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The French pianist, Pierre Réach, studied at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris, where he obtained diverse Premiers Prix in the classes of Yvonne Lefébure, Yvonne Loriod, Germaine Devèze, Jean Hubeau, Marcel Beaufils. Later he was accepted in the Improvement Cycle, where he studies with Paul Badura-Skoda, György Sebök, Géza Anda. Under the advice of Alexis Weissenberg he studied during several years with Maria Curcio in London. The teaching of this great pedagogue on master-pieces by Mozart, L.v. Beethoven and Schubert had deeply marked him.
During this period, Pierre Réach has received numerous awards in several international competitions : the First Prize in Olivier Messiaen International Piano Competition in Paris (he became then the assistant of Yvonne Loriod, for several years, in the CNSM of Paris), a Medal in the Artur Rubinstein International Piano Competition in Israël (after this award, Rubinstein himself gave him precious advices about his playing). Pierre Réach also obtained the First Prize in the Pozzoli International Competition in Milano, and three Second Prizes : in Maria Canals and Jaén Competitions (Spain), and Casella (Italy).
Pierre Réach has appeared, in solo recitals and with orchestras, around the world: in Japan with NHK and Osaka Philharmonic, with KBS of Seoul, BBC and Hallé Orchestra of Manchester, Philharmonique and National of Radio-France, Capitole of Toulouse, OPPL (France), etc. He has performed in well established concert halls in Paris: Salle Gaveau, where he has played twice Bach’s Goldberg Variations (BWV 988); Salle Pleyel with Radio France Orchestras, in the Opéra Comique, where he has played Schubert’s Winterreise with the English tenor Martyn Hill, in a mise en scène by Hans Peter Cloos; and in the Théâtre des Champs Elysées. In October 2002 he had a concert tour in China and since than goes back every year. He played in different festivals: Nohant, Saint Riquier, Lisztomania de Chateauroux, Prades, Menton, Strasbourg, Vaison la Romaine etc in France, Brescia-Bergamo, Fenice in Venezia, Pomerigi Musicali, festival Liszt de Grottammare in Italy where he received the Franz Liszt Prize, San Petersburg, Tokyo, Seoul and Shanghai.
Pierre Réach gave concerts with, among others, violinists Gérard Poulet and Pierre Amoyal, Philip Bride, Patrice Fontanarosa, Nicolás Chumachenco, Gerard Claret, David Grimal, cellists Gary Hoffman, Christoph Henkel, Yvan Chiffoleau, Sung Won Yang and Alain Meunier, altists Gérard Caussé, Karsten Dobers, Bruno Giuranna, mezzo Hanna Schaer and Marie-Paule Milone, baritone Joan Martin Royo, tenor Martyn Hill, clarinettists Federico Paci, Michel Lethiec, flautists Alain Marion and Philippe Depetris, pianists Bruno Rigutto, Alexander Tselyakov, Muza Rubackyté, Carmen Martínez and Vladik Bronewetzky.
Pierre Réach has played on the top of Pic du Midi (Hautes-Pyrénées, France), 2800 yards of altitude, on a Blüthner concert piano brought by helicopter. This recital, broadcasted by several televisions, was the launching of the festival Piano aux Pyrénées, created in 1997 with his friend Christophe Baillet where he invited all of his musician friends to share his love for piano and chamber music. The Pyrenean adventure will continue, from July 2007, under the name of Piano Pic Festival, in Bagnères de Bigorre and surroundings, together with the International Academy György Sebök. Pierre Réach had already created the "Printemps Musical de Provins" Festival. This festival has also became well known for its involvement of great musicians in this wonderful mediaeval place. In October 2006 he invited in Shanghai artists of world-wide reputation and shared with them the integral of Mozart’s piano concertos. He created and organized in March and April 2007, the first edition of a new concert series entitled A l'entorn del piano in Mallorca (Baleares, Spain). In 2007 he will organize the first international piano competition dedicated to the L.v. Beethoven piano sonatas in Bourges (France).
Pierre Réach is known as one of the best interpreters of the Goldberg Variations (BWV 988). He has recorded them twice and received excellent reviews. His recordings shows clearly the originality of his repertoire, going from Mozart (sonatas, rondos) to Igor Stravinsky (Petrouchka), Schubert (Musical Moments, Klavierstücke), Olivier Messiaen (Huit Préludes and Regards sur l’Enfant Jésus), Piano Concerto by Jean Cras, or Franz Liszt piano transcription of Symphonie Fantastique by Berlioz (he is one of the very few pianists in the world who has played in a recital this dramatically virtuoso’ masterpiece). On the other side, he has re-discovered the French Romantic composer Charles-Valentin Alkan. He has recorded, and plays the piano sonata, Les Quatre Ages de la Vie, frequently. Lately two new CD for Saphir Productions have come out, Felix Mendelssohn Trios with violonist Gerard Poulet and cellist Christoph Henkel, and L.v. Beethoven Hammerklavier sonata and Bagatelles. He is now preparing the integral of L.v. Beethoven sonatas.
Pierre Réach's teaching of piano and chamber music is an important part of his musical activities. Professor at the Conservatoire Supérieur de Musique de Paris, and at the Superior School of Music in Barcelona (ESMUC), Pierre Réach is constantly in demand for masterclasses in several countries: South Corea, Japan, Portugal, Israel, USA, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada etc. In January 2005 he was nominated Professor Honoris Causa of the Shanghai Conservatory. He is also invited to be a member of the jury by several international competitions (Piano Masters of Monte Carlo, Olivier Messiaen, Maria Canals , San Remo, Grands Amateurs, Zatin in Ukraine, Sonoda in Japan, etc). |
