Renaud Capuçon and Deutsche Grammophon Seal an Innovative New Partnership Deal
Berlin, 26 September 2022. Deutsche Grammophon is delighted to announce the launch of a new partnership with Renaud Capuçon. The French violinist is already renowned for his work encouraging and supporting younger generations of artists and commissioning new music. He is now set to collaborate with the Yellow Label on a multi-year series of projects, comprising both audio and audio-visual releases. Recordings stemming from his work with young artists and composers will be produced by a special company co-owned by the artist and released by DG.
The joint initiative marks a significant development in the relationship between an artist and a major record label, opening up space for innovative creative thinking. It will encapsulate Renaud Capuçon’s role as performer and influential musical figure with new recordings of landmark violin repertoire, as well as reflecting his activities with leading organisations such as the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, of which he is Artistic Director, and the Aix-en-Provence Easter Festival, of which he is founder and Artistic Director.
“I feel so inspired by the prospect of working with the team at Deutsche Grammophon,” says Renaud Capuçon. “I look forward to bringing unique creative projects to life. There are so many possibilities for us to explore together on how to present classical music in fresh ways. We want to capture the unbeatable energy of live performance and the excitement that compositions familiar to audiences today generated the first time they were heard. Our plans will also be a springboard for some of today’s finest young talents and allow me to curate projects with many of my wonderful chamber music and orchestral colleagues.”
Dr Clemens Trautmann, President Deutsche Grammophon, welcomes the Yellow Label’s new partnership. “Renaud Capuçon is not just a superb soloist and chamber musician,” he observes. “He is also a great ambassador and advocate for classical music, an artist who understands the unique power of live music-making to move and connect people. And he is the first French violinist signed to DG since Christian Ferras, one of his great sources of inspiration. Our future plans with Renaud are already well-developed and far-reaching. They promise to introduce new audiences to great music performed by truly remarkable artists and underline our commitment to enhancing his already illustrious recorded legacy.”
One of the major projects planned is a comprehensive celebration of Mozart’s music, to be released in spring 2023. Working with his Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, known for its visionary interpretations of the composer’s music, Capuçon will record the complete violin concertos. In a complementary album, he will join his regular chamber music partner pianist Kit Armstrong in a recording of the complete Mozart sonatas for violin and piano, a cycle of works they have performed frequently since their debut duo appearance at the 2016 Mozartwoche. Salzburg’s annual festival dedicated to Mozart also forms the backdrop of Capuçon’s recording of the composer’s complete string quintets with an all-star ensemble of fellow chamber musicians, to be released in audio-visual formats.
Additionally, the Mozart project will introduce new talents to an international audience. Capuçon has long prioritised young artists through his work in schools and the opportunities he offers upcoming musicians to work with established artists at the Aix Easter Festival, among other initiatives. This strand of his activities will be key to the partnership with Deutsche Grammophon, as he collaborates with stars of the future in a series of recordings to be released under the imprint “Beau Soir”. Alongside some of Mozart’s iconic chamber works, including the Clarinet Quintet and Piano Quartets, “Beau Soir” will also feature contemporary compositions commissioned by Capuçon, extending the breadth of repertoire involved in the collaboration with Deutsche Grammophon.
Listeners will not have to wait long to hear the first fruit of this new partnership. Pianist Martha Argerich joined the violinist on stage for a recital at the Aix-en-Provence Easter Festival in April 2022 and their extraordinary rapport was evident in a performance dedicated to their friend and pianist colleague Nicholas Angelich, who had passed away just days earlier. Captured live, their programme included three major works for violin and piano, all in the key of A: Schumann’s Sonata No. 1 Op. 105, Beethoven’s Sonata No. 9 Op. 47, “Kreutzer”, and Franck’s Sonata. Deutsche Grammophon will release the album in November 2022.
