Jean Rondeau

Jean Rondeau, born in 1991 in Paris, is one of the leading harpsichordists of his generation, known for bringing a strikingly free, almost improvisatory sensibility to repertoire often treated by others with academic reverence. He studied at the Paris Conservatoire with Blandine Verlet, and also trained in jazz piano and basso continuo, an unusual dual background that colours his playing with a looser, more spontaneous rhythmic feel than is typical in historical keyboard performance. Rondeau won first prize at the Bruges International Harpsichord Competition in 2012, which launched his international career while still in his early twenties. He records exclusively for Erato (Warner Classics), and his discography has become central to his reputation: Bach: Imagine (2015), his debut, cross-cut Bach keyboard works into a continuous, meditative sequence rather than presenting discrete pieces; Dynastie (2017) explored the Couperin family; Vertigo (2019) paired harpsichord with the Baroque ensemble/orchestral forces of Thomas Dunford and others in a wide-ranging, genre-blurring programme; and Melancholy Grace and subsequent releases have continued his pattern of thematic, atmospheric programming rather than straightforward recital discs. He has also recorded and performed extensively with lutenist Thomas Dunford and with his own ensemble, Nevermind, exploring lesser-known French Baroque chamber repertoire. Rondeau’s survey of the complete harpsichord works of Louis Couperin won both the Instrumental Award and Recording of the Year at the 2026 Gramophone Awards.