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
Klassik - Erschienen bei Decca Music Group Ltd. am 25.08.2017
Gramophone Editor's Choice5 Sterne Fono Forum Klassik24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Bach: Piano Works
Klassik - Erschienen bei Decca Music Group Ltd. am 01.01.2016
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
Klassik - Erschienen bei Decca Music Group Ltd. am 01.01.2015
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Memories – The Unreleased Recordings 1970-2019
Klassik - Erschienen bei Decca Music Group Ltd. am 14.10.2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: The Piano Concertos (Bonus Track Version)
Nelson Freire, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Riccardo Chailly
Klassik - Erschienen bei Decca Music Group Ltd. am 01.01.2006
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
Klassik - Erschienen bei Deutsche Grammophon (DG) am 01.01.1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Chopin : Piano Sonata No.3 - Etudes Op.25
Klaviersolo - Erschienen bei Decca Music Group Ltd. am 01.01.2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Nelson Freire: Schumann Recital
Klassik - Erschienen bei Decca Music Group Ltd. am 01.01.2003
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
Klassik - Erschienen bei Decca Music Group Ltd. am 30.09.2014
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Chopin: Nocturnes & Fantasie
Klassik - Erschienen bei Teldec am 01.01.1978
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rachmaninov: Suite No.2 for 2 Pianos etc
Martha Argerich, Nelson Freire
Klassik - Erschienen bei Decca Music Group Ltd. am 01.01.1983
Qobuz’ Schallplattensammlung16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Debussy: Préludes Book 1; Children's Corner
Klassik - Erschienen bei Decca Music Group Ltd. am 01.01.2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Stravinsky: Noces, Renard & Ragtime
Martha Argerich, Nelson Freire, Charles Dutoit
Klassik - Erschienen bei Warner Classics am 01.01.1973
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Salzburg (Live)
Martha Argerich, Nelson Freire
Klassik - Erschienen bei Deutsche Grammophon (DG) am 01.01.2009
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
Klassik - Erschienen bei Warner Classics am 01.01.2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Villa-Lobos: Complete Bachianas Brasileiras
Nelson Freire, Leila Guimaraes, Isaac Karabtchewsky, Orchestre Symphonique du Brésil
Klassik - Erschienen bei Frémeaux & associés am 09.11.2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Chopin : Les Nocturnes (Intégrale)
Klassik - Erschienen bei Decca Music Group Ltd. am 01.03.2010
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
Klavierkonzerte - Erschienen bei audite Musikproduktion am 03.07.2017
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Art of Nelson Freire
Klassik - Erschienen bei UME - Global Clearing House am 08.11.2021
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
Klassik - Erschienen bei Deutsche Grammophon (DG) am 01.01.2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo