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Francois Weigel studied at the Köln's Musikhochschule (piano, composition), l'Ecole Normale de Paris (conducting) the Paris Conservatoire (anlysis, piano, chambermusic) and advanced pianistic studies with Yvonne Loriod-Messiaen and Alexis Weissenberg.
As a concert pianist, he has played with many leading orchestras like the Hamburg Philharmonic (under Ingo Metzmacher), Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (Pinchas Steinberg), Philharmonique de Radio-France (Marek Janowsky), Orchestre National de Lille (Paul Polivnick), Orchestre National de Lorraine (Jacques Mercier), Philharmonique de Montpellier (Enrique Diemecke), Nouvel Orchestre de Saint-Etienne (Patrick Fournillier), Belgrade Philharmonic, National Czech Orchestra, Ankara Bilkent Symphonic (Emil Tabakov), the Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra (Antoni Wit)…
In recent years he has developed and another facet in music-making, collaborating with a number of singers (Inva Mula, Laurence Dale, Sophie Koch, Ferruccio Furlanetto) and is now much sought-after as a recital partner in the Operas of Lille, Marseille, Avignon, Nancy, Tours, Versailles, as well in chamber music with the Belvedere Trio Wien (Wiener Philharmoniker) or the Amarcord Quartett (Berliner Philharmoniker). He is often invited to prepare choirs (St François Messiaen’s opera in Paris-Bastille for example) and gives any number of masterclasses and public conferences (like recently in Austria for the Berlioz Symposium with Dietrich Fischer-Diskau).
He frequently gives concerts throughout Europe : in Vienna, Sazburg, in the Berliner Philharmonie, Hamburg, Essen, Bruxelles, Oslo, Naples, Riga, Varsovie, in Paris, Salle Gaveau, Salle Pleyel, Chatelet’s Theatre, Maison de la Radio, in the international festivals of Evian, La Roque d’Antheron, Radio-France-Montpellier, Flaneries de Reims, Verone, Stresa, Dallas, Buenos Aires and others. His recitals of the complete Chopin studies, Liszt rhapsodies, Scarlatti, Stravinsky’s piano music, of his own opera transcriptions, in Paris Salle Gaveau or Radio-France are widely acclaimed for the originality of his interpretation and his virtuosity.
As well broadcasting regularly for radios and TV (TF1 with Patrick Poivre d’Arvor, France 2 with Eve Ruggieri, France 3, France Inter with Frederic Lodeon and Stephane Bern, ORF, RAI) his recitals playing on France Musique, Radio Classique, Radio Suisse Romande or Deutsche Rundfunk lead Schloendorff to feature him in his film « Swann ». His recent Messiaen’s Turangalila CD for Naxos with Antoni Wit has been unanimously acclamed by the french and international press as the reference recording, awarded with a « Choc » of the Monde de la Musique, « Dix » by Repertoire, elected best month’s CD by Rondo, Editor’s Choice by Gramophone, the International Classical Music Award from the Midem.
A splendid soloist, as tecnically secure and musically as any. An incredible delight.
Un jeu de velours, une sensibilité à fleur de peau, le toucher de l’âme…
Irrésistible !
