Nelson Freire

Nelson José Pinto Freire (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈnɛwsõ ˈfɾejɾ(i)]; 18 October 1944 - 1 November 2021) was a Brazilian classical pianist. A child prodigy from Minas Gerais, Freire studied in Rio de Janeiro and Vienna before winning the Vianna da Motta International Music Competition in 1964. He played music from Bach and Beethoven to Chopin, Schumann, Brahms, Debussy, Liszt and Brazilian composers. Romantic music formed much of his concert and recorded repertory. He performed with orchestras in Europe, the Americas and Asia, working with conductors including Pierre Boulez, Riccardo Chailly, Charles Dutoit, Valery Gergiev, Eugen Jochum, Lorin Maazel, Kurt Masur, Seiji Ozawa and André Previn. Martha Argerich was one of his closest friends and his most frequent piano-duo partner. Freire recorded for CBS/Columbia, Sony, Teldec, Philips, Decca, Deutsche Grammophon and Berlin Classics. His recordings received the Edison Award, the Gramophone Award, the Diapason d'Or, the ECHO Klassik and a Latin Grammy Award. He was nominated three times for a Grammy Award.