„Bechstein grand pianos have a sound of which I have always dreamed.“
Michel Dalberto
Michel Dalberto was born in Paris. At the age of thirteen, he entered Vlado Perlemuter’s class at the Conservatoire and studied there for nine years. During that time, he won the first Mozart Competition in Salzburg, the Clara Haskil Prize and, in 1978, first prize at the Leeds International Piano Competition.
He has since performed under the baton of such distinguished conductors as Sir Colin Davis, Charles Dutoit, Daniele Gatti, Erich Leinsdorf, Kurt Masur, Wolfgang Sawallisch and Yuri Temirkanov, as well as at various festivals (Lucerne, with Michael Gielen and Paavo Järvi; Florence, with Rudolf Barschaï; Aix-en-Provence, with Marek Janowski ; Edinburgh ; Wiener Festwochen ; Schleswig-Holstein ; Grange de Meslay ; La Roque d’Anthéron).
A noted chamber musician, Michel Dalberto played in a trio with Dmitri Sitkovetsky and Lynn Harrell, and in duos with Boris Belkin, Yuri Bashmet, Gérard Caussé, Henri Demarquette, Truls Mork, Emmanuel Pahud, Vadim Repin and Nikolaj Znaider, as well as with the Ébène and Modigliani quartets.
He is the only contemporary pianist who has recorded all of Schubert’s piano works. The CD with all chamber music pieces by Fauré, which he recorded on a C. Bechstein grand together with Renaud and Gautier Capuçon, was awarded the Echo Klassik prize. Among his other music awards are the Diapason d’or, the Grand Prix de l’Académie Charles-Cros and the Prix de l’Académie du Disque français.
Michel Dalberto was the artistic manager of the Festival des Arcs for fifteen years, and president of the judging panel of the Clara Haskil Competition from 1991 to 2009. He was made Knight of the Ordre National du Mérite for his outstanding musical achievements in 1996.
Photos © Jean Philippe Raibaud
Once Upon a Time
La Dolce Volta ![Once Upon a Time]()
On his new CD "Once upon a time" Michel Dalberto immortalizes some of Franz Liszt's most dramatic works: the highly romantic Vallée d'Obermann, four Études d'exécution transcendante, namely Paysage, Mazeppa, Ricordanza and Chasse-neige, as well as his masterpiece, the b minor Sonata, famously premiered on a C. Bechstein in 1857. Fitting, then, the choice of the modern C. Bechstein concert grand, which aptly supports Michel Dalberto's musical narratives and lets his many years of experience with this music clearly be heard. A wonderful album!
The recording took place in December 2021 at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris for the label La Dolce Volta.
Fauré’s complete chamber music
![Fauré’s complete chamber music]()
When some of France’s top musicians take it upon themselves to record Gabriel Fauré’s complete chamber music, you can pretty much bet your bottom dollar it’s going to be a testimonial. This is certainly the case with the set of CDs recorded between 2008 and 2010 by Gérard Caussé (viola), Renaud and Gautier Capuçon (violin/violoncello), the string musicians from the Ébène Quartet and the pianists Nicholas Angelich and Michel Dalberto. The five CDs published on the Virgin Classics label total more than five hours of music and set a new benchmark in interpreting Fauré. It’s difficult to imagine how anyone could top the melodious, heart-rending music played here. The musicians’ range of expression swings from lyrical internalisation to unfettered, dramatic power, while the fin-de-siècle character of this compilation never fails to delight. The five CDs include in particular two piano quartets and quintets.
Nicholas Angelich and Michel Dalberto play them masterfully, making the C. Bechstein D 282 concert grand expertly tuned by Denijs de Winter sing in a sensitive and nuanced manner. And it’s no coincidence that the pianists chose Bechstein for this recording, either: after all, Fauré himself was particularly fond of the brand.
Piano Works by Gabriel Fauré
![Piano Works by Gabriel Fauré]()
Learn more Michel Dalberto recorded a new CD for the Label Aparte with piano works by Gabriel Fauré. He performed his program live on a C. Bechstein grand piano D 282 at the marvelous concert hall of the Conservatoire national supérieur d'art dramatique in Paris. The C. Bechstein grand piano has been servied by Denijs de Winter. Great pianists perform on Bechstein!
