Xavier Gagnepain

A curious spirit, Xavier Gagnepain expresses his passion for music in many different ways.

A cellist and disciple of Maurice Gendron, winner of several international prizes (Munich, Sao Paulo, etc.), he is invited to perform with renowned orchestras across Europe. A fervent interpreter of contemporary music (he was the first to play the complete cycle dedicated to Paul Sacher), he is also committed to promoting lesser-known repertoires.

He is also a dedicated chamber musician, both with the Rosamonde Quartet and with many other partners.

He devotes a significant part of his time to teaching, with a renowned class at the PSPPBB and the CRR in Boulogne-Billancourt, as well as numerous public classes in France and abroad.

In addition, he is increasingly devoting himself to conducting, regularly conducting in France, Spain, and Portugal.

His book Du musicien en général… au violoncelliste en particulier (Cité de la Musique), which has already been reprinted several times, has enjoyed lasting success. A new edition was published at the end of 2017 in an expanded format. The original text is followed by a second essay: Les clefs du temps musical.

His extensive discography includes a complete recording of Gabriel Fauré’s works for cello and piano with Jean-Michel Dayez, a CD devoted to the works of Vincent Paulet, and the beautiful film “Ainsi la Nuit,” released on DVD, which explores the connection between Henri Dutilleux and the Rosamonde Quartet.

In 2020, he devoted the lockdown period to a vast project of writing an accompanying part for second cello for Popper’s famous 40 études op. 73, and took the opportunity to produce an Urtext revision. The ensemble was published in 2021 by Éditions Buissonnières. This project led to a new one: recording the 40 studies with 40 cellists who had studied with him over the course of 40 years of teaching. The entire collection, already available on NomadPlay, will be released on CD by NomadMusic in 2023.

In January 2023, he agreed to relaunch the AFV (Association Française du Violoncelle) by becoming its president.