Pierre-Laurent Aimard
Pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard is a specialist in contemporary music and in its relationship to the traditional repertory. Emerging from the circle of Olivier Messiaen, he has focused on the music of the European avant-garde of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Aimard was born in Lyon on September 9, 1957. He studied at the Conservatoire de Lyon and then moved on to the Conservatoire de Paris, where his teacher was Yvonne Loriod, Messiaen's wife. He also knew Messiaen well and began to specialize in his music. As a student at the Conservatoire, Aimard took four first prizes. He later studied with Maria Curcio in London and took composition lessons in Budapest with György Kurtág. A first prize at the 1973 Olivier Messiaen International Competition launched Aimard's performing career, and three years later, he was invited by conductor and composer Pierre Boulez to join the new Ensemble InterContemporain as pianist. Aimard remained in that position for 18 years, touring the U.S. with the group and often performing Boulez's works. He also performs traditional concerto repertory and has appeared in that capacity with such major ensembles as the Cleveland Orchestra, the Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam, and the St. Petersburg Philharmonic. His recitals, often held in Paris and Lyon, have included a series called Piano in the 20th Century, and they often pair contemporary and traditional works inventively. In the later parts of his career, Aimard has also appeared as a conductor.
Aimard has a large catalog of more than 30 recordings, mostly but not exclusively devoted to contemporary music. In 1996, he recorded an album of György Ligeti's piano music on Sony Classical, and he has also appeared on other major labels, including Warner Classics, Teldec, and Deutsche Grammophon. In 2017, he signed a new contract with the PentaTone label, releasing several albums there, including a recording of Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 29 in B flat major, Op. 106 ("Hammerklavier") in 2021.
© James Manheim /TiVo
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Beethoven: Triple Concerto, Rondo in B-flat & Choral Fantasy
Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, The Chamber Orchestra of Europe
Classical - Released by Warner Classics International on 17 Sep 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Liszt Project - Bartók, Berg, Messiaen, Ravel, Scriabine, Stroppa, Wagner
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
L'Art de la Fugue
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 25 Feb 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Art of Pierre-Laurent Aimard
Classical - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 27 Feb 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Hommage à Messiaen
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dvořák: Piano Concerto & The Golden Spinning Wheel
Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Concertos - Released by Warner Classics International on 1 Sep 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Aimard at Carnegie Hall
Classical - Released by Warner Classics International on 1 Apr 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Musica viva, Vol. 22: Ligeti, Murail & Benjamin
Symphonieorchester Des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, George Benjamin
Classical - Released by NEOS Music on 5 Aug 2016
Gramophone Award16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier I
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
African Rhythms
Classical - Released by Warner Classics International on 14 Apr 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ligeti: Études pour piano & Trio pour cor, violon et piano - Donatoni: Tema & Cadeau
Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Pierre Boulez, Ensemble Intercontemporain
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 14 Feb 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Pierre-Laurent Aimard - Legendary Recordings
Classical - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 25 Sep 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Debussy: Études & Images
Classical - Released by Warner Classics International on 1 Jan 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ravel & Carter : Piano Works
Classical - Released by Warner Classics International on 12 Jul 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Boulez: ... Explosante-fixe... / Notations / Structures II
Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Ensemble Intercontemporain, Pierre Boulez
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Hommage à Messiaen
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Musica Viva, Vol. 15 - Eötvös - B.A. Zimmermann - Smolka
Classical - Released by NEOS Music on 15 May 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Messiaen-Quatuor pour la fin du Temps
Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Maryvonne Le Dizès, Pierre Strauch, Alain Damiens
Classical - Released by Universal Music Division Decca Records France on 1 Jan 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bartok-Oeuvres violon/Piano-Sonate-Danses populaires,rhapsod ies
Maryvonne Le Dizès, Pierre-Laurent Aimard
Classical - Released by Universal Music Division Decca Records France on 1 Jan 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lachenmann: Ausklang
Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Symphonieorchester Des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Jonathan Nott
Classical - Released by NEOS Music on 27 Nov 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Piano Sonata No. 29 in B-Flat Major, Op. 106 "Hammerklavier": I. Allegro
Classical - Released by PentaTone on 14 May 2021
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo