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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Bartók: Piano Concertos
Pierre-Laurent Aimard, San Francisco Symphony, Esa-Pekka Salonen
Solo Piano - Released by PENTATONE on 15 Sep 2023
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Messiaen: Catalogue d’oiseaux, I/42
Classical - Released by PentaTone on 2 Mar 2018
Gramophone Editor's Choice24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Ligeti: Cello Concerto, Violin Concerto, Piano Concerto
Jean-Guihen Queyras, Saschko Gawriloff, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Ensemble Intercontemporain, Pierre Boulez
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 1985
The Qobuz Essential Discography16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
György Ligeti : Études - Musica Ricercata
Classical - Released by Sony Classical on 11 Dec 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach: The Art Of The Fugue
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 25 Feb 2008
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Maurice Ravel: Piano Concertos, Miroirs
Pierre-Laurent Aimard, The Cleveland Orchestra, Pierre Boulez
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Johann Sebastian Bach : The Well-Tempered Clavier I
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 2014
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Carter: Late Works
Classical - Released by Ondine on 11 Aug 2017
Gramophone Editor's Choice24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Messiaen: Vingt regards sur l'enfant Jésus
Classical - Released by Warner Classics International on 25 Feb 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vassos Nicolaou: 15 Klavieretüden & Frames
Tamara Stefanovich, Pierre-Laurent Aimard
Classical - Released by PentaTone on 20 Jan 2023
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 - 5
Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, The Chamber Orchestra of Europe
Concertos - Released by Warner Classics International on 1 Mar 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bartok: Concertos
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schumann : Etudes symphoniques & Carnaval
Classical - Released by Warner Classics International on 1 Sep 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ravel : Gaspard de la Nuit
Classical - Released by Warner Classics International on 12 Jul 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach, J.S.: Art of Fugue
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 25 Feb 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Hammerklavier Sonata, Op. 106 and Eroica Variations, Op. 35
Solo Piano - Released by PENTATONE on 7 Feb 2021
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Claude Debussy : Préludes (Intégrale) / Complete Preludes
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Debussy: Piano Works, Vol. 2
Samson François, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Aldo Ciccolini, Youri Egorov, Monique Haas
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 5 Jan 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Messiaen: Poèmes pour Mi; Sept Haïkaï; Le Réveil des oiseaux
Françoise Pollet, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Joela Jones, The Cleveland Orchestra, Pierre Boulez
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 1997
The Qobuz Essential Discography16-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 -
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