Jean-Yves Thibaudet strikes up a new bond with a kindred piano spirit

When pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet returns to Symphony Center this season, he will perform works from his standard classical repertoire. But lately he has been collaborating with jazz/Broadway pianist and vocalist Michael Feinstein in a cabaret-style show titled “Two Pianos: Who Could Ask for Anything More?”

Given Thibaudet’s eclectic interests, it’s a natural pairing. Along with his specialty of French classical music, he has ventured into jazz and film music, with recordings such as “Conversations with Bill Evans” and “Reflections on Duke” and movie soundtracks such as of “The Portrait of a Lady,” “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close,” “Atonement” and “The French Dispatch.”

Thibaudet’s introduction to Feinstein came at a New York party. “Even before that, I knew about him, and I actually was listening to him when I was living in Paris,” he recalled in a recent interview. “I had all his CDs, and I always loved his music.”

For Feinstein, the feeling was mutual. “He told me he came to many of my concerts, but he was always afraid to introduce himself to me afterward. I said, ‘Why didn’t you come backstage and say hello?’ And he said, ‘I didn’t want to bother you. I didn’t know you.’ So here we were, both admiring each other for years. When we finally met we really hit it off.”

Their collaboration took longer to happen. “We tried to plan it, and we didn’t know exactly what to do. Finally, we put something together. It took us a while because it’s very complicated. But it’s important to find the right angle to make this work.”

In addition, the setting gives Thibaudet an opportunity to venture further into unconventional presentation. Instead of wearing standard tuxedos, he favors concert attire designed by Vivienne Westwood and other couture designers. “I always thought, ‘Why do we have to wear this boring tails and white tie that have been worn the same way for hundreds of years?’ A concert is a special experience. It’s something that should beautiful and memorable in every respect. So as an artist, I have to respect that and arrive on stage looking really festive and fitting for the occasion.”

His creative relationship with Westwood (who died late last year) began in 2002, when she asked him if she could design an outfit for him at the BBC Proms. “Vivienne is one of the people in my life who has really made an impression,” he said in 2010. “She knows that for my concerts she can’t be too crazy — so it always has a classic feel but with a twist, whether it’s in the material, in the cut or in the way she prepares it.”