Jacques Février was a French classical pianist born on July 26, 1900, in Saint-Germain-en-Laye. He was the son of composer Henri Février. Between 1917 and 1921, he studied at the Conservatoire de Paris under Édouard Risler and Marguerite Long, receiving a first prize in 1921. Février premiered the Concerto for Two Pianos by Francis Poulenc in 1932 and was the first French pianist chosen by Maurice Ravel to perform the Concerto for the Left Hand in 1933. In 1952, he was appointed a professor at the Conservatoire de Paris. His students included Gabriel Tacchino and Alain Planès. Février recorded works by French composers including Ravel, Debussy, and Poulenc. He received the Grand Prix du Disque from the Académie Charles-Cros in 1963 for his recording of Ravel's piano music. Février also premiered Poulenc's Sonata for Oboe in 1963. He died on September 2, 1979, in Remiremont.
