Richard Clayderman

Richard Clayderman (born Philippe Pagès on December 28, 1953, Paris) is a French pianist who has released numerous albums including the original compositions by Paul de Senneville and Olivier Toussaint, and instrumental renditions of popular music, rearrangements of movie sound tracks, ethnic music, and easy-listening arrangements of most popular works of classical music.

Early Life

His father who was a piano teacher began teaching the piano to him at a very young age. It is said that, at the age of six, he could read music more adeptly than his native language.

At the age of twelve, he was accepted at the Conservatoire of Music where, at sixteen, he won first prize of the piano. He was predicted a promising career as a classical pianist. Shortly after this, he cast aside his classical training and turned to contemporary music, because at that time his father was ill and unable to financially support his son. So, in order to earn a living, he found work as an accompanist and session musician.

Ballade pour Adeline

In 1976 he was invited from Olivier Toussaint a French record producer and his partner Paul de Senneville to record a gentle piano ballad. Paul de Senneville had composed this ballad as a tribute to his new born daughter “Adeline”. The 23 year old Philippe Pagès was auditioned along with 20 other pianists. They liked his special and soft touch on the keyboards combined with his good looks and fine personality, and finally he got the job.

Philippe Pagès' name was changed to Richard Clayderman (he adopted his great-grandmother's last name to avoid mispronunciation of his real name outside France), and the single took off, selling an astonishing 22 million copies in 38 countries. It was called Ballade pour Adeline.

Success

He has recorded over 1,200 melodies and has created a new romantic style through a repertoire which combines his trademark originals with classics and pop standards. He has clocked up worldwide record sales of approximately 90 million, at the last count, and an incredible 267 Gold and 70 Platinum discs to his credit.

Clayderman’s music continues to be exceedingly popular in East Asia, in places such as Japan, Taiwan and Mainland China. Some Chinese music teachers attribute the popularity of his music in Mainland China to the increase in the number of piano students since the 1980s, and some even believe in the other way: it was due to the popularity of Clayderman's music that the number of piano students surged. According to the book Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams, published 1990, Clayderman was the most-played artist in China then.

In 1984 Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York organized a celebration of music,there First Lady of the United States Nancy Reagan give him “The Prince of Romance” title.

Discography

A

A Comme Amour (CD)
A Dream of Love (CD)
A Little Night Music (CD)
A little Romance (CD)
All by myself (2 CD SET)
Always (CD)
América Latina...mon amour (CD)
Amour (CD)
Amour pour amour (CD)
Anemos (CD
Anniversary Collection (5 CD SET)
Antique Pianos (CD)
Arabesque (CD)
A Touch of Latino (CD)

B

Ballade pour Adeline (LP / 33T) (WW Sales: 30 million)
Ballade pour Adeline (1985-CD)
Ballade pour Adeline and other Love Stories (CD)
Best 100 (Italy version) (2 CD)
Best 100 (Japan version) (2 CD)
Best Friend (CD)
Best of Classics (2 CD SET)
Best of Richard Clayderman (CD)
Brazilian Passion (CD)
Para Reynosa tamaulipas

C

Carpenters Collection (CD)
Chansons d'Amour (2 LP SET)
Chinese Evergreen (CD)
Chinese Garden (CD)
Chinese Garden/Cherished Moments (CD + VCD)
Christmas (LP / 33T)
Christmas Album (CD)
Claire De Lune (3 CD SET)
Classic Touch (CD)
Classics (CD)
Clayderman 2000 (CD)
Coeur Fragile (CD)
Collection, The (CD)
Confluence, The (CD)
Couleur Tendresses (1982,LP / 33T)

D

Deluxe (2 CD SET)
Desperado (CD)
Deutsche Volkslieder (CD)
Digital Concerto (CD)
Dimanche et fêtes (CD Single)

E

Ecos de sudamérica (CD)
Ein Träum von Liebe (LP / 33T)
Eléana (LP / 33T)
Eléana (CD)
Encore (CD)
En Venezuela (CD)
Essential (3 CD SET)
Essential Classics (CD)
Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime (CD)

F

Fantastic Movie story of Ennio Morricone (CD)
Fifty for Israel (1998, 2 CD SET)
Forever My Way (CD, 2006)
France, mon Amour (CD)
Friends France - Original (CD + VCD)
Friends France (CD + VCD)
From the Heart (LP / 33T)
From this moment on (2006/CD)

