Hervé Billaut (born 5 August 1964) is a French classical pianist.

Biography

Born in Villefranche-sur-Saône, Billaud joined the Conservatoire de Lyon [ fr] at the age of ten. He continued his studies at the Conservatoire de Paris, where he entered the classes of Germaine Mounier (piano), Jean Hubeau ( chamber music), Jeanine Rueff and Bernard de Crépy (writing).

Billaut won a Grand Prize at the "Marguerite Long Competition" (1983), and distinguished himself in numerous international competitions (Viotti, 1981; Vercelli, 1982; Épinal International Piano Competition, 1983; Pretoria, 1990; Tokyo, 1995). He performed in France at the Salle Pleyel, the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, in Spain, at the Teatro Real in Madrid, and on all continents, notably in South America, China, Japan and Korea. He collaborated with the choreographers Jean-Christophe Maillot, John Neumeier and Roland Petit as soloist of Les Ballets de Monte Carlo and performs regularly at the festivals of Festival de La Roque-d'Anthéron, in Granada, Paris, Toulouse and La Folle Journée of Nantes. He is artistic director of the Rendez-vous de Rochebonne.

Notable recordings

• Maurice Ravel:
  • Gaspard de la Nuit, Le Tombeau de Couperin (éd. REM, 1985);
  • Piano Concerto, Piano Concerto for the Left Hand, with the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra, dir. Claude Bardon (1987)
• Jacques Castérède: Works for 1 and 2 pianos, H. Billaut, G. Ibanez, J. Castérède (éd. REM)
• Isaac Albéniz: Iberia, Navarra, Suite Española No. 1, Op. 47
• Gabriel Fauré: Works for piano (éd. Lyrinx, 2004)
• Paul Dukas: Works for piano (éd. Mirare, 2015)

Sources

Biographical information from record booklets

External links

• Interview on Piano bleu
• Hervé Billaut on France Musique
• Hervé Billaut, Biography on Festival tempo
• Hervé Billaut on Agence Claire laballery
• Hervé Billaut, pianiste et Karine Deshayes, mezzo-soprano on Radio Classique
• Hervé Billaut on Discogs
• Dukas: Sonata in E flat minor, by Hervé Billaut (YouTube)