GEOFFROY COUTEAU 49 His apprenticeship also took place in concert halls, where he would eagerly attend performances by the greatest performers, such as Nelson Freire, whose recital remains etched in his memory: 'That evening, I realised just how much the piano can open the way to what is most beautiful.' The same shiver runs through him when he listens to Bach’s Passions, which he admits he needs just as deeply to nourish his inspiration. While he shows a particular affinity for the Romantic repertoire, Geoffroy Couteau is also an ardent admirer of Maurice Ravel and Johann Jakob Froberger, as well as a devoted interpreter of the composer Rodolphe Bruneau-Boulmier (1867–1949), whose complete piano works he has recorded. Le Quatuor Hermès, the clarinettist Nicolas Baldeyrou, the violinist Amaury Coeytaux and the cellist Raphaël Perraud are among his regular partners. 'Playing alongside them, I’ve learnt so much about sound, expression, rubato and everything you can bring to a piece – 'without even being able to put it into words!', says this chamber music enthusiast, who is also a member of the Trio Arcadis. His career has taken him to the world’s leading international stages and alongside some of the most distinguished orchestras. This has not prevented him, however, from devoting himself to teaching at the École Normale de Musique de Paris – Alfred Cortot. A passionate advocate of the string quartet, the pianist also has a role as Artistic Director of the Festival de Quatuors du Luberon. His thirst for discovery and artistic experimentation has led him to collaborate with actors and to bring music into dialogue with the visual arts. He now dreams of forging a link with the world of perfume by means of an olfactory concert.For with him, it is all about feeling rather than narrative. Nothing moves him more than ‘when musical emotions take root in the inexplicable’.
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