Nelson Freire
Nelson Freire was among the most admired pianists of his generation, having played with the leading orchestras and conductors in the most prestigious recital halls, and in collaboration with the finest violinists, cellists, and fellow pianists. He also recorded extensively in a wide range of repertoire for numerous major labels, including Deutsche Grammophon, Sony, and Decca. On the latter, Freire issued an album of encores in 2019.
Freire was born in Boa Esperança, Brazil, on October 8, 1944. He was amazingly precocious, taking his first piano lessons from his older sister at age three and giving his first public recital, where he played Mozart's A major Sonata, K. 331, at five. Among his earliest important piano teachers were Nise Obino and Lucia Branco. At the age of 12, he won the prestigious Rio de Janeiro International Piano Competition (1957). There, he performed, among other challenging pieces, the Beethoven Concerto No. 5 (the "Emperor") before a jury consisting of Lili Kraus, Marguerite Long, Guiomar Novaes, and other prominent pianists. He continued piano studies with Bruno Seidlhofer in Vienna with scholarship funds earned from his competition victory. In 1959, he launched his international career, touring Europe, South America, and East Asia, appearing with many of the world's leading orchestras and conductors.
Not satisfied with his credentials, Freire entered the Lisbon-based Vianna da Motta International Piano Competition in 1964 and took first prize. His London debut took place in 1968 and his American debut in 1970, when he played Rachmaninov's Fourth Piano Concerto with the New York Philharmonic under Rudolf Kempe, a conductor with whom he made several successful tours, but typically with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
By the 1970s, Freire was a successful recording artist who would draw particular critical acclaim for his Chopin. He soon turned to piano duo repertory, often appearing and recording with Martha Argerich. The team's first recording -- Rachmaninov's Suite No. 2, Op. 17, and Lutoslawski's Variations on a Theme of Paganini -- was released on Philips in 1982. Subsequent recordings of works by Bartók, Ravel, and others appeared over the next two decades. Freire also collaborated with violinist Gidon Kremer and cellist Mischa Maisky, and he remained active in the new century both as a soloist and duo player. In 2005, he scored critical successes at the BBC Proms in London, in Tokyo, and on tour with Riccardo Chailly and the Leipzig Gewandhausorchester. Later releases included Chopin Adagios (2008), a Debussy album (2009), and Harmonies du Soir, featuring an all-Liszt program. In 2019, he issued an album of encores on Decca. Freire died on November 1, 2021, in Rio de Janeiro, at the age of 77.
© Robert Cummings /TiVo
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Nelson Freire: Brahms
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 25 Aug 2017
Gramophone Editor's Choice24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Bach: Piano Works
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 2016
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
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Chopin : Piano Concerto No.2 - Ballade No.4 - Berceuse...
Nelson Freire, Gürzenich-Orchester Köln, Lionel Bringuier
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 2015
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Memories – The Unreleased Recordings 1970-2019
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 14 Oct 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: The Piano Concertos (Bonus Track Version)
Nelson Freire, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Riccardo Chailly
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 2006
Gramophone Record of the Year16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bartók: Sonata For 2 Pianos And Percussion, Sz. 110 / Ravel: Ma mère l'oye, M. 62; Rapsodie espagnole, M. 54
Martha Argerich, Nelson Freire, Peter Sadlo, Edgar Guggeis
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Chopin : Piano Sonata No.3 - Etudes Op.25
Solo Piano - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Nelson Freire: Schumann Recital
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Nelson Freire - The Complete Columbia Album Collection
Classical - Released by Sony Classical on 19 Sep 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ludwig van Beethoven : Piano Concerto No.5 "Emperor" - Piano Sonata No.32 in C Minor, Op.111
Nelson Freire, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Riccardo Chailly
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 30 Sep 2014
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Debussy: Préludes Book 1; Children's Corner
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No.3; Suite No.2 for 2 Pianos
Martha Argerich, Nelson Freire, Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Riccardo Chailly
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Stravinsky: Noces, Renard & Ragtime
Martha Argerich, Nelson Freire, Charles Dutoit
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 1 Jan 1973
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Salzburg (Live)
Martha Argerich, Nelson Freire
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Kodály: Duo for Violin and Cello - Bartók: Contrasts - Liszt: Concerto pathétique (Live at Saratoga Performing Arts Center, 1998)
Martha Argerich, Nelson Freire, Truls Mørk
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 1 Jan 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Villa-Lobos: Complete Bachianas Brasileiras
Nelson Freire, Leila Guimaraes, Isaac Karabtchewsky, Orchestre Symphonique du Brésil
Classical - Released by Frémeaux & associés on 9 Nov 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Chopin : Les Nocturnes (Intégrale)
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Mar 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Saint-Saëns: Piano Concerto No 2 - Works by Grieg & Liszt
Nelson Freire, Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin & Ádám Fischer
Keyboard Concertos - Released by audite Musikproduktion on 3 Jul 2017
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Art of Nelson Freire
Classical - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 8 Nov 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Saint-Saens: Le Carnaval des Animaux; Organ Symphony
Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO), Daniel Barenboim, Martha Argerich, Nelson Freire
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo