“This young man, undoubtedly the most gifted of his generation, is destined for the most brilliant future, endowed with astonishing technical mastery and astounding musicality.” — ResMusica “In every register of the clarinet, his is a sound of rare beauty and dazzling virtuosity in service of the music.” — La Nouvelle République

“I found this to be music-making of great sensitivity and depth. Sévère possesses a lovely tone that is remarkably even throughout the clarinet’s range, and a superb legato. He shapes a phrase lovingly and has impeccable intonation.” — Fanfare Magazine “At 18, Raphaël Sévère is both an accomplished virtuoso and a perfect musician.” — Altamusica “In the Mozart concerto, Raphaël Sévère showed astonishing mastery, not only in his flawless technique, but also in his understanding of a rich score.” — L’Alsace “He played beautifully and exuded pure charm when addressing his audience. Sévère’s playing had a decided vocal quality to it, nuanced and expressive, with an ever-varying sound. His performance proved that individualism in music—not sounding just like everyone else—can and does work. Compelling and beautiful...this was a most rewarding recital.” — The Rutland Herald “This young musician already combines flawless technique, a rich tonal palette, and a seasoned sense of interpretation.” — Sud-Ouest

Photo: Matt Dine

YOUNG CONCERT ARTISTS, INC. 250 West 57 Street, Suite 1222 New York, NY 10107

Telephone: (212) 307-6655 Fax: (212) 581-8894 management@yca.org www.yca.org

First Prize, 2013 Young Concert Artists International Auditions

The Alexander Kasza-Kasser Debut Prize • The Korean Concert Society Prize

The Leona Green Award for Winds • Washington Performing Arts Society Prize

The Vancouver Recital Society Prize • The Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival Prize

The University of Florida Performing Arts Prize • The Paramount Theatre Prize

The Embassy Series Prize • The Sinfonia Gulf Coast Prize

RAPHAËL SÉVÈRE, clarinetist

[surname is pronounced: Say-VAIR] ______________________________________

NOTE: When editing, please do not delete references to Young Concert Artists, nor special prizes. Please do not use previously dated biographies. 07/2016

RAPHAËL SÉVÈRE, clarinetist

“Destined for the most brilliant future, gifted with astonishing technical mastery and astounding musicality” (ResMusica), French clarinetist Raphaël Sévère is quickly gaining attention. This season, he performs recitals in the U.S. at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and La Jolla Music Society, and appears as soloist with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s at Alice Tully Hall in the Young Concert Artists Gala Concert, premiering YCA Composer Chris Rogerson’s Four Autumn Landscapes. Abroad, he gives recitals at prestigious venues including the Théâtre des Champs Elysées de Paris and the Rheingau Musik Festival, among others, and performs the Mozart Concerto with the London Philharmonic under Michael Seal, as well as concertos with L’Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse and L’Orchestre National de Lille. As a soloist, Mr. Sévère has performed with many orchestras throughout France, including the Orchestre National d’Ile de France, and outside of his home country, he has played with the Russian National Symphony Orchestra, the Czech Philharmonic, the Budapest Chamber Orchestra, the Polish Chamber Orchestra, the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, and the Deutsches Sinfonieorchester at the Berlin Philharmonie in the Weber Concerto No. 1 under Aziz Shokhakimov.

He has also participated in La Folle Journée festivals in Nantes, Bilbao, and Tokyo, as well as the Festival de Radio France et Montpellier, Festival International de Colmar, Festival de Menton, Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in Germany, Festival Amadeus in Geneva, KKL in Lucerne, Fondazione La Società dei Concerti di Milano, and French May in Hong-Kong. In the U.S., he has performed concerts at the University of Florida Performing Arts, the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, the Embassy Series, Vancouver Recital Society, the Paramount Theatre, the Port Washington Library, the University at Buffalo, the Center for Arts in Natick, Rockefeller University, and the Levine School of Music, and as soloist with Sinfonia Gulf Coast and the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra in Canada. A seasoned chamber player, Mr. Sévère frequently collaborates with distinguished musicians including YCA alumni Jean-Frédéric Neuburger, Olivier Charlier, and the Modigliani String Quartet.

Winner of the 2013 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, Mr. Sévère gave his New York and Washington, D.C. recital debuts on the Young Concert Artists Series. At the YCA Auditions, he was the recipient of the Alexander Kasza-Kasser Prize and the Korean Concert Society Prize, which provided support for his Kennedy Center debut, as well as the Leona Green Prize for Winds.

After an early music education that included piano, violin, and cello, Mr. Sévère began playing the clarinet at the age of eight, and made his concerto debut at 11 with the Macao Youth Symphony Orchestra conducted by Yu Feng of the Beijing Opera Orchestra. Subsequently, his budding career took off when he won five international competitions at the age of 12. Mr. Sévère was admitted to the Conservatoire national supérieur de Paris at 14, and the following year, he became the youngest artist and first clarinetist to be nominated for Best New Instrumentalist of the Year at the 2010 Victoires de la musique classique. By the time he turned 19, he had already received a degree with highest honors from the Conservatoire national supérieur de Paris. When he was 12 years old, he recorded his first album, Récital de musique française, which received four stars from Diapason; his second album, Opus 2, received five. Mr. Sévère’s recording of Brahms works on the Mirare label was awarded the 2015 Diapason d’Or of the year. His most recent recording with the Prazak Quartet includes Brahms and Hindemith clarinet quintets (Mirare).

RAPHAËL SÉVÈRE, clarinet

REPERTOIRE WITH ORCHESTRA

AHO Clarinet Concerto

BRUCH Concerto for Clarinet and Viola in E minor, Op. 88

BUSONI Concertino for Clarinet and Orchestra in B-flat Major, Op. 48

COPLAND Clarinet Concerto

CRUSELL Clarinet Concerto No. 1 in E-flat Major, Op. 1 Clarinet Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 5

Clarinet Concerto No. 3 in B-flat Major, Op. 11 Introduction et Air suédois, Op. 12

DEBUSSY Première rhapsodie

FRANÇAIX Theme and variations

KROMMER Concerto for Two Clarinets in E-flat Major, Op. 35 Clarinet Concerto in E-flat Major, Op. 36 Clarinet Concerto in E minor, Op. 86

LINDBERG Clarinet Concerto

LUTOSLAWSKI Dance preludes

MENDELSSOHN Concert Piece for Clarinet and Basset horn in F minor, Op. 113 Concert Piece for Clarinet and Basset horn in D minor, Op. 114

MERCADANTE Clarinet Concerto in B-flat Major, Op. 101

MOZART Clarinet Concerto in A Major, K. 622 Sinfonia Concertante for Oboe, Clarinet, Horn, and Bassoon in E-flat Major, K. 297b

NIELSEN Clarinet Concerto, Op. 57

ROSSINI Variations for Clarinet in C Major Introduction, Theme and Variations for Clarinet

SPOHR Clarinet Concerto No. 1 in C minor, Op. 26 Clarinet Concerto No. 2 in E-flat Major, Op. 57 Clarinet Concerto No. 3 in F minor WoO 19 Clarinet Concerto No. 4 in E minor WoO 20

STAMITZ J. Clarinet Concerto in B-flat Major

STAMITZ K. Clarinet Concerto No. 1 in F Major Clarinet Concerto No. 3 in B-flat Major Clarinet Concerto No. 10 in B-flat Major Clarinet Concerto No. 11 in E-flat Major

TOMASI Clarinet Concerto

WEBER Concertino for Clarinet and Orchestra in E-flat Major, Op. 26 Clarinet Concerto No. 1 in F minor, Op. 73 Clarinet Concerto No. 2 in E-flat Major, Op. 74

Raphaël Sévère, clarinetist

Young French clarinetist in fine form in D.C. debut Charles T. Downey | The Washington Post | March 31, 2015

“The clarinet is quite possibly the easiest of all orchestral instruments to master,” composer (and clarinetist) John Adams wrote in his autobiography, “Hallelujah Junction.” Young French clarinetist Raphaël Sévère, winner of last year’s Korean Concert Society Prize, proved masterful in his Washington debut Monday night in the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater. Adams meant that the full range of chromatic notes is relatively easy to produce on the modern clarinet and that what distinguishes an excellent clarinetist is the beauty of tone produced. Sévère’s tone was rounded and mellow, rich in the low chalumeau register and clarion bright at

the top, without becoming harsh in the small hall. Two of the instrument’s best sonatas were the program’s bookends — the second sonata of Brahms (Op. 120, No. 2) and Francis Poulenc’s sonata, both created late in the composers’ lives. Sévère’s evanescent and delicate approach, abetted by the often too reticent pianist Paul Montag, was the same in both pieces, elegantly capturing Poulenc’s Gallic melancholy but proving too effete for the smoldering Brahms. Sévère showed his range with a witty, playful account of Pierre Boulez’s “Domaines,” in the original version for solo clarinet, beginning the piece while standing half-unseen at the entrance and then moving across the stage like a street musician. But the suite for violin, clarinet and piano from Stravinsky’s “L’Histoire du Soldat” was an odd choice for a clarinet recital, even though it featured Paul Huang to good effect in the dominant violin part. In Sylvain Picart’s “Fantasy on Themes by John Williams,” Sévère played on both B-flat and A clarinets in a Lisztian paraphrase of themes from the “Harry Potter” scores of John Williams, part of which served as an encore to round out an unusual evening.