G

Golden Hearts (CD)
Golden Moments (CD)

H

Hollywood and Broadway (CD)

I

Il y a toujours de Soleil au dessus des Nuages (CD)
In amore (CD) (Originally produced (1999) (Polydor Records: 1995-1996)
In Harmony (CD)
In the key of love (2 CD SET)
Introducing Richard Clayderman (CD)

J

Japon mon Amour (CD)
Joue-moi tes rêves (CD)

L

Les Musiques de L'amour (LP / 33T)
Les Musiques de L'amour (CD Version)
Les Nouvelles Ballades Romantiques (CD)
Les Rendez Vous de Hasard (CD)
Les Sonates (CD)
Lettre à ma Mère (CD)
Lettre à ma Mère (LP / 33T)
Love, American Style (CD)
Love Collection (CD)
Love Follow Us (CD)
Love Follow Us 2 (CD)
Love, French Style (CD)
Love, Italian Style (CD)
Love Songs of Andrew Lloyd Webber (CD)

M

Magic of Brazilian Music (CD)
Magic of Richard Clayderman (2 x LP)
Matrimonio D'Amour
Masters of Melody (3 CD SET)
Medley Concerto (LP / 33T)
Meisterstücke (CD)
Memories (DVD / VHS)
Millennium Gold (CD)
Mexico con amor (CD)
Musical Collection (Double CD)
Music of Richard Clayderman (LP / 33T)
My Australian Collection (CD)
My Bossa Nova Favourites (CD)
My Classic Collection (CD)
My favourite Oldies (2 CD SET)
Mysterious Eternity (CD)

N

New (2005)
New era (CD + VCD)
Number 1 Hits (Double CD)

O

On TV (CD)
Omaggio (CD)

P

Piano et orchestre (CD Version of the Debut Album)
null Piano moods (Double CD)
Plays Abba (CD)
Premiers chagrins d'Elsa, Les (1983, LP/33T)

Q

Quel gran genio del mio amico... (CD)

R

Remembering the Movies (CD)
Rendez-vous (Produced by COBA)
Rêveries (LP / 33T)
Rêveries No.2 (CD)
Richard Clayderman (1977 Debut album) (LP / 33T)
Richard Clayderman (1982) (LP / 33T)
Richard Clayderman in Concert - Japan (Video)
Richard Clayderman in Concert - England (Video)
Richard Clayderman Plays Abba, The Hits (CD)
Romance and the piano of Richard Clayderman (CD)
Romantic (CD)
Romantic America (Canadian Release) (CD)
Romantic Dreams (CD)
Romantic Nights (CD) One of a 10xCD compilation set from St Clair.
Rondo pour un tout petit enfant (CD)

S

Scandinavian Collection (CD)
Serenade de l'etoile (Coup de Coeur) (CD)
Smiling Joey (CD Single)
Songs of Love (CD)
Souvenirs (CD)
Souvenir of Love (LP / 33T)
Stage and Screen (CD)
Sweet Memories (Cassette)
Sweet Memories (LP / 33T)

T

Tango (CD)
Thailand mon Amour (CD)
The best 100 (CD 2006)
Together (CD)
Together at Last (CD)
Träumereien 3 (CD)
Träummelodien (CD)
Treasury of love (CD) One of a 10xCD compilation set from St Clair.
Turquie mon amour (CD)
Two Together (CD)

U

Ultimate Collection (4xCD)

V

Very best of Richard Clayderman (CD)
Very best of Richard Clayderman (DISKY) (3 x CD)

W

What a wonderful World (2 CD SET)
When a man loves a woman (CD)
When love songs were love songs (CD)
With Love (1988) (LP / 33T)
With Love (1997) (CD)
With Love (1999) (CD)
World Tour (CD)

Z

Zodiacal Symphony (CD)

Numbers

25 Years of Golden Hits (2xCD)
30 Ans - The chemin de gloire (30 years - The path of glory) (2xCD)
50 Exitos Romanticos (3xCD)
101 Solistes Tziganes (CD)

Clayderman's arrangement of Three Blind Mice has appeared on Bill Bailey's disc The Ultimate Collection... Ever!

References

External links