We are delighted to announce that Yulianna Avdeeva has been awarded the prestigious Diapason d’Or de l’Année 2025 for her album Voyage – Chopin, one of the most important international awards for classical music recordings. With this distinction, the French music magazine Diapason honours Avdeeva’s exceptional interpretation of Frédéric Chopin’s late works.

Fourteen years after winning the XVI International Chopin Piano Competition, Steinway Artist Yulianna Avdeeva returns to Chopin with a deeply personal artistic statement. Released by Pentatone in September 2024, Voyage – Chopin was recorded at the Tippet Rise Art Center in Montana, whose unique combination of music, art and vast natural landscape has become an essential part of the album’s artistic identity. Set against the striking scenery of the Beartooth Mountains, the recording environment at Tippet Rise resonates profoundly with the spirit of Chopin’s late works, which are deeply inspired by nature, introspection and poetic freedom.

A close artistic relationship connects Yulianna Avdeeva and Tippet Rise Art Center: she has appeared there in several seasons prior to the recording, and the album was captured during an intensive recording session in February 2024. Due to her touring schedule, the Diapason d’Or award was accepted on her behalf in Paris by Tippet Rise co-founders Cathy and Peter Halstead, underlining the close collaboration between the artist and the institution.

Reflecting on her lifelong connection to Chopin, Yulianna Avdeeva says:

“The music of Chopin has a unique place in my soul. For me, it captures the subtlest nuances of the human experience.” She describes Voyage – Chopin as a journey of continual rediscovery, bringing together works such as the Piano Sonata No. 3, the late Mazurkas, the Barcarolle, the Polonaise-Fantaisie and the final Nocturnes — compositions that stand among the composer’s most profound artistic statements.

Voyage – Chopin was produced by Bernhard Güttler for Pentatone and is available worldwide on all major streaming platforms as well as on CD and in high-resolution formats. In addition to the album, a performance film of Chopin’s Sonata No. 3, recorded at Tippet Rise Art Center, offers further insight into this unique artistic collaboration.

Listen to the album here.