Nelson Freire

Nelson Freire – born in Boa Esperança, Minas Gerais, Brazil on October 18, 1944 - was an internationally acclaimed classical pianist performed with many of the world's top orchestras and released highly praised recordings of works by Beethoven, Rachmaninov, Bartók, Ravel, Chopin, and Brahms. Born into a musical family just north of Rio de Janeiro, he was a child prodigy who performed in public at a very young age and won the Rio de Janeiro International Piano Competition when he was just 12 years old. He toured South America, Europe, and Asia in 1959, made his debut in London in 1968 and first appeared in America in 1970. His discography is extensive, and he was featured in a series of albums under the umbrella Great Pianists released in 1999 by Philips. He collaborated with pianist Martha Argerich on several recordings including a live recital from the Salzburg Festival in 2009. He marked his 70th birthday in 2014 with the release of a recording of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 in E Flat Major, Op. 73 (Emperor), which he had first played in public when he was 12 years old. His 2017 release Brahms went to Number 18 on Billboard's Classical Albums chart. During his career, Nelson Freire had been nominated for two Grammy Awards for Best Instrumental Soloist Without Orchestra for Chopin: Études, Op. 10, Barcarolle, Op. 60, Sonata No. 2 (2005) and Chopin: The Nocturnes (2010) and one for Soloist With Orchestra for Brahms: The Piano Concertos (2006). Nelson Freire died on November 1, 2021, at the age of 77.