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Another artist takes a walk

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norman lebrecht

September 08, 2010

The latest soloist to change agents before the imminent apocalypse is Gauthier Capucon. The French cellist, 28, has switched from boutique agency Clarion/Seven Muses to hungry and ambitious Intermusica.

The move affects only UK, China and Australasia; for the US Gauthier stays with the giant Cami. For general management, he’s with the elite Paris agency, Jacques Thelen.

So why move? and why now? Because everyone’s nervous. The next big shakedown is expected within the month and both artists and agents are listening to every reasonable intimation that the future might be safer somewhere else. I have never known the classical music business to be so brittle.

Press release follows:

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Intermusica is delighted to announce the acquisition of cellist Gautier Capuçon for the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and China.

At 28, Gautier Capuçon has already established himself as one of the world’s finest cellists. Capuçon plays with major orchestras world-wide, in recital and chamber music in leading cities, and he regularly appears at the key international festivals, including every year at the Martha Argerich Festival in Lugano and at the Verbier Festival. He records exclusively for Virgin Classics.

The winner of various first prizes in many leading international competitions, including the International André Navarra Prize, Capuçon was named ‘New Talent of the Year’ by Victoires de la Musique (the French equivalent of a Grammy) in 2001; in 2004 he received a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award and he has been the recipient of Echo Klassik awards in 2004, 2009 and 2010, most recently for his recording with Gergiev.

Highlights of Capuçon’s 10-11 season include his London debut as concerto soloist playing the Elgar Concerto with the Philharmonia Orchestra/Norrington, concerts with the Los Angeles Philharmonic/Bringuier, San Francisco Symphony/Dutoit, Swedish Radio Symphony, Santa Cecilia/Bychkov, Seoul Philharmonic/Valcuha and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe/Haitink in Lucerne. He will tour with the City of Birmingham Symphony/Nelsons to Germany, Paris and Madrid, play the Dutilleux Concerto with the Orchestre National de Toulouse/Volkov and the Dvo?ák Concerto with the Orchestre de Paris/Paavo Järvi in Paris and at Vienna‘s Musikverein. Recital and chamber engagements include recitals in Vienna, at the Bonn Festival and across the USA with Montero, and in Paris and Brussels with Thibaudet.

Capuçon’s recordings include the Dvo?ák Concerto with Frankfurt Radio SO/Paavo Järvi, Tchaikovsky Rococo Variations and Prokofiev Sinfonia Concertante with Mariinsky Theatre/Gergiev, the Brahms Double Concerto with his brother Renaud, Mahler Youth Orchestra/Chung and the Haydn Cello Concertos with Mahler Chamber Orchestra/Harding. He has recorded several discs of chamber music including the Piano Trios of Mendelssohn and Haydn with Martha Argerich and Renaud, and the Piano Trios of Brahms, Schubert, Ravel with Renaud, Frank Braley, Nicholas Angelich and others. He has also recorded Schubert’s Trout Quintet, duo works with his brother Renaud, and with Gabriela Montero the Rachmaninov and Prokofiev Cello Sonatas.

Notes

Please visit http://intermusica.co.uk/gcapucon for further information, including a full biography, images for download and an audio clip.