Alain Planes

Classical pianist and teacher Alain Planès was born in Lyon, France on January 20, 1948. He is best known for his collaboration with Pierre Boulez's Ensemble Intercontemporain and his successful career as a soloist characterized by his interpretations of romantic music and early 20^th century French music. He began his career at the age of 12 when he studied at the Paris Conservatory. He followed the teachings of Jacques Février, which led him to the first prize in piano and chamber music. Relocating to the U.S., Alain Planès was ssistant to Menahem Pressler, pianist of the Beaux-Arts Trio, at Indiana University in Bloomington (1970-1974). When he returned to France, he was chosen by Pierre Boulez to join the Ensemble Intercontemporain (1977-1981) and also pursued a career as a soloist. Alain Plainès recorded a well-received series of sonatas for violin and piano by Mozart with violinist and conductor Jean -Jacques Kantorow. He then recorded sonatas by Schubert and Haydn, as well as programs devoted to Chabrier, Janáček, Satie, Bartòk, Debussy and Chopin. Awarded a Victoire de la musique classique in 1986 for the album Debussy: Préludes - Livres I & II, he has continued to perform and record. His most popular recordings include Debussy: The Complete Etudes (1997), Chopin: Préludes (2001), Schubert: Les Grandes Sonates pour piano (2007), Haydn: The Late Sonatas (2009), Debussy: Complete Piano Works (2018) and Chopin: Complete Nocturnes (2021), recorded on an 1836 Pleyel piano. Alain Planès has been teaching since 1992 at the Conservatoire national supérieur de Paris and was awarded with the Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur (2016) and Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters (2018).