NEWS from Young Concert Artists, Inc.

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French clarinetist Raphaël Sévère played pieces by Pierre Boulez, Francis Poulenc and others in a concert Monday

night at the Kennedy Center. (Photo: Matt Dine)

Raphaël Sévère, violinist

Music Review: Clarinetist brings more than Gallic charm Jim Lowe | The Rutland Herald | March 22, 2015

Clarinetist Raphaël Sévère, with pianist Paul Montag, closed the 2014-15 Passages at the Paramount classical music series Friday.

Not only did a young French clarinetist get the normally conservative classi-cal music audience at Rutland’s Paramount Theatre to listen to contemporary music Friday, he convinced them to embrace it.

It didn’t hurt that he and his partner played beautifully — nor that he exuded pure charm when addressing his audience.

Closing the 2014-15 Passages at the Paramount classical music series, clarinet-ist Raphaël Sévère and pianist Paul Montag performed a compelling program in which only one work was written before the 20th century. The series is presented in collaboration with Young Concert Artists, Inc., of New York.

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) is in many ways the quintessential German composer, but that didn’t prevent Sévère and Montag, both of whom live in Paris, from giving the Sonata No. 2 in E-flat Major, Opus 120, for clarinet and piano (which Brahms later transcribed for viola), a decided French accent.

For they played it with a light, beautiful lyricism that made this music sing.

In fact, Sévère’s playing had a decided vocal quality to it, nuanced and expressive, with an ever-varying sound. Montag, with great clarity, varied his touch and expressiveness to match the music and complement Sévère. They clearly were very comfortable together.

Perhaps the biggest success of the evening was French composer Francis Poulenc’s 1962 Sonata for Clarinet and Piano, the composer’s final work. Sévère and Montag charmed their way through Poulenc’s wit, pathos and unex-pectedly introspective lyricism. It was touching.

But it was today’s music that proved a surprise.

French conductor and composer Pierre Boulez, celebrating his 90th birthday this month, is not known for audience-friendly music. Yet Sévère made sense of the excerpts from “Domaines” for solo clarinet, somewhat austere minia-tures using the clarinet in a variety of unexpected ways. With Sévère, there was a linear effect that intrigued.

Sévère introduced these and other works from the stage. Despite — or maybe because of — his heavy French ac-cent, and a light dry wit and genuine warmth, he enticed the audience into wishing to enjoy these new experiences.

Much more familiar sounding was the Fantasy on Themes by John Williams, written for Sévère by his 21-year-old friend Sylvain Picart. Using themes from “Harry Potter” and other Williams works, Sévère and Montag wove their way around the themes in decidedly contemporary language, but the effect was a popular film score.

Still, the audience seemed to delight most in Sévère’s own encore piece, a fantasy in itself that was full of lyricism as well as bravura. Sévère’s light touch made it sing, as did Montag’s.

Sévère and Montag also used the same light lyricism in German-American composer Paul Hindemith’s 1939 B-flat Major Clarinet Sonata. It’s lightness and charm may not have made purists happy, but it was not only a valid musi-cal approach, it was compelling and beautiful.

Sévère and Montag’s performances proved that individualism in music — not sounding just like everyone else — can and does work. This was a most rewarding recital by fine young players.

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Telephone: (212) 307-6655 Fax: (212) 581-8894 management@yca.org

Photo: Matt Dine

Raphaël Sévère, violinist

CD Review: BRAHMS Clarinet Trio, Clarinet Sonatas Nos. 1 and 2 Richard A. Kaplan | Fanfare Magazine | January, 2015

