Gautier Capuçon rose quickly through the ranks to become one of the leading French cellists of the 21st century by his 20th birthday. Like
Mstislav Rostropovich before him,
Capuçon is also an accomplished pianist, but his keyboard tastes expand beyond the realm of classical music and include jazz. What is remarkable about
Capuçon is what he managed to accomplish so quickly: by his mid-twenties, he had won two important competitions and appeared on nearly 20 major recordings with artists like
Martha Argerich and
Myung-Whun Chung, among many others. His choice of repertory has been broad, taking in standards by
Haydn,
Beethoven,
Mendelssohn, and
Brahms, and lesser-knowns from the 21st century, such as
Erwin Schulhoff,
Hanns Eisler, and
Éric Tanguy.
Capuçon was born in Chambéry, France, on September 3, 1981. His brother is renowned violinist
Renaud Capuçon, with whom he often collaborates in works like the
Beethoven Triple Concerto and in various chamber works.
Gautier began playing the cello at age four and the piano at seven. He enrolled at the École Nationale de Musique de Chambéry, where he studied both instruments. In his teens, he studied at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris, where his teachers included Annie Cochet-Zakine. After his 1997 graduation, he enrolled for further study at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris for three more years with cello pedagogue
Philippe Muller, among other teachers. While a student there,
Capuçon played cello in the
European Union Youth Orchestra and the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester, and in 1999, he captured first prize in the André Navarra International Cello Competition. After graduation in 2000,
Capuçon had further studies with
Heinrich Schiff in Vienna. By then, he was an active performer on the concert scene in Europe, appearing with major orchestras and conductors. Among his chamber music partners are
Daniel Barenboim,
Jean-Yves Thibaudet, and
Yuja Wang.
Capuçon has recorded for several labels, including EMI, Virgin Classics, and TDK, though he is an exclusive artist with Erato. Among his earliest recordings were a pair of acclaimed albums: Haydn Concertos No. 1, 2 & 4 with
Daniel Harding and the
Mahler Chamber Orchestra on EMI, and, with his brother, a Virgin Classics album of duets entitled Face à Face featuring works by
Kodály,
Halvorsen, and others. In 2020,
Capuçon joined his brother and
Frank Braley on a recording of
Beethoven's Ghost and Archduke piano trios.
In 2007,
Capuçon married Delphine Borsarello, also a talented cellist.