Richard Clayderman (born 28 December 1953 in Paris) is a French pianist.
From a Piano Performer Magazine interview:
PPM: Do you have a favourite food/cuisine
RC: I like simple food like mixed salads. I like steak, chicken, lamb cutlets with rice. I also like Italian food like pasta and pizza. I don’t drink wine, beer, champagne or any kind of alcohol. I have never drunk alcohol and I never will. I still like water. For breakfast, I like fresh orange juice. I never drink coffee but I like tea in the morning. I’m not a fish lover… no lobsters or oysters and things like this. I am very French when it comes to being a cheese connoisseur – Camembert, Brie, Roquefort, goat cheese – I enjoy them all. I also like pastries. Especially tiramisu. In any case, I try not to eat too much to keep fit and avoid gaining too much weight.
From an interview with Petronella Wyatt of the DailyMail:
‘Being Mr Romance can be hard. Sometimes you just want to hide and be alone. One needs a rest, even from romance. But do not tell anyone that!’
He is a multi-millionaire, but his idea of a rest is to retreat to his modest home near Versailles and walk his dog. He had four vintage cars, but sold them.
‘I like to live simply. I have a few paintings, but none of them are worth much.’
He did, however, acquire another wife in 2010, a violinist called Typhaine.
‘She was the best for me, as I had known her for ten years. She played in the orchestra that accompanies me, so she knew my character very well.’
Today, he thinks less about love and more about taxes.
‘I lost so much money getting divorced. I’ve been very generous to my ex-wives, especially the second — I even paid for her new boyfriend! But France under President Hollande is no good for people with money. The taxes have gone extremely high.’
What does he think of his fellow countryman Gerard Depardieu, who caused un petit scandale recently by becoming a Russian citizen in order to evade French taxes?
‘I cannot see myself in exile. That is not for me. But I understand how they feel. It is crazy, so much taxes.’
‘I will carry on touring as long as my health lets me, but it is harder as you get older,’ he says. ‘I jog every day and cycle to keep myself in shape. But I do travel less. The jetlag gets worse all the time.’
Yet his complexion is smooth and there are no rock star circles under his eyes. Has he indulged in un petit peu de Botox?
‘No way! I just live healthily. I also have good genes. People are jealous, like those who attack my music.’
Do you have a ritual before a concert?
First of all I try to be on time, in the afternoon for my concert, in order to familiarize myself with my dressing room backstage, the stage and to discover my piano, because often it’s a different piano so it’s not easy. I always envy musicians who have their own instruments, their own flute or violin. For me, every day is a new challenge so I need that ritual of discovering the piano and practice a bit, and of course doing a meticulous sound check is also very important.
Sources:
- https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2271658/Pianist-Richard-Clayderman-says-life-bed-roses.html
- http://magazine.pianoperformers.org/richard_clayderman_the_prince_of_hearts_and_romance/
- https://www.cutcommonmag.com/clayderman-snobbery-going-viral-and-meeting-paul-mccartney/
- https://www.korg.com/us/features/artists/2018/0810/