BRAHMS Clarinet Trio. Clarinet Sonatas Nos. 1 and 2 • Raphaël Sévère (cl); Victor Julien-Laferrière (vc); Adam Laloum (pn) • MIRARE 250 (71:38) Child prodigies on wind instruments are rare; evidently the very young lack the physical equipment that wind instruments require. The French clarinetist Raphaël Sévère was apparently the nearest thing, winning the Tokyo Competition at the age of 12. He is now all of 20, and won the prestigious Young Concert Artists International Auditions in New York in 2013. His colleagues aren’t much older: Pianist Adam Laloum is the senior member of this group at 27. This CD was recorded in January 2014. The Brahms chamber music for clarinet is an interesting choice for such young artists: there’s absolutely no opportunity for virtuoso display. Never mind: I found this to be music-making of great sensitivity and depth. Sévère possesses a lovely tone that is remarkably even throughout the clarinet’s range, and a superb legato. He shapes a phrase lovingly and has impeccable intonation. Throughout the recital, he and pianist Adam Laloum, along with cellist Victor Julien-Laferrière in the trio, play with outstanding ensemble and unanimity of expression. The F-Minor First Sonata here is contemplative and elegiac. Tempos are notably deliberate, and there is a reserve to the interpretation from which the ebullient fourth movement provides an effective relief. The Allegro amabile of the E flat-Major Second Sonata emphasizes the “amabile”; the Tranquillo of the coda is almost too much. In the trio, Julien-Laferrière’s singing cello and Sévère’s terrific breath control are anchored by Laloum’s sensitive, solid piano playing. Here as in the sonatas, he is impressive, no mere accompanist but a true partner thoroughly attuned to Brahms’s idiom. The touchstone passages, such as the 16th note runs in the first movement’s coda and the unison hand-offs between clarinet and cello in the Adagio, are managed flawlessly. This is a reading worthy of standing with the finest recordings of the piece. The sound is full and well balanced, with just the right balance of immediacy and ambience. All three of these young musicians are outstanding instrumentalists and possessors of a musical maturity that belies their years; they all seem destined for major careers. The present CD is no mere promise of things to come, however, but a fully realized musical statement. Warmly recommended.

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Raphaël Sévère, violinist

Jeunesse surdouée

Gérard Mannoni | Altamusica | September 27, 2012

Remarquable concert dans la série des Midis de l’Auditorium du Louvre par deux jeunes instrumentistes français typiques de la toute dernière génération des surdoués. À dix-huit ans, Raphaël Sévère est à la fois un virtuose accompli et un parfait musicien. Adam Laloum, à vingt-cinq ans, un brillant concertiste éprouvé.

On s’étonne toujours de cette maturité instinctive des jeunes inter-prètes qui, à peine sortis de l’adolescence, ont la capacité d’assimiler et de traduire les œuvres de compositeurs riches d’une expérience humaine et sensitive que seules les années semblent pouvoir donner. L’univers opulent de Brahms, le monde si particulier de Debussy, celui de Poulenc, difficile à saisir dans sa vérité profonde, la moder-nité intelligente d’un Karol Beffa, rien n’échappe aux doigts ni au souffle de Raphaël Sévère. Composées par Brahms à la fin de sa vie, les deuxSonates op. 120 dont Raphaël Sévère jouait la deuxième, sont de œuvres totale-ment abouties en tous domaines. L’écriture, très savante sans que cela apparaisse autrement qu’à l’analyse, va à l’essentiel, sans la moindre recherche d’effet vir-tuose, l’accent étant mis seulement sur le poétique et sur le sensible. Il y a de la nostalgie, une sorte de résignation, mais beaucoup de vitalité aussi, un regard riche sur la vie, même s’il est un peu désabusé. Avec un son magnifique, des doigts infaillibles et un souffle totalement sous contrôle, le jeune musicien raconte tout cela. Comme il traduit de manière lucide le climat étrange de la Première Rhapsodie de Debussy, celui, très personnel, attachant, de l’Épitaphe de Karol Beffa et les humeurs contrastée de la Sonate de Poulenc. Créée après la mort du compositeur par son dédicataire Benny Goodman et avec Leonard Bernstein au piano, cette partition, sans être un testament musical, reflète tout de même ces états d’âme contradictoires, rêverie, contemplation et enthousiasme communicatif qui ont marqué tout l’œuvre de Poulenc. Adam Laloum, partenaire attentif et inspiré, joue un rôle primordial dans la solidité de ces in-terprétations. Belle qualité de toucher engendrant un son bien présent mais sans brutalité, ex-cellents choix d’accentuation et sens toujours exact de ce doit être le dialogue des instruments dans ce type d’œuvres. Grâce à lui aussi, ce fut une heure intense de musique envoûtante.

NEWS from Young Concert Artists, Inc.

Concert du clarinettiste Raphaël

Sévère et du pianiste Adam Laloum à

l’Auditorium du Louvre, Paris.

YOUNG CONCERT ARTISTS, INC. 250 West 57 Street, Suite 1222 New York, NY 10107, www.yca.org

Telephone: (212) 307-6655 Fax: (212) 581-8894 management@yca.org

“It was a re

markable concert at th

e Louvre. At 1

9, Raphaël S

évère is both an

accomplished virtuoso and a perfe

ct musician. O

ne is astonished that a

young

interpreter barely out o

f adolescence has the capacity

to assim

ilate and set forth

the works of composers rich in

human experience. O

f the opulent u

niverse of

Brahms, the very special w

orld of D

ebussy; Poulenc—whose profundity

is hard

to grasp—and the intelligent modernity

of Beffa—not an iota is missed by

Raphael Severe’s infallible fin

gers and beautifully contro

lled breaths.”