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Feuillâtre’s programme was very well constructed as pure sequences of sound. Each half began with something gentle to ease the listener into its soundworld, before becoming livelier and, at the end, more challenging. […] Impressive as that was, though, it was the baroque transcriptions that I found particularly captivating, magically so in places. The music of the eighteenth century – Bach, Couperin, Scarlatti – fitted the guitar so well that, if you didn’t know better, you would have sworn they were written for them. […] They fitted the instrument absolutely beautifully in these transcriptions and Feuillâtre played them with such a lovely sense of legato and an understatedly gentle dynamic.

Today we meet Raphaël Feuillâtre, guitarist for the prestigious Deutsche Grammophone label. He talks about his recent life as a classical guitar star, and how it all came to a head.

In 2023, Raphaël Feuillâtre ranked 2nd among the world's most listened-to classical music artists on Apple Classical. A few months ago, the French guitarist from Djibouti released his first album, "Visages baroques", on the prestigious Deutsche Grammophon label.

Deutsche Grammophon's "Yellow Lounge" has long been known for offering young, outstanding artists a platform in very special locations to make music in a relaxed atmosphere and in close contact with their audience. The organizers and audience alike were all the happier to be able to celebrate the return of the popular Yellow Lounge as a live event on Wednesday evening, this time in the "Säälchen", a small but fine location in Berlin's Friedrichshain district. And on a small show stage, framed by leather cushions for the audience to sit on, two young artists whose debut albums have just been released by Deutsche Grammophon presented themselves: María Dueñas and Raphaël Feuillâtre, warmly welcomed by the audience.

Baroque music has many facets, especially when played on the guitar. In this exclusive interview, talented young guitarist Raphaël Feuillâtre, who has just released his first album on Deutsche Grammophon, "Visages baroques", talks about his early career and the infinite possibilities of his instrument.

“My first album for Deutsche Grammophon stems from a desire to share my love for Baroque music,” says rising-star French guitarist Raphaël Feuillâtre. Visages baroques, set for release on 31 March 2023, presents music by J.S. Bach and his French contemporaries Forqueray, Rameau, Royer and Duphly. The carefully curated programme translates works mostly conceived for solo harpsichord into the colourful soundworld of the guitar. They are performed by the first guitarist signed to DG in many years, an artist hailed as “a tremendously versatile and sensitive player” (Classical Guitar).

Critical praise has been heaped on his performances of everything from early works for guitar to the instrument’s great Romantic showpieces, contemporary music and a wide range of transcriptions. Guitar Salon International recently described him as “one of the most exciting classical guitarists of his generation”, while Classical Guitar has called him “a tremendously versatile and sensitive player”. Now, at the age of 26, Raphaël Feuillâtre is signing to Deutsche Grammophon.

When French guitarist Raphaël Feuillâtre won first prize at the 2018 Guitar Foundation of America International Concert Artist Competition in Louisville, Kentucky, he was barely known in the U.S., so his victory at the country’s most important annual competition surprised many. But in Europe he was already widely respected, having competed strongly in numerous festivals there, and in 2017 winning the prestigious International Guitar Competition José Tomas–Villa de Petrer in Spain, which resulted in the recording of his excellent first album for the JSM label, Guitar Recital, which included pieces by Bach, Granados (his own arrangements of the Valses poéticos), Tansman, Assad, and Dyens.