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Alexander Paley biography

Alexander PALEY, pianist and artistic director of the festival

Paley is internationally celebrated for his dazzling technique, his vast repertoire of concertos and works for piano, and his deeply personal interpretations which have entranced the public wherever he has performed. The Washington Post, referring to a recital of the Goldberg Variations and la Suite Française No. 5 of J.S. Bach, wrote : “Such a recital is incredibly rare. The first part was so moving that the interval became a delicious pause, an opportunity to both savour the sublime art that one had just heard, and the pleasure of knowing that powerful emotions are still to come.”

Born in Moldavia, Paley began his piano studies at the age of six. He gave his first recital at 13 and won the First Prize at the National Moldovia Competition aged 16. He completed his studies at the Moscow Conservatoire, studying under Bella Davidovitch and Vera Gornostayeva. In 1984, Paley was awarded First Prize at the J.S. Bach International Leipzig Competition and the Bősendorfer Prize; in 1986 followed the Grand Prix at the First International Pancho Vladigerov Competition in Bulgaria. Appointed soloist for ‘The Virtuosos of Moscow’ ensemble, he made several tours in western Europe with them, conducted by Vladimir Spivakov. He divided his time between the US and Europe, giving recitals and concerts accompanied with orchestra. He has played, among others, with the National Symphony Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic in the US, the NDR Orchestra of Germany, the National Orchestra of France, the Philharmonic Orchestra of Radio France, the Philharmonic Orchestra of Strasbourg, the Philharmonic Orchestra of Monte Carlo and the National Orchestra of Montpellier in France. He has also given concerts at such venues as the Leipzig Gewandhaus, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and the Salle Pleyel in Paris. Also very active in chamber music, he plays with artists such as Bella Davidovich and Mstislav Rostropovich, Dimitri Makhtin and Alexandre Kniazev; as well as with the Vermeer, Fine Arts, Anton, Ysaye and Appleman quartets. Paley combines a big personality with rare sensitivity. He has enchanted the French public for many years, performing at the most important festivals on the music scene; 2003 saw him triumph at the Roque d’Anthéron Festival.

How Paley came to the Moulin

In November 1990, during the Normandy Musical Forum, Paley spontaneously sat down at the piano, during the jury’s deliberations. Dressed casually in trainers, jeans and a pullover, it was his first visit to the Moulin. On that occasion, the public was dumbfounded and captivated. Paley fell in love with the Moulin and the Moulin fell in love with Paley – a serious love affair which has lasted and is destined to last. Taken up with the hurly-burly of his career, with recitals abroad and busy schedules, Paley wanted to fulfil a dream, a musical ideal : to bring together musicians, kindred spirits sharing his passion, in a friendly environment; to play together a selected repertoire, to share his passion for music outside business and other constraints.

He has recreated this dream year after year since 1992. Inviting artists he admires, Paley chooses works he loves; together they offer a week of music to a growing and increasingly enthusiastic audience, alternating nightly between public rehearsals and concerts.