Born in Reims in 1934, Philippe Entremont is one of the most famous pianists and French orchestra conductors. The exceptional career of Entremont began at...

Born in Reims in 1934, Philippe Entremont is one of the most famous pianists and French orchestra conductors. The exceptional career of Entremont began at the age of eighteen when he came to international attention with his great success at New York’s Carnegie Hall, playing Jolivet’s piano concerto and Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1. Since then, he has pursued a top international career as a pianist, and for the last 40 years on the podium as a conductor as well. Phillipe Entremont is one of the most recorded artists of all time, and has appeared on many labels, including CBS, Sony, Teldec and Harmonia Mundi, and has garnered all of the leading prizes and awards in the industry. For more than half a century Philipe Entremont has been thinking of Schubert Sonata No 21 D960 – this work is considerably haunting and captivating, and in its simplicity it is very difficult too. The desire of recording it came later to him, much later, toward 2009, but it was still too early to record. This wonderful sonata has never left his mind and has had a home in his piano, and will remain there until the end. His decision to record the Schubert fantasy for 4 hands was an immediate choice on his part. Like the Sonata D960 it is an absolute masterpiece. It was written about at the same time as the sonata and just a few months before the death of the composer. It is hard to find words to describe the beauty of such a masterpiece. To listen you have to close your eyes and let yourself be invaded by the incredible power of its enchantment.