An invitation to discover Jean-Yves Thibaudet, one of the most representative pianists since the 1980s, whose career continues to this day, both as a soloist and chamber musician, equally brilliant - from October 19th, at 1:00 p.m., in the series of portrait interviews "The Success Stories of Music."

Jean-Yves Thibaudet - a name synonymous with elegance, refinement, and a musicality validated in a wide variety of stylistic spaces. A celebrity of the classical music scene, the French artist openly tells his story and allows us to understand him as an interlocutor in a dialogue prompted by his most recent appearance in Romania: the closing concert of the 27th edition of the George Enescu Festival, on September 21st, at the Palace Hall.

A memorable concert in Bucharest

Alongside the prestigious Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam, under the baton of the young and brilliant Finnish conductor Klaus Mäkelä, Thibaudet performed Camille Saint-Saëns' Concerto No. 5, "The Egyptian" - a work with which he opened the 2025-2026 season and which he will also perform this autumn with orchestras in Los Angeles, Houston, San Francisco, Monte Carlo, Ottawa, Liège and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.

An unmistakable individual

Thibaudet is a presence that does not go unnoticed. Beyond his pianistic mastery, the artist always stands out for his attire. He believes that every stage appearance is an event for the audience and that the way a musician dresses must somehow reflect the spirit of the event. He was, in fact, a friend of fashion designer Vivienne Westwood. But the essence of his artistic message lies, of course, in his ability to approach both contemporary and established repertoire with substance, bringing a fresh, incisive, captivating, and colorful perspective to the works he tackles.

Through a selection of pieces from his discography, we explore the facets of Thibaudet's pianism. We will listen to excerpts from his latest album, released in 2025, dedicated entirely to the music of Aram Khachaturian - a dream come true after two decades of waiting. The Armenian composer's Piano Concerto, with its abundance of colors, rhythmic vitality, and flamboyant yet extremely precise style, resonates harmoniously with Thibaudet's pianism.

We will also explore his chamber music, which is just as well defined as his solo work: the trio formed with Georgian violinist Lisa Batiashvili and French cellist Gautier Capuçon, as well as the duo with Japanese violinist Midori Goto, with whom he recorded Beethoven's complete sonatas for violin and piano, released in 2022.

His memorable collaborations with the world of opera will also be featured, such as the one with Cecilia Bartoli in 1998 at the Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza, proof of his love for the sung voice and the influence that vocal music has on his pianistic phrasing.

Jean-Yves Thibaudet at "The Success Stories of Music"; on October 19th, 26th, and November 1st, at 1:00 p.m., with a repeat broadcast at 11:00 p.m. - on Radio România Muzical!