New York/Berlin, July 9, 2020 – Sony Classical is proud to announce the exclusive signing of 29-year-old award-winning cellist Pablo Ferrández.
The musician whom Anne-Sophie Mutter described as “someone truly special” (and with whom she has recently performed Brahms’ Double Concerto and Beethoven’s Triple Concerto) was a prize-winner at the XV International Tchaikovsky Competition, and in 2016 was named the Young Artist of the Year by the International Classical Music Awards.
He is building a prominent career and has performed in many of the major concert halls of the world with conductors such as Zubin Mehta, Gustavo Dudamel, Christoph Eschenbach and Daniele Gatti, and has appeared in chamber concerts with artists of the stature of Martha Argerich, Gidon Kremer, Vadim Repin, Yuja Wang and Khatia Buniatishvili. Orchestras with which he has worked include the London Philharmonic, LA Phil (at the Hollywood Bowl), Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic and the Rotterdam Philharmonic.
Ferrández was born into a musical family in Madrid in 1991. His father is a cellist, and his mother a music teacher who created “El Mago Diapasón”, a new method of introducing children to music. At the age of thirteen, he joined the prestigious Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía to study with Natalia Shakhovskaya, a former pupil of Rostropovich. He then continued his studies at the Kronberg Academy in Germany with Frans Helmerson, and after this became a scholar of the Anne-Sophie Mutter Foundation.
Critics often refer to the charm and immediacy of Ferrández’s performances (“Ferrández has the lot: technique, mettle, spirit, authority as a soloist, expressivity and charm” – El País; “Pop-idol magnetism, superb technique and exhilarating musicality reveal a sure star in the making” – Los Angeles Times) and these qualities transfer easily to his delightful vlogs, videos and Instagram posts, in which he offers the public access to some of his performances, shares insights into his life as a young musician and discusses technical problems of fingering and bowing. “I started to do it just for fun a few years ago,” he says. “It’s a great way to keep in touch with people who follow my career. And as a student, I would have loved to see things like this. I really hope it helps.”
In summer 2020 Ferrández will record his first studio album for Sony Classical in Berlin. The album will be released in January 2021 just before he starts extensive touring around Europe, the US and China.
Ferrández currently plays the Stradivarius cello known as “Lord Aylesford” (1696), on loan from the Nippon Foundation. The panel which selected him for this honour was chaired by Lorin Maazel.
Said Pablo Ferrández of this new collaboration with Sony Classical: “Signing with Sony Classical is a dream come true. I grew up listening to many of their artists’ iconic recordings, which really had a strong impact in my youth. I am very excited to start working with Sony Classical’s fantastic team, developing projects and recording repertoire that hopefully will inspire the generations to come.”
Per Hauber, President of Sony Classical, added: “Pablo does what only a few virtuosos can do: he combines incredible technical skill and great musicality with enviable lightness. Pablo has the rogue in his eyes and an inimitable charm as everyone can see on his socials. I am really looking forward to the fact that Sony Classical will be his exclusive partner on this exciting journey to a unique career.”