Nelson Freire

Nelson José Pinto Freire (18 October 1944 – 1 November 2021) was a Brazilian classical pianist. Regarded as one of the greatest pianists of his generation, he was noted for his "decorous piano playing" and "interpretive depth". His extensive discography for labels such as Sony Classical, Teldec, Philips, and Decca has garnered awards including the Gramophone Award and Diapason d'Or. Freire appeared as soloist with the world's most prestigious orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic. He played and recorded piano duo music with Martha Argerich, a long-time musical and personal friend.

Life
Nelson José Pinto Freire was born on 18 October 1944 in Boa Esperança. He began playing the piano at age three. He replayed from memory pieces his older sister, Nelma, had just performed. His teachers in Brazil were Lucia Branco, a former student of Arthur De Greef, a pupil of Franz Liszt, and her assistant Nise Obino. He gave his first public recital at the age of four.

In 1957, Freire's performed Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5, at the age of 12. He was awarded 7th place at the Rio de Janeiro International Piano Competition. He subsequently received a Brazilian government grant to study in Vienna with Bruno Seidlhofer. By 1964, Freire had won his first prize at the Vianna da Motta International Music Competition in Lisbon (ex-aequo with Vladimir Krainev) and he also received the Dinu Lipatti Medal and the Harriet Cohen Medal in London. In December 2001, he chaired the jury for the Marguerite Long Competition in Paris. His debut at The Proms was in August 2005.

In general, Freire tended to avoid the limelight, publicity, and interviews. However, in 2011, he withdrew from a scheduled engagement with the Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira (OSB) and conductor Roberto Minczuk, in support of the orchestra musicians, following the dismissal of about three dozen OSB musicians by Minczuk. Freire appeared as soloist with the world's most prestigious orchestras, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre de Paris, the Orchestre National de France, the New York Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra.

Freire died from a fall at his home in Rio de Janeiro on 1 November 2021, two weeks after his 77th birthday.

Recordings
Freire recorded for Sony Classical, Teldec, Philips, Decca, and Deutsche Grammophon. He recorded Liszt's piano concertos with the Dresden Philharmonic, conducted by Michel Plasson for Berlin Classics. Freire recorded commercially with Martha Argerich, with whom he shared a long-time musical collaboration and friendship. Freire later recorded exclusively with Decca, the first result of which are recordings devoted to the works of Chopin, receiving the Diapason d'Or, a "Choc" award from Le Monde de la musique, as well as being rated a "10" by the Répertoire magazine and "recommended" by Classica. The recordings comprise, in two CDs, the 24 piano études and the 2nd and 3rd piano sonatas, as well as the Barcarolle op. 60. Subsequent Decca recordings include a 2-CD set of the Brahms piano concertos with the Gewandhaus Orchestra under Riccardo Chailly, which won the 2007 Classic FM and Gramophone awards in the Record of the Year and Concerto categories, and CDs devoted to Beethoven's piano sonatas, Chopin, and Debussy. He marked the 2011 bicentenary of the birth of Franz Liszt with a Decca CD entitled Harmonies du Soir. He also recorded Brazilian piano music for Decca.

An archived recording of Freire at the age 12–13 includes his 1957 live concert performance in the final round of the Rio de Janeiro Piano Competition of that year, which launched his career, as well as pieces he recorded immediately after the competition.

Music
Freire's recordings garnered awards such as the Gramophone Award, Diapason d'Or, and the Latin Grammy Award (best classical album), in addition to three Grammy Award nominations.


 * Edison Award for the CBS recording of Chopin's 24 Préludes
 * 2002: Soliste de l’Année 2002 (Soloist of the year) at the Victoires de la Musique
 * 2010: Diapason d’or for Chopin's Nocturnes
 * 2010: Quarterly Critics Choice of the Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik for a live performance with Martha Argerich at the Salzburg Festival
 * 2011: Quarterly Critics Choice for Liszt's: Harmonies du soir
 * 2016: Echo Klassik for Bach

Nominations for the Grammy Awards
 * 2005: Category: Best solo performance, for Chopin's Études, Op. 10, Barcarolle, Op. 60, and Sonata No. 2
 * 2006: Category: Best solo performance with orchestra, for Brahms: The Piano Concertos
 * 2010: Category: Best solo performance, for Chopin's Nocturnes

Orders

 * 2007: Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
 * 2011: Legion of Honour