French pianist
Philippe Cassard rose to international prominence in 1985 when he performed in recital with
Christa Ludwig in Paris and won the Clara Haskil Competition. He won first prize in the 1988 AXA Dublin International Piano Competition, which led to appearances as a concerto soloist with many orchestras. He has played with the
London Philharmonic Orchestra, the
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, the
English Chamber Orchestra, the
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the
Orchestre National de France, the
Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra, and the
Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra, among others, and collaborated with many leading conductors, such as
Neville Marriner,
Jeffrey Tate,
Yan Pascal Tortelier,
Raymond Leppard,
Charles Dutoit,
Marek Janowski,
Emmanuel Krivine, and
Thierry Fischer.
Cassard's large repertoire also includes chamber works and vocal music, and he has performed with
Donna Brown,
Wolfgang Holzmair,
Anne Gastinel,
David Grimal, the
Chilingirian Quartet, and the Ysaÿe Quartet.
Cassard is the exclusive accompanist for soprano
Natalie Dessay, with whom he has performed songs by
Debussy,
Poulenc,
Fauré, Duparc, and
Chausson.
Cassard is the artistic director of the Nuits Romantiques du Lac du Bourget Festival, and he is a regular performer on France Musique Radio. He has recorded for Sony Classical, Decca, Erato, Ambroisie, and other labels.