Pianist Francois Chaplin draws full house

May 14, 2011

On May 14, the prominent French pianist Francois Chaplin performed in Tashkent with renditions of compositions by masters of Impressionist and Romantic music such as Frederic Chopin, Gabriel Fauré and Claude Debussy. The number of classical music fans who showed up for the concert made the organizers move the venue to the Grand Hall of the Conservatory from the previously chosen Small Hall. The concert organizers include the French Institute, the Embassy of France and the Fund Forum.

A pride of France, Chaplin has received rave reviews from multitudinous French critics and is believed to be the best performer of Mozart’s and Chopin’s works. His complete recording of the piano works by Claude Debussy earned high ratings from the critics. His discography also includes music by Schumann, Poulenc, and Bach among others.

On May 13, Chaplin performed in Tashkent with the National Symphonic Orchestra of Uzbekistan under the guidance of Zokhid Haknazarov. The musician’s masterful and sensuous play drew uproarious applause from the audience who asked for an encore.

Francois Gautier, Ambassador of France to Uzbekistan:

“I’m very glad that so many people have come today to listen to our French musician. Tashkent is one of the cities that Francois Chaplin is touring along with London, New York and Berlin, and I think he doesn’t regret it. Considering that the hall is packed with people, I conclude that people in Tashkent appreciate French culture and music. But this event wouldn’t be possible without its organizers whom I’m thankful to: the French Institute, the Fund Forum and the State Conservatory.”

Chaplin’s recital on May 14 drew crowds of classical music enthusiasts. As many as 500 people gathered outside the Conservatory, which is the reason why the recital venue was moved to the Grand Hall of the Conservatory. Chaplin has demonstrated that he is a veritable representative of French piano school, which is famed for its light, gentle sounds, detailed music and subtle phrasing.

It stands to reason that Chaplin has been the focus of attention with so many classical music enthusiasts. His approach to music overflows with sumptuous, generous, unfettered sound. The pianist’s finesse and freedom of thought have enabled him to come up with new keys and twists to the performance of the classical repertoire while his precocious taste for tone color and modal sound help him to convey to the listener the mood of a particular piece’s composer. Last Saturday, while he played Debussy and Faure, he seemed to have given more attention to Chopin, whose nocturnes he had recorded in a separate album.

The performance of the French pianist amounts to another exciting page in the major dialog between Uzbekistan and France. Previously, the Fund Forum and the French Institute (formerly known as Victor Hugo French Cultural Center) have invited French artists, musicians, photographers and other art professionals to Tashkent.

The French envoy Francois Gautier expressed high hopes that the exchange of cultural values between our two countries will continue and gather momentum.