Vänskä and WDR/Cristian M?celaru; and Philadelphia/ Stéphane Denève, Orchestre de Paris/Jakub Hrua, NDR Hamburg/Alan Gilbert, Konzerthausorchester Berlin/Pablo Heras-Casado, Orchestre National de Lyon/Denève, and Nice Opera/Lionel Bringuier. Capuçon will tour Europe with La Scala Philharmonic/Riccardo Chailly and Germany with Russian National Orchestra/Vladimir Spivakov.
As a chamber musician, he appears on tour this season with Yuja Wang and Andreas Ottensamer; Renaud Capuçon and Frank Braley; Jérôme Ducros; Daniil Trifonov; Nikolai Lugansky; and the Hagen Quartet. Other regular recital partners include Nicholas Angelich, Martha Argerich, Daniel Barenboim, Lisa Batiashvili, Jean-Yves Thibaudet and the Artemis and Ébène quartets.
Recording exclusively for Erato (Warner Classics), Capuçon has won multiple awards and holds an extensive discography. His latest album Emotions was recorded with Jérôme Ducros and Orchestre de Chambre de Paris/Adrien Perruchon and is released in November 2020. Earlier recordings include concertos by Shostakovich (Mariinsky Orchestra/Valery Gergiev) and Saint-Saëns (Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France/Lionel Bringuier); the complete Beethoven Sonatas with Frank Braley; Schubert’s String Quintet with the Ébène Quartet; Intuition with Orchestre de Chambre de Paris /Douglas Boyd and Jérôme Ducros; an album of Schumann works, recorded live with Martha Argerich, Renaud Capuçon and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe/Bernard Haitink; Beethoven Piano Trios with Renaud Capuçon and Frank Braley; and most recently Chopin and Franck sonatas with Yuja Wang.
Capuçon has been featured on DVD in live performances with the Berliner Philharmoniker/Gustavo Dudamel (Haydn Cello Concerto No.1) and with Lisa Batiashvili, Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden and Christian Thielemann (Brahms’ Concerto for Violin and Cello). A household name in his native France, he also appears on screen and online in shows such as Prodiges, Now Hear This, and The Artist Academy, and is a guest presenter on Radio Classique in the show Les Carnets de Gautier Capuçon.
Born in Chambéry, Capuçon began playing the cello at the age of five. He studied at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse in Paris with Philippe Muller and Annie Cochet-Zakine, and later with Heinrich Schiff in Vienna. Now, he performs with world leading orchestras, works with conductors such as Lionel Bringuier, Gustavo Dudamel, Charles Dutoit, Christoph Eschenbach, Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Andris Nelsons and Yannick Nézet-Séguin; and collaborates with contemporary composers including Lera Auerbach, Karol Beffa, Esteban Benzecry, Nicola Campogrande, Qigang Chen, Bryce Dessner, Jérôme Ducros, Henry Dutilleux, Thierry Escaich, Philippe Manoury, Bruno Mantovani, Krzysztof Penderecki, Wolfgang Rihm, and Jörg Widmann.
À (ré)écouter sur France Musique :
Beethoven par Renaud Capuçon, Gautier Capuçon et Frank Braley dans Cordes sensibles, par Frédéric Lodéon.