New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Sébastien Hurtaud & Benjamin Northey
Biography New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Sébastien Hurtaud & Benjamin Northey
Sebastien Hurtaud
The French concert cellist Sébastien Hurtaud was born in La Rochelle, France. Influenced by his family consisting of artists and skippers, the focus of Sébastien’s career has been on classical music and traveling around the world to discover new cultures and new composers, and to imbuing his interpretation of cello works from past centuries with this knowledge and experiences.
He first garnered international attention in 2009, after winning the “Adam” International Cello Competition, established by Alexander Ivashkin. Since then, Sébastien has developed a career as a soloist in Europe, New Zealand and the USA, as well as his native France, as a live and recording artist.
Conductors and presenters have praise Hurtaud’s lyric, sensitive and powerful playing. The international press has lauded his expressive performances. Forbes, Fanfare disc magazine, Strad Magazine, the New-Zealand Herald tribune and other publications describe his performances as "overwhelming, creative, dynamic and dramatic.[...] The soul of a Rostropovich and the virtuosity of a Feuerman [...]".
His new album with UK Rubicon Classics mirrors his artistic musical journey. Sébastien’s new album featuring the Elgar and Farr concertos was recorded under the direction of Australian conductor Benjamin Northey. In 2016, the French artist commissioned acclaimed New Zealand composer Gareth Farr to write the concerto “Chemin des Dames”, and then in 2017, he performed the world premiere of this cello concerto in Wellington, Auckland with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. The European premiere took place in France at the Laon International Festival accompanied by the Metz National Orchestra. Hurtaud was invited to celebrate the Armistice that ended World War I at the cathedral of the historic site of Les Invalides in Paris. He performed both the Elgar and the Farr concertos with the National Guard Symphonic Orchestra. He was invited to perform a concert that was broadcast by the prestigious Radio France Inter at the program "Le Grand Atelier” for millions' listeners.
