At a time when interpretation tends to become uniform, Gaëtane Prouvost presents herself as the heiress of the Franco-Belgian school of violin. Trained in Paris by Roland Charmy and Jean Hubeau, she joined Ivan Galamian at the Juilliard School of New-York like many contemporary virtuosos. But her true master will be Zino Francescatti, one of the great violinists of the previous century and heir to Paganini's technique. She has dedicated a biography to him (Ed. de l’Harmattan) and a CD bringing together his original compositions and transcriptions (Ed. l’Empreinte Digitale).
Endowed with a solid technique and a rare sound, which constitute the distinctive mark of the Paganinian tradition, Gaëtane Prouvost’s playing lends itself equally well to the lightness of the Baroque repertoire as to the generosity of the great Romantics. The dedicatee of many contemporary works, including Michel Rateau’s Concerto and Olivier Greif’s Sonata and Variations, she is frequently invited by the Ensemble Intercontemporain where she plays under the direction of Kent Nagano, Gary Bertini and Pierre Boulez. Chosen by Olivier Messiaën, she performed the Quatuor pour la Fin du Temps during its creation in the USSR.
With the Prague Camerata Bohemiana orchestra and under her direction, she premiered Rémi Gousseau's concerto in 2015. A guest professor at the Prague Academy and Conservatory, she regularly gives master classes there, particularly on French music. She has pursued research into the relationship between the body and mind, particularly through the Frederic Mathias Alexander method. Passionate about chamber music, she has collaborated with Abdel Rahman el Bacha, Emmanuelle Bertrand, Pascal Amoyel, Laurent Cabasso, Emmanuel Ceysson, Valérie Aimard, Jean-Paul Sevilla, Damien Lehman, Jun Kanno, the Enesco Quartet, Yovan Markovitch, Diana Ligeti, Dana Ciocarlie, etc.
Each of her albums has been critically acclaimed. Thus, Prokofiev's violin and piano sonatas with Abdel Rahman El Bacha received the best awards from Gramophone magazine and the Choc du Monde de la Musique. With Laurent Cabasso, she recorded the complete chamber music of Gabriel Pierné as well as the work of Louise Farrenc, two discs awarded by the specialist press. Her recording with Eliane Reyes on the piano is dedicated to the Franco-Belgian school: sonatas by Vincent d'Indy, Ermend Bonnal and Albert Dupuis. This recording is among the five Nominees for the Octaves de la Musique 2021 - the equivalent of the Victoires de la Musique in Belgium.
On the occasion of the centenary of the death of Gabriel Fauré, her latest recording celebrates the French composer and his illustrious students Enesco, Boulanger and Ravel. Recorded with Dana Ciocarlie and Mara Dobresco, the album was released in November 2023 under the EnPhases label.
Gaëtane Prouvost has designed and created several shows interweaving music and literature: Vol de nuit, based on the texts of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, La Princesse et le Musicien, around the epistolary relationship that Gabriel Fauré had with the Princesse de Polignac. Alma Mahler, La confusion des sentiments. And for the year 2025, a show "Amoureuse Colette". She shares the stage with eminent actors, including Didier Sandre, Marie-Christine Barrault, Julie Depardieu and Lambert Wilson.
AWARDS AND DISTINCTIONS
Graduate of the Conservatoire National de Musique de Paris
Graduate of the Juilliard School of New York
Winner of the Carl Flesch International Competition in London
Disque Choc du Monde de la Musique for her recording of PROKOFIEV's sonatas with Abdel Rahman el Bacha
Photo: Manuel Gouthieres