Renaud Capuçon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Renaud Capuçon
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Renaud Capuçon in 2013
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| Born | 27 January 1976 Chambéry, France
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| Spouse(s) | Laurence Ferrari |
| Children | 1 |
| Relatives | Gautier Capuçon (brother) |
Renaud Capuçon, born on January 27, 1976, is a famous French classical violinist. He has also been a teacher at the Royal Northern College of Music since late 2016. His younger brother, Gautier Capuçon, is also a well-known cellist.
Contents
A Life in Music
Early Life and Training
Renaud Capuçon was born in Chambéry, France. He started playing music very early, joining the Chambéry Conservatoire when he was just 4 years old. When he was 14, he went to the Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse de Paris (CNSMDP), a top music school. There, he studied with great teachers like Gérard Poulet and Veda Reynolds. Just three years later, he finished his studies, winning first prizes in both chamber music (playing in small groups) and violin.
Starting His Career
After his studies, Renaud Capuçon joined important youth orchestras like the European Union Youth Orchestra and the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra. In the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra, he was the first violin under the famous conductor Claudio Abbado.
At the same time, Renaud began his career as a solo artist and a chamber musician. He played with many talented musicians, including Nicholas Angelich, Hélène Grimaud, and his brother, Gautier Capuçon, who plays the cello.
Festivals and Recordings
In 1996, Capuçon started his own music festival near Chambéry called the Rencontres artistiques de Bel-Air. This festival ran until 2010 and brought together many important chamber musicians. Later, in 2013, he also began directing an Easter festival in Aix-en-Provence.
Renaud Capuçon has recorded many classical music pieces. These include chamber works by composers like Ravel, Schubert, and Brahms. He has also recorded violin concertos by Schumann and Mendelssohn, often working with conductor Daniel Harding.
Special Violins
Over the years, Renaud Capuçon has played on some very special violins. After using a Vuillaume, a Guadagnini, and a Stradivarius, he was loaned a very famous violin in 2005. This was a Guarnerius from 1737, known as the "Panette," which once belonged to the legendary violinist Isaac Stern.
Awards and Recognition
Renaud Capuçon has received many awards for his musical talent. He won first prizes at the CNSMD de Paris in 1992 and 1993. In 1995, he received a prize from the Berlin Academy of Arts. The Victoires de la musique classique, a French music award, named him "talent of the year" in 2000 and "instrumental soloist of the year" in 2005. In 2006, he received the Georges Enescu violin prize.
In June 2011, the French government made him a Chevalier of the National Order of Merit, and in March 2016, he became a Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur, which are high honors in France. In 2020, UNESCO named him an Artist for Peace.
Unique Performances
On May 25, 2009, Renaud Capuçon took part in a film called 7.57 am-pm. In this film, he played the Melody of Orpheus by Gluck on his Guarnerius violin. He performed in the middle of a busy crowd on Line 6 of the Paris Métro, and most people didn't even realize they were listening to a world-famous musician!
During the coronavirus lockdown on April 10, 2020, Capuçon was one of the few people to attend a Good Friday service. This special service was held by the Archbishop of Paris, Michel Aupetit, in the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral. The cathedral was still being rebuilt after the terrible fire a year earlier. Everyone wore protective clothing, and Capuçon provided the only music for the service.
In January 2019, Capuçon performed at the "Winter at Tantora" music carnival. This event took place at Al-'Ula, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in northwestern Saudi Arabia.
Working with Modern Composers
Renaud Capuçon has also worked with many modern composers. He has helped bring new music to life by performing pieces written by artists like Nicolas Bacri, Karol Beffa, Pascal Dusapin, Bruno Mantovani, and Wolfgang Rihm.
Personal Life
Renaud Capuçon has been with journalist Laurence Ferrari since 2008, and they got married on July 3, 2009. They have one child together. As mentioned, his brother, Gautier Capuçon, is also a famous cellist.
Selected Recordings
Renaud Capuçon has released many albums. Here are a few examples of the types of music he has recorded:
- French pieces for violin and orchestra with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie
- Duos for violin and cello with his brother Gautier Capuçon
- Concertos for violin by composers like Mendelssohn and Schumann
- Sonatas for violin and piano by Beethoven and Brahms
- Chamber music by composers such as Ravel, Schubert, and Fauré
See also
In Spanish: Renaud Capuçon para niños
