Capuçon "Intuition" ¥215 Purchase
In the world of cello, there are not many virtuoso who can still be called "male gods" after the age of 40, and Gautier Capuçon is one of them.
Even though he was named the "male god", Capuçon was not only good-looking, but his solid performance strength made him firmly in the ranks of international first-line celists, and won unanimous praise:
"Capuçon's light playing combined with an incredibly sweet high-range sound is simply breathtaking" – Gramophone magazine
"He was immersed in music, showing a deep understanding and passion for his work, and taking his playing to a new level" – The New York Times
In 2022, he and his brother Violinist Renaud Capuçon were both on the list of the world's top 10 busiest violinists and cellists, and in 2023, the brothers will come to China to tour before and after, and they are also one of the first foreign performers to perform in China since the opening of the epidemic, which has attracted the attention of domestic classical music fans. In the first half of this year, Gautier Capuçon came to many cities in the mainland to carry out tours, have you watched them all?
The Capuçon brothers were not born into a musical family, but the talent of his brother Renaud Capuçon still made them icons of the violin.
When he was four years old, when Gautier Capuçon put the cello in his lap for the first time and gently pulled the strings, he seemed to be led into a whole new world by the sound of the instrument, and the deep and infectious melody deeply moved him.
He loves the way he sits and embraces the way the cello is played, as well as the sound and depth that comes out of the bass strings. "Not only is the cello close to the human voice, but it's also a beautiful instrument in terms of sound, shape and way of playing," he says. ”
From his student days, Gautier Capuçon's talent was evident, not only with the European Youth Orchestra and the Mahler Youth Orchestra, under the baton of conductors such as Abbado, but also at numerous international competitions, and was praised as a rare cellist prodigy.
As a full-fledged soloist, Capuçon has worked closely with many of the world's leading musicians, including Barenboim, Argerich, and Yuja Wang, playing not only traditional classical repertoire, but also many well-known film music and pop hits, as well as a wide range of chamber music.
What's more, Capuçon, known as the "Cello Ambassador of the 21st Century", is not only a shining star in the temple of classical music, but also known as a passionate disseminator of music, and he attaches great importance to the cultivation of new generations, so he has set up his own foundation to support young people who embark on the path of musicianship and become their leaders.
"You often feel like you're ready to fly alone, but learning never stops, it's just that your so-called teacher has been replaced by a conductor playing with, or a musician working with you, so you never stop learning," he says. That's why Capuçon often conducts master classes.
Gautier Capuçon's multi-faceted career has never been limited to the classical music stage, and his career is like performing one vivid and touching musical story after another, with different time periods, making people feel the power and beauty of music all the time.
In terms of recordings, Gautier Capuçon is arguably the most successful classical musician with his "conceptual" albums released by the ERATO label, with concept albums such as "Intuition", "Cello Love and Love", "The Beauty of the Cello" and "Destination - Paris", which have also won many awards.
Capuçon has always dreamed of releasing an album that "tells the story of my life according to the emotional changes of the different stages of life", and it is from this idea that the album of 12 classic works for cello and piano or with orchestra - "Intuition" was born and released in 2018. In this way, Capuçon also showed fans the multiple charms of the cello.
When Gautier Capuçon spent his childhood in Savoie, France, Saint-Saëns' The Swan was his first public performance; Works by French composers such as Faure's "After Waking Up from a Dream" are music often heard in childhood;
Massenet's "Meditations" was a favorite piece of Capuçon's grandmother, so playing it has another profound meaning for him, showing a wonderful journey of exploration of the characters.
After studying in Paris, the masterpieces of composers such as Rachmaninoff, Elgar, and Paganini were all works that moved Capuçon's heart. While studying with Heinrich Schiff at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, the Czech composer David Poppel, the world-famous American composer Joplin for his ragtime works, and composers such as Tchaikovsky and Dvořák were also the subjects of further Kapuçon's research.
In Dvořák's "Let Me Be Alone", Capuçon's cello performance is melodious and high-pitched, full of emotion; In Rachmaninoff's "Vocal Exercises", a charming charm is displayed......
Italian cellist Solimar's "Cello, Let's Play" for double cello and string orchestra is a heart-wrenching piece of emotion and beauty;
Capuçon's virtuosity in his performance of Encore, written for cello and piano by his close friend and longtime partner Jerome Ducross, is a stunning performer who has been working together for more than 20 years, making the work vibrant and emotionally intense.