Yulianna Avdeeva receives a ‘Diapason d'or de l’année’ for Chopin: Voyage
January 16, 2026
Today in Paris, pianist Yulianna Avdeeva was awarded a Diapason d'or de l’année, the prestigious French classical music prize, for her album Chopin: Voyage. Selected annually by Diapason, one of Europe’s leading classical music magazines, the album was recognized as the best classical recording of the year. Recorded at Tippet Rise Art Center in 2024, Chopin: Voyage focuses on the composer’s later works.
A dedicated student of Chopin, Avdeeva won the XVI International Chopin Piano Competition in 2010. She has since maintained an active solo recital and orchestral touring schedule, including performances at Tippet Rise during the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
Yulianna Avdeeva shared, “The music of Chopin has a unique place in my soul. For me, it captures the subtlest nuances of the human experience. Just like a leaf on a tree appears plain green at first, yet reveals a spectrum of hues when touched by the wind, Chopin’s compositions unveil layers of emotion and meaning with the unfolding of each note.”
“His music is a constant source of revelation, a journey of perpetual rediscovery. This album depicts the late works of Chopin: the amazing Piano Sonata No. 3, op. 58; the Mazurkas, op. 59; the Barcarolle in F-sharp major, op. 60; the Polonaise-Fantaisie in A-flat major, op. 61; and the last Nocturnes, op. 62. Each work is a masterpiece and I admire every single note in it.”
Due to Yulianna’s touring schedule, the Diapason d'or was accepted on her behalf by Tippet Rise co-founders, Cathy and Peter Halstead, and artistic advisor Pedja Mužijević.
Of her playing, Cathy and Peter Halstead shared, “Yulianna has said in her Diapason interview that she felt that nature in Montana had a voice that was similar to the landscape which inspired Chopin when he wrote his late pieces at George Sand’s estate in the countryside at Nohant.
“The way Tom Stoppard mixed two plays together to make invisible links between the plots, Yulianna plays between the lines, in the space where music is born.
“Music has denotations (the notes themselves) and connotations (the backstory). Yulianna brings the bridge between structure and invention into her Chopin; she brings the undertones of Corot and Delacroix, of summer in Nohant, into the lattices of Chopin’s filigree. You can hear Chopin composing.
“Yulianna recomposes with Chopin’s finesse and sensibility in mind: virtuosity and restraint - genius tempered with sadness. Chopin knew he was dying, and had much to say about the moments when day crosses into night, about the colors of the evening. His music is a voyage back into what Dylan Thomas called “the distant speaking of the voices I sometimes hear a moment before sleep.”
Produced by Bernhard Güttler for Pentatone, “Chopin: Voyage” is available for purchase, streaming, and as high-resolution downloads in our Music Download Library. During Yulianna’s time at Tippet Rise, she also created a performance film of her playing Sonata No. 3 in B Minor, Op. 58. This as well as behind-the-scenes videos about the winter recording session are available to watch here.
Congratulations to our dear friend Yulianna Avdeeva for this much deserved recognition!