Une soirée avec Erik Berchot - masterclass

Over the course of his career, Erik Berchot has had the privilege of accompanying Charles Aznavour at the piano for more than ten years and of developing a close musical relationship with Michel Legrand, whom he met during his years of training at the Conservatoire. A prize-winner of the prestigious International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, he has a singular career, at the crossroads of these three great figures of music. He teaches piano at the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris, where he will teach pianists the secrets of interpreting Chopin.

Trained at the Conservatoire national supérieur de musique de Paris, where he won first prizes in piano and chamber music in Yvonne Loriod's class, Erik Berchot continued his studies with Germaine Mounier before becoming a soloist with Radio France.

A prize-winner of numerous international competitions, including the Marguerite-Long, Viotti, Maria-Canals and Warsaw Frédéric Chopin competitions, he has built a career that has taken him to international stages as well as to the cinema. In 1985, he lent his pianistic talent to Claude Lelouch's film Partir, revenir, where he performed Rachmaninov's Second Piano Concerto and an original work by Michel Legrand.

A lasting musical partnership links him to Legrand, who entrusted him with several transcriptions of his compositions. He also shared the stage with actor Philippe Étesse in Chopin ou le Malheur de l'idéal, a show that enjoyed great success with close to 250 performances.

From 2007, he accompanied Charles Aznavour at the piano for more than ten years, on concerts in France and around the world. Alongside these collaborations, he has continued his career as a concert pianist and has recorded works by great composers, including Chopin, Rachmaninov, Saint-Saëns and Debussy.

In 2009, he was made a Chevalier of the Ordre national du Mérite, an honour presented to him by Michel Legrand.

He is currently on stage at the Théâtre de Passy in the show J'ai trois amours, running until 29 December.