Benjamin Alard


Benjamin Alard is a French classical organist, harpsichordist and clavichordist.

Biography

Studies and competitions

Benjamin Alard's principal passion has always been the music of Johann Sebastian Bach and it was for his interpretation of this great composer that he was awarded First Prize and Prize of the audience in the 2004 International Harpsichord Competition in Bruges. He also won the 2007 Gottfried Silbermann Organ Competition in Freiberg.
While still quite young he began studying music in his hometown in Dieppe, France. He was soon drawn to the organ and entered the Conservatory of Rouen where he studied with Louis Thiry and François Ménissier.
He was first introduced to the harpsichord by Elizabeth Joyé, with whom he studied in Paris before going on, in 2003, to the Schola Cantorum in Basel to work with Jörg-Andreas Bötticher, Jean-Claude Zehnder and Andrea Marcon.

Career

Since 2005 he has been organist of the Bernard Aubertin organ in the church of Saint-Louis-en-l'Île in Paris where each season he gives concerts about the music of Bach.
Today Benjamin Alard divides his time between performing recitals and Chamber music on both the harpsichord and organ. He often performs repertoire for two harpsichords with Elisabeth Joyé, in duo with the violinist François Fernandez or in trio but also with flautist Emmanuel Pahud. He is regularly invited to perform as soloist or concertist in music series in Europe, Japan and North America.
Benjamin Alard performs regularly in principal musical centers world-wide, from Paris to Moscow and Saint-Peterbourg and further afield, to Tokyo, Washington, San Diego, Boston, Madrid, Barcelona, Switzerland or Belgium.

Discography

Benjamin Alard has recorded for the label Hortus and has made several recordings of works by J.S. Bach for Alpha Classics. His recordings have consistently received high praise from the press and have been awarded multiple prizes.
He now devotes himself to the complete works for harpsichord and organ solo of Johann Sebastian Bach for harmonia mundi. Seven boxes, of 18, are already available. The artistic approach of Benjamin Alard, as well as his huge project, have been widely acclaimed by classical magazines and cultural medias around the world.
In October 2022, harmonia mundi has published the seventh volume dedicated to Bach's "Orgelbüchlein".

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750): The Complete Works for Keyboard

Source:Volume 7: Orgelbüchlein BWV 599-644 - Benjamin Alard, Organ Quentin Blumenroeder 2009 ; Ensemble Vocal Bergamasque and Marine Fribourg ; Maîtrise Notre Dame de Paris, Children's Choir and Émilie Fleury..Volume 6: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1 BWV 846-869, marking the work’s 300th anniversary. Programme Supplements: Little keyboard book for Wilhelm Friedemann Bach; 6 Preludes for beginners on the keyboard BWV 933-938 assigned to Wilhelm Friedemann Bach - Benjamin Alard, Historical Harpsichord Hicronymus Albrecht Haas, Musée instrumental de Provins, France / Clavichord Johann Adolph Hasse, Musée instrumental de Provins, France.. Press awards: Editor's Choice May 2022 and Best Classical Music Album of the Year 2022 on Gramophone, Diapason d'Or, ***** Classica.Volume 5: Toccata - Weimar 1708-1717 - Toccatas BWV 565, 910, 911, 916; Toccatas & Fugues BWV 538, 540; Preludes and fugues BWV 536a, 543 & 543/1a, 545, 895; Concertos BWV 981, 982, 985, 987 after Georg Philipp Telemann, Prince Johann Ernst of Saxe-Weimar an Benedetto Marcello, etc. Benjamin Alard, Organ Quentin Blumenroeder 2009 / Pedal harpsichord Philippe Humeau, after Carl Conrad Fleischer / Clavichord Émile Jobin, after Christian Gottfried Friederici Gera, Cité de la Musique - Philharmonie de Paris, France.. Press awards: ***** Classica, ***** Rivista Musica.Volume 4: Alla Veneziana – Concerti Italiani: Organ Concertos BWV 592-94, 596; Concertos BWV 972-76, 978-80 after Antonio Vivaldi and Alessandro Marcello; Preludes 8 & Fugues BWV 535 & 894; Fantasia and Fugue BWV 944; Fugues, Trios, Chorale Preludes, etc. Benjamin Alard, Historical Harpsichord Mattia De Gand, restored by Graziano Bandini, Museo Santa Caterina, Treviso / Pedal harpsichord Philippe Humeau, after Carl Conrad Fleischer - Quentin Blumenroeder / Historical Organ Andreas Silbermann, restored by Quentin Blumenroeder, Abbaye Saint-Étienne, Marmoutier.. Press award: ***** Classica, Scherzo Excepcional.Volume 3: In the French Style - ‘À la française’, ‘Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr’, ‘La Suite de danses’. Programme Supplements: works by Johann Caspar Ferdinand Fischer, François Couperin, Nicolas de Grigny, André Raison. Benjamin Alard, Historical Harpsichord, early eighteenth century, from Château d’Assas (France) / Historical Organ Andreas Silbermann, from Abbaye Saint-Étienne, Marmoutier / Harpsichord Philippe Humeau, after Carl Conrad Fleischer.. Press awards: Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik 2020, Album of the year 2020 from Gramophone, ***** Classica, Scherzo Excepcional.Volume 2: Towards the North, 1705-1708 - Lübeck, Hamburg, Erbarm dich mein, The Traveler. Programme Supplements: works by Buxtehude, Reincken, Pachelbel. Benjamin Alard, organ Freytag-Tricoteaux after Arp Schnitger / Claviorganum Blumenroeder / Harpsichord François Ciocca after Grimaldi / organ Quentin Blumenroeder..Volume 1: The Young Heir, 1699-1705 - Ohrdruf, Lüneburg, Amstadt: Chorales, Fantasies, Preludes & Fugues, included Capriccio sopra la lontananza del suo fratello dilettissimo BWV 992. Programme Supplements: works by Johann Michael Bach, Johann Christoph Bach, Girolamo Frescobaldi, Johann Kuhnau, Georg Böhm, Johann Jakob Froberger, Johann Pachelbel, Louis Marchand, Nicolas de Grigny. Benjamin Alard, Historical organ Andreas Silbermann, restored by Manufacture Blumenroeder / Harpsichord Émile Jobin after Rückers and Dulken. Guest artist: Gerlinde Sämann, soprano.. Press award: Choc de Classica.

Other harpsichord recordings

Other organ recordings

Artistic collaborations