Claude Kahn

Claude Kahn (born 9 November 1935) is a French classical pianist. Internationally renowned concert performer, known for his interpretations of Romantic music and more precisely the music of Chopin, but also of French music (Debussy, Fauré, Ravel) as soloist or accompanied by great orchestras in the world.

Born in Marseille, Kahn started playing the piano at the age of four, then for over 10 years was a student of Marguerite Long. His other teachers were Yves Nat and Nadia Boulanger. In 1956, he received the prize for best interpretation for La Campanella unanimously by the jury at the Franz Liszt Competition in Budapest, when he was only 15, as well as the Grand Prix Casella in Naples, the Grand Prix de l'École Française de Musique, the Medal of the Competition in Geneva.

He has released over twenty albums dedicated to Chopin, his favourite composer, but also Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Liszt, Schumann, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Fauré, Ravel, Debussy, and others...

In 1970, he created the "Claude Kahn International Piano Competition" which became "International" in 1980 and European in 1990. The finals and the concert of the winners traditionally take place Salle Gaveau in Paris. Among the winners are Bernard d'Ascoli, Laure Favre-Kahn, Jean-Frédéric Neuburger, Delphine Bardin, François Weigel, and Alexandre Tharaud.

Source: Article "Claude Kahn" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.