Julien Libeer (born in Kortrijk in October 1987) is a Belgian classical pianist. Libeer has won several awards for his compositions, and regularly performs his works at a variety of international stadiums. He is the host of Belgian television show Studio Flagey Klassik, a television show about classical music.
As a child, Libeer developed a keen interest for classical music, ranging from opera, orchestra, and chamber music. At four years old, he aspired to become a conductor after watching Leonard Bernstein conducting West Side Story.[1][2] He decided to become a pianist only after discovering Romanian pianist and composer, Dinu Lipatti.[3]
Between 2005 and 2009, Libeer studied[4] at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels (along with Daniel Blumenthal). At 18 years of age, he honed his skills working with French-Polish pedagogue, Jean Fassina, in Paris. Libeer had an intense collaboration with Portuguese pianist Maria João Pires at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel,[5] whose advice and support strongly influenced Libeer's views over the last few years. He regularly shared the stage with the pianist over the same years.[6]
After staying away from international competition,[7] Libeer received the Juventus Award for most promising young European soloist in 2008,[8] and was elected Young Musician of the Year by the Belgian Music Press Association in 2010. The Klara award was attributed to him twice, in 2013[9] and 2016.[10]
He works on a regular basis with the Danish String Quartet, Camille Thomas,[12] with whom he recorded the album Réminiscences (La Dolce Volta), Paul Lewis, Maria João Pires and Lorenzo Gatto, with whom he also performed and recorded the complete Beethoven violin and piano sonatas over several seasons (at venues including Wigmore Hall, Louvre, and the Concertgebouw Amsterdam).
Libeer is a regular guest of Belgian and international media.[13][14][15]
He is the producer, host and mediator of Studio Flagey Klassiek on Canvas,[16] a major Belgian television show on classical music (2016). He hosted "Salon Libeer", a concert series at the Bruges Concertgebouw,[17][18] in which he joins with fellow musicians and speakers to discuss the musical experiences of the audience (2017–2021). Since February 2022, Libeer has been hosting the lecture series "Dead or Alive" in collaboration with LUCA School of Arts[19] and the Catholic University of Leuven, a philosophical exploration of the shifts in classical music making where leading figures are invited to debate (philosophers, writers, musicians…). In 2013, Libeer starred in a documentary film Technique doesn't exist,[20][21] along with Maria João Pires and Donald Sturrock. In 2018, Musiq'3/RTBF honored him in another 50-minute documentary Jeunes solistes, grands destins: Julien Libeer (Young soloist, great destiny: Julien Libeer).[22]
Artistic director of the Singing Molenbeek project,[23] Libeer supervises high level choir rehearsals in the primary schools of the Brussels municipality. The project has gathered the help of various artists since its creation in 2014 by Zeno Popescu.[24]
Ludwig van Beethoven: Violin Sonatas No. 3 in E Flat-Major, Op. 12 No. 3; No. 7 in C Minor, Op. 30 No. 2; No. 6 in A Major, Op. 30 No. 1; No. 8 in G Major, Op. 30 No. 3. Lorenzo Gatto, violin and Julien Libeer, piano. (1CD, 2019, Alpha Classics).[37] Press award: CHOC from Classica.
Ludwig van Beethoven : Violin Sonatas No. 1 in D Major, Op. 12, No. 1; No. 10 in G Major, Op. 96; No. 5 in F Major, Op. 24 "Spring". Lorenzo Gatto, violin and Julien Libeer, piano. (1CD, 2018, Alpha Classics).[38]
Ludwig van Beethoven : Violin Sonatas No. 9 in A Major, Op. 47 "Kreutzer"; No. 4 in A Minor, Op. 23; No. 2 in A Major, Op. 12, No. 2. Lorenzo Gatto, violin and Julien Libeer, piano. (1CD, 2016, Alpha Classics) – Press awards: Diapason d'Or of the year 2016,[39] CHOC of the year 2016 from Classica.
Lignes Parallèlles[41][42] – Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 49 in F Minor, Hob. I:49 "La passione" (The Passion) – Dinu Lipatti: Concertino in Classical Style in G Major, Op. 3, for piano and Chamber orchestra – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 27 in B-Flat Major, K. 595. Julien Libeer, piano; Les Métamorphoses, orchestra; Raphaël Feye, conductor. (1CD, 2018, Evil Penguin Classic) – Press award: 5 de Diapason.
^Robault, Adélaïde (11 February 2022). "La playlist classique de Julien Libeer, pianiste" [The classical playlist of Julien Libeer, pianist]. Classique mais pas has been (in French). France. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
^Muñoz, Mario (8 February 2015). "Maria João Pires: sentido y sensibilidad" [Maria João Pires: sense and sensibility]. bachtrack.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 February 2023. El elegido en esta ocasión para acompañarla era Julien Libeer, alumno suyo y pianista muy notable a pesar de no haber cumplido aún treinta años. [The one chosen on this occasion to accompany her was Julien Libeer, her pupil and very notable pianist despite not having turned thirty yet.]
^"Studio Flagey Klassiek on Canvas" [A talk show about classical music with Julien Libeer]. Canvas.be (in French). 15 January 2016. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
^"Réminiscences – Album review". prestomusic.com. 18 November 2016. Retrieved 27 February 2023. Camille Thomas and Julien Liebeer, ardent champions of chamber music, have devised an exceptionally varied yet coherent recital of French music for cello and piano
^van der Wal, Aart (1 February 2016). "Julien Libeer – Lignes Claires – CD-recensie" [Album review]. opusklassiek.nl. Retrieved 27 February 2023. Zo is ook het spel van Julien Libeer, dat naar mijn gevoel uitmondt in een weliswaar deels postume maar toch niet minder actuele ontmoeting tussen drie meesters van het klavier: Lipatti, Ravel en Libeer. [This is a posthumous but no less contemporary encounter between three masters of the keyboard: Lipatti, Ravel and Libeer.]
^Hanlon, Richard (1 November 2018). "Album Review". MusicWeb International. Retrieved 27 February 2023. The Alpha engineers seem to have achieved an almost perfect, natural balance. On that account alone I wholeheartedly commend these lovely, warm performances to lovers of these mercurial masterpieces. Frankly on this evidence Gatto and Libeer can hold their heads high in the face of any of this competition.
^Clements, Dominy (1 March 2019). "Julien Libeer – Lignes Parallèlles – Album Review". MusicWeb International. Retrieved 27 February 2023. This superbly curated and produced programme stands on its own, and comes with the highest recommendation as far as I'm concerned.
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